Tel: +81 4 7121 3691 Fax: +81 4 7121 3622 factor. Human AEPCs are purified from adult human lung using two selection procedures. The first is a negative selection that removes hematopoietic cells using an autoMACS Separator with anti-human CD45 antibody-coated microbeads. The second is a positive selection that picks out lung stem cells using FACSAria with anti-human pro-SP-C (an alveolar cell marker) and antihuman CD90 (a mesenchymal stem cell marker) antibodies [2].Recently, we showed that all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), a metabolite of retinol (vitamin A), has the ability to induce the differentiation of human AEPCs to AT-II cells. AT-II cells have the ability to proliferate and differentiate into alveolar type I epithelial cells through the alveolar repair process. ATRA treatment also significantly improves the CT values of normal mice and elastasetreated mice, a mouse model of emphysema [3]. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying ATRA-induced differentiation of human AEPCs remain unclear.ATRA can activate two nuclear receptors: nuclear retinoic acid
IntroductionChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the fourth leading cause of death according to a report released by World Health Organization in 2005, is an increasing global health problem. COPD includes three pathological manifestations: chronic obstructive bronchitis, mucus plugging, and pulmonary emphysema. Pulmonary emphysema is a disease in which the lung's gas-exchange structures, the alveoli, are irreversibly destroyed, causing the patient to die of compromised lung function unless a transplant is provided. The causes of COPD have not been clearly defined. However, many lipid mediators, inflammatory peptides, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, chemokines, cytokines, and growth factors have been implicated in alveolar destruction [1].Human alveolar epithelial progenitor cells (AEPCs) have been shown to self-renew. They also can differentiate into alveolar type II epithelial (AT-II) cells upon stimulation with a growth
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor β/δ Stimulation Induces the Differentiation of Human Alveolar Epithelial Progenitor Cell
AbstractPulmonary emphysema is a disease in which alveoli in the lung are irreversibly destroyed, compromising lung function. All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) reportedly repairs the alveoli of emphysema model mice. In addition, ATRA can activate two nuclear receptors, nuclear retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) β/δ. Both of these receptors induce differentiation in many different cell types. In this study, PPARβ/δ stimulation is shown to induce differentiation of human alveolar epithelial progenitor cells into alveolar type II epithelial (AT-II) cells. PPARβ/δ activation also stimulates the expression of adipose differentiation-related protein mRNA in human alveolar epithelial progenitor cells. These data suggest that PPARβ/δ selective agonists could differentiate human alveolar epithelial progenitor cells without cytotoxic of ATRA derived from stimu...