Abstract
DEFICIENCY of vitamin A causes a well-defined lesion, namely keratinised squamous metaplasia, in tracheobronchial epithelium1. In this lesion, the normal columnar ciliated and mucus cells of the epithelium, which depend on vitamin A for their formation, are totally replaced by squamous cells which produce keratin. The mechanism of action of vitamin A in controlling this normal differentiation of ciliated and mucus cells is still unknown. We report here an in vitro system for studying this process, using organ culture of hamster tracheas in a chemically defined, serum-free medium. Growth of tracheas in this medium without vitamin A causes keratinised squamous lesions. Addition of vitamin A to the organ cultures after development of such lesions causes reversal of the process of keratinisation and replacement of the squamous cells by columnar ciliated and mucus cells.
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CLAMON, G., SPORN, M., SMITH, J. et al. α and β-Retinyl acetate reverse metaplasias of vitamin A deficiency in hamster trachea in organ culture. Nature 250, 64–66 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/250064a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/250064a0
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