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Table 1 Summary of stem cells in adult lung

From: Lung development and regeneration: newly defined cell types and progenitor status

Stem cell

Markers

Regenerative Ability

Resident Region

Refs

Basal cells

TRP63, KRT5,

NGFR

Basal cells are cable of populating proximal airway epithelium

Trachea and proximal airway in human, while trachea and main bronchi in mouse (Unlike in human, mouse small airways do not contain basal cells)

Hogan et al. 2014; Morrisey and Hogan 2010; Nikolić et al. 2018; Wu and Tang 2021; Zepp and Morrisey 2019

Club cells

SCGB1A1,

SCGB3A2

Club cells represent powerful stem cell ability within mouse lung after injury, though lack of basal cells

Mouse airways within lung (Whether club cells within human lung also have similar stem cells capability still need to be validated)

Giangreco et al. 2002; Hong et al. 2001

LNEPs

SOX2,

TRP63

LNEPs migrate from distal medium and small airways to the damaged alveolar region and form KRT5 pod, but lack of ability to generate alveolar cells

Alveoli

Kanegai et al. 2016; Kumar et al. 2011; Ray et al. 2016; Vaughan et al. 2015; Xi et al. 2017; Yang et al. 2018; Zuo et al. 2015

BASCs

SCGB1A1,

SFTPC

BASCs can be stimulated at injured environments to differentiate into multiple cell lineages, including airway epithelial cells and alveolar cells

Broncho-alveolar junction (BADJ)

Kim et al. 2005; Lee et al. 2014; Liu et al. 2019; Salwig et al. 2019

RASCs

SCGB1A1

SCGB3A2

RASCs can convert into AT2 cells and this process is disrupted in COPD patients

Respiratory airways

Basil et al. 2022

AT2 cells

(AT2Axin2)

SFTPC, ABCA3

A group of AT2 cells that respond to Wnt signaling can proliferate and differentiate into AT1 cells

Alveoli

Nabhan et al. 2018; Zacharias et al. 2018