Optimized primary organotypic culture from murine neonatal tracheal airway epithelial cells

American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology 2026 Open access

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Authors: Yan Han, Rewa Kulkarni, Stephan Pribitzer, Steven F. Ziegler, Jason S. Debley, Laurie C. Eldredge
DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00250.2025
Cited by: 0

Abstract

In this study, we optimized murine neonatal tracheal epithelial cell (MNTEC) growth and differentiation for mechanistic studies of disrupted airway epithelial cell development, injury, and repair. Our protocol removes significant complexity and historical variability of murine air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures and is specifically designed for neonatal airway epithelial cell cultures with limited cell numbers. We also compared the transcriptomes of well-differentiated and poorly differentiated organotypic airway epithelial cultures to identify key genes for epithelial growth and polarization.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Tracheal and airway disorders Neonatal Respiratory Health Research Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Publication details

Journal / source
American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology
Volume
330
Issue
4
Pages
L368–L378
Publication date
7 February 2026
Language
EN