ISSN:
0021-9541
Keywords:
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Growth and differentiation of primary monkey tracheal epithelial (MTE) cells maintained on collagen gel substrata were studied in a defined serum-free culture medium containing 0.03 to 3.0 mM extracellular calcium. Cell attachment efficiency (40-60%) was not altered by different calcium levels. Growth of primary MTE cells on collagen gel substrata, which was vitamin A dependent, was enhanced 50% in the medium supplemented with high calcium (≥ 0.3 mM). High calcium medium also increased cell-cell interactions, formation of desmosomes, and multi-cell layering. The relative content of mucous cells, which were identified by a mucin-specific monoclonal antibody and the presence of mucus-secreting granules at the ultrastructural level, was greater in the high-calcium medium. Furthermore, the secretion of mucin into the medium, determined either by an ELISA or by the incorporation of 3H-glucosamine into mucous glycoprotein fractions, was also increased more than 5-fold in media containing high calcium content ( ≥ 0.6 mM). In contrast, MTE cells cultured in low calcium medium ( 〈 0.15 mM) were squamous-like with prominent tonofiiaments, and their secretory product was mainly hyaluronate. These results demonstrate that media containing a high calcium content promote conducting airway epithelium to express mucous cell differentiation, while media with low calcium content promote squamous cell differentiation.
Additional Material:
10 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcp.1041470118
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