Isolation of cells that retain differentiated functions in vitro: properties of clonally isolated type II alveolar pneymonocytes.

We have isolated byclonal culture techniques a diploid cell strain (L-2) from adult rat lung. These cells appear to retain differentiated functions that are present in type II alveolar epithelial cells of intact lung. The L-2 cells are diploid, epithelial cells, they contain osmiophilic lamellar bodies in their cytoplasm and they synthesize lecithin by the same de novo pathways as whole lung.