Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells in cultures of human infant airway mucosa from postmortem tissues

Airway mucosa was isolated by enzymatic dissociation from tracheas and bronchi obtained at autopsy from stillbirth, infants, and children. An epithelial cell fraction was recovered that could be cultured on a collagen-coated substratum for at least 7 days. Epithelial cells were identified immunocytochemically with anticytokeratin antibody; pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNEC) were identified with antibodies against serotonin, bombesin/GRP, and MOC-1 cell surface antigen. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed neuroendocrine ultrastructural features of PNEC including the presence of neurosecretory dense core vesicles. The ability to recover and maintain viable PNEC in human lung airway epithelial cell cultures from postmortem tissues should facilitate further investigations of PNEC function in normal human lung and in various disease states.