Abstract
Alveolar type II (ATII) cells synthesize, store, and secrete pulmonary surfactant and restore the epithelium after damage to the alveolar epithelium. Isolation of human ATII cells provides a valuable tool to study their function under normal and pathophysiological conditions. Moreover, maintenance of their differentiated phenotype in vitro allows further study of their function. Here we describe a protocol for efficient ATII cell isolation, characterization, and culture.