ADHESIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF TYPE-II PNEUMOCYTE SUBPOPULATIONS FROM SALINE-TREATED AND SILICA-TREATED RATS

Alveolar epithelial cells isolated from silica-treated rat lungs provi de a system for the in vitro study of repair mechanisms. In studies of type II cell interactions with the extracellular matrix, we observed that type IIB pneumocytes from silica-treated rats adhered to tissue c ulture plastic more readily than do normal type II cells. This paper e xamines the adhesion characteristics of IIA and IIB cells and their mo dulation by divalent cations. We describe differences in the adhesive behavior of two subpopulations of freshly isolated type II pneumocytes from saline- and silica-treated rats. The observations have implicati ons for repair and tissue remodeling in the lung.