Lung Epithelium

Study finds lung alveolar stem cells can convert to repair airway tissue

Researchers using multiple genetically engineered mouse lines found that alveolar type 2 stem cells, normally responsible for regenerating lung air sacs, can transdifferentiate into cells that regenerate the bronchiolar airways after injury. The team used lineage-tracing and gene-deletion techniques in mice to track this cell-fate switch and identify the Notch signaling pathway as a key regulator of the process.