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Prescott RA, Pankow AP, de Vries M, Crosse KM, Patel RS, Alu M, Loomis C, Torres V, Koralov S, Ivanova E, Dittmann M, Rosenberg BR. A comparative study of in vitro air-liquid interface culture models of the human airway epithelium evaluating cellular heterogeneity and gene expression at single cell resolution. Respir Res 2023; 24:213. [PMID: 37635251 PMCID: PMC10464153 DOI: 10.1186/s12931-023-02514-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The airway epithelium is composed of diverse cell types with specialized functions that mediate homeostasis and protect against respiratory pathogens. Human airway epithelial (HAE) cultures at air-liquid interface are a physiologically relevant in vitro model of this heterogeneous tissue and have enabled numerous studies of airway disease. HAE cultures are classically derived from primary epithelial cells, the relatively limited passage capacity of which can limit experimental methods and study designs. BCi-NS1.1, a previously described and widely used basal cell line engineered to express hTERT, exhibits extended passage lifespan while retaining the capacity for differentiation to HAE. However, gene expression and innate immune function in BCi-NS1.1-derived versus primary-derived HAE cultures have not been fully characterized. METHODS BCi-NS1.1-derived HAE cultures (n = 3 independent differentiations) and primary-derived HAE cultures (n = 3 distinct donors) were characterized by immunofluorescence and single cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq). Innate immune functions were evaluated in response to interferon stimulation and to infection with viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens. RESULTS We confirm at high resolution that BCi-NS1.1- and primary-derived HAE cultures are largely similar in morphology, cell type composition, and overall gene expression patterns. While we observed cell-type specific expression differences of several interferon stimulated genes in BCi-NS1.1-derived HAE cultures, we did not observe significant differences in susceptibility to infection with influenza A virus and Staphylococcus aureus. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our results further support BCi-NS1.1-derived HAE cultures as a valuable tool for the study of airway infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Prescott
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Alec P Pankow
- Department of Microbiology, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Maren de Vries
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Keaton M Crosse
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Roosheel S Patel
- Department of Microbiology, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Mark Alu
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Cynthia Loomis
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Victor Torres
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Sergei Koralov
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Ellie Ivanova
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Meike Dittmann
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
| | - Brad R Rosenberg
- Department of Microbiology, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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Prescott RA, Pankow AP, de Vries M, Crosse K, Patel RS, Alu M, Loomis C, Torres V, Koralov S, Ivanova E, Dittmann M, Rosenberg BR. A comparative study of in vitro air-liquid interface culture models of the human airway epithelium evaluating cellular heterogeneity and gene expression at single cell resolution. bioRxiv 2023:2023.02.27.530299. [PMID: 36909601 PMCID: PMC10002689 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.27.530299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
The airway epithelium is composed of diverse cell types with specialized functions that mediate homeostasis and protect against respiratory pathogens. Human airway epithelial cultures at air-liquid interface (HAE) are a physiologically relevant in vitro model of this heterogeneous tissue, enabling numerous studies of airway disease 1â€"7 . HAE cultures are classically derived from primary epithelial cells, the relatively limited passage capacity of which can limit experimental methods and study designs. BCi-NS1.1, a previously described and widely used basal cell line engineered to express hTERT, exhibits extended passage lifespan while retaining capacity for differentiation to HAE 5 . However, gene expression and innate immune function in HAE derived from BCi-NS1.1 versus primary cells have not been fully characterized. Here, combining single cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq), immunohistochemistry, and functional experimentation, we confirm at high resolution that BCi-NS1.1 and primary HAE cultures are largely similar in morphology, cell type composition, and overall transcriptional patterns. While we observed cell-type specific expression differences of several interferon stimulated genes in BCi-NS1.1 HAE cultures, we did not observe significant differences in susceptibility to infection with influenza A virus and Staphylococcus aureus . Taken together, our results further support BCi-NS1.1-derived HAE cultures as a valuable tool for the study of airway infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alec P. Pankow
- Department of Microbiology, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
| | - Maren de Vries
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
| | - Keaton Crosse
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
| | - Roosheel S. Patel
- Department of Microbiology, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
| | - Mark Alu
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
| | - Cynthia Loomis
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
| | - Victor Torres
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
| | - Sergei Koralov
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
| | - Ellie Ivanova
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
| | - Meike Dittmann
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
| | - Brad R. Rosenberg
- Department of Microbiology, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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