Fig. 4.

Differential mRNA expression profiles in PBECs from COPD patients and control subjects. a Schematic representation of the ALI culture model. PBECs from control 7–17 and COPD 6–16 (Table 1) were seeded onto transwell inserts and grown to confluence. Thereafter, apical medium was removed to create an ALI. Cells were harvested after 14 days for RNA and DNA analysis. b Expressions of MUC5AC, AGR2, SPDEF, and FOXA2 were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. Significance was tested by the Mann-Whitney U test. Medians are indicated. ns not significant. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01