This book presents a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of the organization of endogenous lung stem and progenitor cell compartments during fetal lung development, postnatal lung growth and in adulthood. Progressing stage by stage, the chapters on fetal lung development emphasize the integrated role of epithelial, stromal, vascular and neural cell elements in building a functional lung, while the subsequent chapters on adult lung regeneration describe the nature and properties of adult lung stem/progenitor cells distributed along the proximal-distal axis of the airway tree. The chapters on regulation of lung regeneration and repair discuss how regenerative cells interact with their niche microenvironment and how regulation of lung regeneration and repair in the steady state and following injury recapitulates ontogeny. And, lastly, the chapters on cellular therapies for lung disease and bioengineering the lung focus on promising emerging therapies and approaches in lung regenerative medicine. The scope of this volume of the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series focuses on exploring the topic of building and rebuilding the lung from a cellular rather than a molecular perspective. Thus, the section on cellular therapies does not include extensive coverage of each of the numerous lung diseases, including cancer, which could be amenable to stem cell-based therapies, although the final chapter does include some discussion on the future prospects and challenges. All of the contributors are working on the cutting edge of the lung stem cell field, making this book essential reading for those with an interest in the field of lung stem cell biology and the potential role of cellular therapies and tissue bioengineering approaches in lung regenerative medicine, including biomedical scientists, graduate students, post-graduate researchers and respiratory clinicians.

This volume describes cell culture protocols for the maintenance, propagation, manipulation, and analysis of primary explanted cells from various mouse organ systems. After introductory chapters that examine the applicability of mouse models as a discovery tool and describe critical factors and variables that influence cell culture endpoints, protocol chapters explore cell culture methodologies for specific mouse cell types and lineages. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, these chapters include introductions to their respective topics, comprehensive lists of the essential materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Mouse Cell Culture: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results utilizing these protocols in further studies, leading to the identification of key factors, genes, and cellular pathways regulating cell lineage commitment and differentiation, modeling disease, and identifying novel therapeutic targets.