Figure 1.

IL-1α/β and TNFα Enhance Growth of AEC2s in Organoid Culture

(A–D) The CFE (A) and size (B) of organoids treated with indicated cytokines was quantified at day 15. Organoids at day 10 were analyzed for fold increase of TOMATO⁺ cells after FACS (C) and cell proliferation as judged by Ki67 staining (D).

(E) Representative differential interference contrast (DIC) and fluorescence microscopy images of organoids at day 10 (top) and day 15 (bottom).

(F and G) Representative immunofluorescence images of sections stained for RAGE and SFTPC (top) or HOPX and T1α cells (bottom) at day 10 (F) and day 15 (G). Insets show higher-magnification images of RAGE⁺ and SFTPC⁺ cells. Although organoids treated with IL-1β or TNFα are larger than controls, the results are consistent regardless of organoid size. Scale bars, 50 μm.

All bar graphs show mean ± SEM of three independent experiments. ^∗p < 0.05; n.s, not significant.