Cell Specification
Airway smooth muscle is an important tissue in maintain airway tone. They exist in the trachea and in the bronchial tree up to the terminal bronchioles. Their specialized ultrastructural features and regulatory mechanisms are the basis of normal airway function. Evidence suggests that airway smooth muscle undergoes marked phenotypic modulation in lung development and in disease states such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Airway smooth muscle may also serve immunomodulatory functions, which are mediated by the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines [1]. Cultured tracheal smooth muscle cells express three p21-activated kinase (PAK) isoforms and PAK1 participates in tracheal smooth muscle cell migration by signaling to p38 Mapk [2]. Airway smooth muscle cell proliferation has been the focus of considerable attention, as it is a quantitatively important component of the airway wall remodeling response in asthma and has been suggested as a suitable target for the development of novel anti-asthma agents.

HTSMC from ScienCell Research Laboratories are isolated from human trachea. HTSMC are cryopreserved at secondary culture and delivered frozen. Each vial contains >5 x 10⁵ cells in 1 ml volume. HTSMC are characterized by immunofluorescent method with antibodies to alpha-smooth muscle actin and desmin. HTSMC are negative for HIV-1, HBV, HCV, mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast and fungi. HTSMC are guaranteed to further expand for 15 population doublings at the condition provided by ScienCell Research Laboratories.

Recommended Medium
It is recommended to use smooth muscle cell medium (SMCM, Cat. No. 1101) for the culturing of HTSMC in vitro.

Product Use
HTSMC are for research use only. It is not approved for human or animal use, or for application in in vitro diagnostic procedures.

Storage
Directly and immediately transfer cells from dry ice to liquid nitrogen upon receiving and keep the cells in liquid nitrogen until cell culture needed for experiments.

Shipping
Dry ice.

Reference
[1]. Amrani Y, Panettieri RA. (2003) Airway smooth muscle: contraction and beyond. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 35(3):272-6.
[2]. Dechert MA, Holder JM, Gerthoffer WT. (2001) p21-activated kinase 1 participates in tracheal smooth muscle cell migration by signaling to p38 Mapk. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 281(1):C123-32.