Expert Lungs

Studies of cell regeneration usually focus on stem cells, as they have the potential to develop into a wide range of cell types. But here scientists have found the regeneration of cells that are already specialised, occurring naturally in the cells lining the alveoli – the extremely thin tissue that makes up the lungs. Type I alveolar cells allow the oxygen that we breathe in to be exchanged for carbon dioxide produced in our bodies; type II cells (stained red) produce a surfactant that helps keep the airways open. In response to damaged or missing tissue, these lung cells are able to regenerate – type I cells (green) can become new type II cells (yellow) despite their distinct functions. This plasticity of type I cells has never previously been acknowledged. Further insights into this natural back-up plan may be a crucial step in treating pulmonary diseases.

Written by Katie Panteli

Katie Panteli

Writer

Katie, a Warwick Biomed graduate, works for a science-publishing house in London with some of the world's most respected scientific minds. She's most interested in human biology, anything and everything that makes us tick.

• Image by Rajan Jain, Jon Epstein, Christina Barkauskas and Brigid Hogan
• University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine and Duke University
• Copyright held by Nature Publishing Group
• Research published in Nature, April 2015