Murine Ex Vivo Cultured Alveolar Macrophages Provide a Novel Tool to Study Tissue-Resident Macrophage Behavior and Function

• DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2021-0190oc
• Publication Date: 2021-09-29T19:41:34Z
• Authors: Anna-Dorothea Gorki; Dörte Symmank; Sophie Zahalka; Karin Lakovits; Anastasiya Hladik; Brigitte Langer; Barbara Maurer; Veronika Sexl; Renate Kain; Sylvia Knapp
• Keywords: Ex vivo; Alveolar macrophage

Tissue-resident macrophages are of vital importance as they preserve tissue homeostasis in all mammalian organs. Nevertheless, appropriate cell culture models still limited. Here, we propose a novel model to study and expand murine primary alveolar (AMs), the tissue-resident lung, vitro over several months. By providing combination granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, TGFβ, PPARγ activator rosiglitazone, maintain mouse ex vivo cultured AMs (mexAMs) MexAMs typical morphologic features stably express AM surface markers throughout culture. They respond microbial ligands exhibit an AM-like transcriptional profile, including expression AM-specific transcription factors. Furthermore, when transferred into AM-deficient mice, mexAMs efficiently engraft lung fulfill key macrophage functions, leading significantly reduced surfactant load those mice. Altogether, provide novel, simple, versatile tool behavior disease settings.