ESTABLISHMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TRACHEAL EPITHELIAL-CELL LINES,TMO1 AND TMO2-3, FROM TRANSGENIC MICE BEARING TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE SIMIAN-VIRUS-40 LARGE T-ANTIGEN GENE

Murine tracheal epithelial cell lines, TM01 and TM02-3, were establish ed from a primary culture of tracheal cells of adult transgenic mice b earing a temperature-sensitive simian virus (SV40) large T-antigen gen e. Both TM01 and TM02-3 cells, which grew until confluent monolayers w ere formed, maintained tight contact with neighboring cells, and retai ned the characteristics of epithelial cells with microvilli on the sur face. These cells grew at a permissive temperature (33 degrees C), but did not at a nonpermissive temperature (39 degrees C), indicating tha t TM01 and TM02-3 cells undergo temperature-sensitive growth. Large T- antigen was expressed only in the nuclei at 33 degrees C. Sepharose CL -4B column chromatography using a C-14-glucosamine hydrochloride, indi cating that both cells produced high molecular weight glycoconjugates, and suggesting that these cells may originate from mucus-producing ce lls. TM01 cells expressed intercellular adhesion molecular-1 (ICAM-1) in both unstimulated and stimulated (1,000 U/ml tumor necrosis factor- alpha and 500 U/ml interferon-gamma) conditions, whereas TM02-3 cells expressed ICAM-1 only under stimulated conditions. We conclude that th ese cell lines may serve as a useful model to study the tracheal cell functions under defined in vitro conditions.