Homeobox B3, FoxA1 and FoxA2 interactions in epithelial lung cell differentiation of the multipotent M3E3/C3 cell line.

HOM/C homeobox (Hox) and forkhead box (Fox) factors are reported to be expressed in the foregut endoderm and are subsequently detected in a spatio-temporal pattern during lung development. Some of these factors were reported to influence the expression of lung marker proteins or to modulate lung development. To clarify the molecular mechanisms for generating functional lung cells from progenitor cell populations, we introduced the forkhead box factors, FoxA1 and FoxA2, and the homeobox factor, HoxB3, into the differentiation process in a multipotent hamster lung epithelial M3E3/C3 cell line.

Increased gene expression of lung marker proteins in the homeobox B3-overexpressed fetal lung cell line M3E3/C3.

Homeobox (Hox)-containing factors have been shown to play regulatory roles on lung development. Although HoxB3 gene expression is detected in the prenatal lung during development, its function has not been clarified precisely. We constructed an expression vector of a hamster HoxB3 coding region, which was cloned from hamster fetal lung cell line M3E3/C3.