Figure 2

Lung-derived prominin-1⁺ cells represent a common progenitor of alveolar type II epithelial cells, fibroblasts and macrophages. Prominin-1-positive cells were isolated from lungs of C57Bl/6-EGFP mouse. One EGFP-expressing prominin-1⁺ cell co-cultured with cells from healthy lungs for 14 days in the CEM proliferated and generated EGFP-positive single cell-derived clone (A). Co-culture containing the EGFP-positive single cell-derived clone were split and cultured under conditions stimulating different lineage differentiation. After 7-14 days, EGFP-expressing cells were positive for SP-C in the SAGM (B), phagocyted E.coli after treatment with M-CSF (C), and were positive for fibronectin in the presence to TGF-β (D). DAPI visualized cell nuclei. Bars = 20 μm.