Identification of a Repair-Supportive Mesenchymal Cell Population during Airway Epithelial Regeneration
Alena Moiseenko, Ana Ivonne Vazquez‐Armendariz, Vahid Kheirollahi, Xuran Chu, Aleksandra Tata, Stefano Rivetti, Stefan Günther, Kévin Lebrigand, Susanne Herold, Thomas Braun, Bernard Mari, Stijn De Langhe, Grażyna Kwapiszewska, Andreas Günther, Chengshui Chen, Werner Seeger, Purushothama Rao Tata, Jin‐San Zhang, Savério Bellusci, Elie El Agha
Abstract
cells emerges in the non-cartilaginous conducting airway niche, which is normally populated by airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs). This cell population, which we term "repair-supportive mesenchymal cells" (RSMCs), is distinct from conventional ASMCs, which have previously been shown to contribute to epithelial repair. Gene expression analysis on sorted lineage-labeled cells shows that RSMCs express low levels of ASMC markers, but high levels of the pro-regenerative marker Fgf10. Organoid co-cultures demonstrate an enhanced ability for RSMCs in supporting club-cell growth. Our study highlights the dynamics of mesenchymal cells in the airway niche and has implications for chronic airway-injury-associated diseases.