Air liquid interface cell culture (ALI) is a method of cell culture by which basal stem cells are grown with their basal surfaces in contact with media, and the top of the cellular layer is exposed to the air. The cells are then lifted and media is changed until the development of a mucociliary phenotype of a pseudostratified epithelium, similar to the tracheal epithelium.[1][2]
This method of cell culture aims to be used to study fundamental aspects of the respiratory epithelium, such as cell-to-cell signaling, disease modeling, and respiratory regeneration.[1][2]
Air-liquid interface cell culture compares to standard cell culture practices by specifically aiming to restore the pseudostratified striation of the respiratory airway in vitro, and aiming to maintain the respiratory airway-niche of (from top to bottom) 1) air, 2) pseudostratified epithelium, and 3) liquid media. Standard cell culture processes are either non-airway specific or revolve around an organ system that requires other means of cellular maintenance in vitro.
- ^ a b Tata, Purushothama Rao; Mou, Hongmei; Pardo-Saganta, Ana; Zhao, Rui; Prabhu, Mythili; Law, Brandon M.; Vinarsky, Vladimir; Cho, Josalyn L.; Breton, Sylvie (November 2013). "Dedifferentiation of committed epithelial cells into stem cells in vivo". Nature. 503 (7475): 218–223. Bibcode:2013Natur.503..218T. doi:10.1038/nature12777. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 4035230. PMID 24196716.
- ^ a b "Air-Liquid Interface Culture for Respiratory Research". www.stemcell.com. Retrieved 2018-03-30.