Monoclonal antibody isolation of type II pneumocytes

A monoclonal antibody that identifies a membrane molecule unique in rat lung for type II alveolar epithelial cells was used to isolate these cells from enzymatically dispersed lung cells by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Although multistep physical separation techniques have permitted the isolation of large quantities of these cells and flow cytometry has been used by others to isolate lamellar body-containing cells, the application of this antibody-directed sorting has distinct advantages. Because the marker molecule is expressed on immature type II cells prior to the development of lamellar bodies, the antibody will also permit their isolation and study.