Isolation & characterization of Hoechst(low) CD45(negative) mouse lung mesenchymal stem cells.

Tissue resident mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are important regulators of tissue repair or regeneration, fibrosis, inflammation, angiogenesis and tumor formation. Taken together these studies suggest that resident lung MSC play a role during pulmonary tissue homeostasis, injury and repair during diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and arterial hypertension (PAH). Here we describe a technology to define a population of resident lung MSC. The definition of this population in vivo pulmonary tissue using a define set of markers facilitates the repeated isolation of a well-characterized stem cell population by flow cytometry and the study of a specific cell type and function.