RNA-Seq Analysis of the Human Surfactant Air-Liquid Interface Culture Reveals Alveolar Type II Cell-like Transcriptome

In this study we investigate the effects of SALI culture conditions on the transcriptional profile of the constituent H441 cells. We further analyze the transcriptomics of the model in the context of surfactant metabolism and the disease phenotype through SFTPB-knockout SALI cultures. By comparing the gene expression profile of SALI cultures with that of human lung parenchyma obtained via single-cell RNA-sequencing, we found that SALI cultures are remarkably similar to human alveolar type II cells implying clinical relevance of the platform as a non-diseased lung model. Overall design: mRNA profiles of wild-type and SFTPB KO H441 cells grown in submerged and SALI culture conditions