Immortalized Mouse Lung Epithelial Cells

Nonciliated bronchiolar (Clara) cells, alveolar type I and type II cells are the predominant cell types in the respiratory epithelium. Clara cells and alveolar type II cells produce pulmonary surfactant proteins that are critical in the structure and function maintenance of the pulmonary alveolus by reducing surface tension at the air-liquid interface. The Immortalized Mouse Lung Epithelial Cells (MLE-15) is a cell line derived from transgenic FVB/N mice harbouring SV40 TAg under the control of the human SP-C promoter. Similar to alveolar type II cells, MLE-15 is characterized by the presence of apical microvilli and intracellular multiamellar inclusion bodies, as well as the ability to produce surfactant proteins B and C. This cell line is useful in studying the regulation of lung epithelial genes and elucidating the complex transcriptional networks related to airway/alveolar differentiation.