The mature lung in both humans and mice is highly vascularized, with approximately 30% of all cells being endothelial cells (ECs). The blood vessels have a physiological role in gas exchange within the tissue, but the vascular cells have additional role(s) beyond supplying oxygen and nutrients to the tissue.  For example, the adult lung endothelium responds to injury by activating pathways for alveolar re epithelialization and during embryonic development, disrupting vascularization ex vivo affects the stereotypical pattern of airway branching, consistent with a perfusion-independent crosstalk between the endothelium and epithelium. Today’s guests explore the molecular contribution of ECs and pericytes to the differentiation of distal airway progenitor cells into mature alveolar epithelial cells and will discuss the broader role of the vascular system in the maturation and regeneration or the lung. 

Guests
Paolo Panza is with the Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Germany. He previously was a postdoctoral fellow in Didier Stainier’s laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research and received his PhD from University of Tübingen, Germany. Professor Panza is the first author of the recently published paper, The lung microvasculature promotes alveolar types 2 cell differentiation via secreted SPARCL1, which forms the basis of our discussion today. 

Mingxia Gu is an Associate Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her PhD from a joint training program between Peking University, Beijing, China and Stanford University, USA, and was a postdoctoral fellow in Marlene Rabinovitch’s laboratory at Stanford. The Gu laboratory studies the regeneration lung, and vasculature among other tissues. Professor Gu is an elected Fellow of the American Heart Association and a member of Early Career Editorial Board for Stem Cell Reports.

Host
Janet Rossant, Editor-in-Chief, Stem Cell Reports and The Gairdner Foundation

Supporting Content
The lung microvasculature promotes alveolar type 2 cell differentiation via secreted SPARCL1, Stem Cell Reports

About Stem Cell Reports
Stem Cell Reports is the open access, peer-reviewed journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) for communicating basic discoveries in stem cell research, in addition to translational and clinical studies. Stem Cell Reports focuses on original research with conceptual or practical advances that are of broad interest to stem cell biologists and clinicians.
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About ISSCR
With nearly 5,000 members from more than 80 countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (@ISSCR) is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health.

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Voice Work
Ben Snitkoff