Use of cultured airway myocytes for study of airway smooth muscle

Cultured airway smooth muscle cells provide a convenient model system for studying the regulation of a wide range of airway responses at the cellular level. This review describes the characteristics of cultured airway smooth muscle cells and differences that exist between cultured cells and acutely dissociated cells or muscle strips. Receptor and ion-channel expression and control of coupling in cultured airway smooth muscle are reviewed. The methodology for airway smooth muscle culture is discussed. The main advantage of using cultured airway smooth muscle cells is that studies can be performed to examine long-term control of cell responses. Studies of the regulation of receptor expression and coupling, desensitization of receptor or channel-mediated responses, or regulation of the expression of important enzymes or muscle proteins can be readily performed in cell culture. In addition, cultured airway myocytes provide a useful secondary screening system for the development of novel therapeutic agents targeted at airway receptors that are expressed upon these cells.