
Aberrant basaloid cells were identified in fibrotic lung tissue as a novel epithelial cell type displaying a partial EMT phenotype. To elucidate the role of EMT in the development of aberrant basaloid cells from the bronchial epithelium, EMT-induced transcriptional changes at the population and single-cell levels were mapped. Comparison of submerged and ALI cultures revealed differential expression of 8,247 protein coding (PC) and 1,621 long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) genes and epithelial cell-type-specific lncRNAs. The substantial transcriptional differences between submerged and ALI cultures highlights that care must be taken when interpreting data from submerged cultures. This work supports that lung epithelial EMT does not generate fibroblasts/myofibroblasts and confirms ALI cultures provide a physiologically relevant system to study aberrant basaloid-like cells and mechanisms of EMT.
Like
Save
Share