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Mechanical stretch promotes alveolar epithelial type II cell differentiation
J Sanchez-Esteban1, L A Cicchiello, Y Wang
1Department of Pediatrics, Brown Medical School and Women and Infants' Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island 02905, USA. jsesteba@wihri.org
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|July 18, 2001
Summary
Mechanical stretch promotes fetal lung development by enhancing surfactant protein production in alveolar epithelial cells. This process involves direct effects on cells and interactions with surrounding mesenchymal cells, crucial for breathing after birth.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Cellular Mechanics
Background:
- Pulmonary alveolar epithelial cell maturation is vital for survival after birth.
- Mechanical forces and cell-cell interactions influence lung development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if mechanical stretch, simulating fetal breathing, regulates pulmonary epithelial cell differentiation.
- To determine the role of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions in this process.
Main Methods:
- Primary cultures of fetal rat type II alveolar epithelial cells and co-cultures with fibroblasts were subjected to cyclic mechanical stretch using a Flexercell Strain Unit.
- Surfactant protein (SP) C and SP-B mRNA expression, cellular SP-B, and secreted phosphatidylcholine were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Cyclic stretch significantly increased surfactant protein C mRNA expression in isolated type II cells and co-cultures.
- Stretch also elevated surfactant protein B mRNA and secreted phosphatidylcholine levels.
- Mesenchymal cells enhanced the stretch-induced increase in SP-C expression but not SP-B.
Conclusions:
- Mechanical stretch promotes the differentiation of fetal type II alveolar epithelial cells in a developmentally timed manner.
- This effect occurs through direct stimulation of epithelial cells and via mesenchymal-epithelial interactions.
- The SP-C gene is particularly responsive to mechanical stimulation during lung development.