(A) CRC-cultured normal (n = 3) and IPF (n = 4) epithelial cells were dissociated using Accutase solution, stained with fluorescently conjugated anti-EpCAM and -CCR10 antibodies and analyzed by flow cytometry. Shown are representative dot plots of EpCAM⁺ cells (left) and CCR10⁺ cells within the EpCAM⁺ cells (right) from normal (n = 3; top) and IPF (n = 4; bottom) epithelial cell cultures. (B) Shown is the percentage of CCR10⁺ epithelial cells from normal and IPF epithelial cell cultures. Data shown are the mean ± SEM. n = 3–4/group. *P ≤ 0.05 via unpaired parametric t test. (C–E) Normal and IPF culture–expanded epithelial cells were injected intravenously into NSG mice and allowed to engraft for 63 days, after which the mice were sacrificed, and their lungs were analyzed for remodeling. Representative Masson’s trichrome staining taken at ×50 magnification of NSG mouse lungs, 63 days after normal (C) and IPF (D and E) epithelial cell administration. (F) Depicted is the average hydroxyproline content in the superior and middle lobes in unchallenged, naive, and epithelial cell–challenged NSG mice. Data shown are the mean ± SEM. n = 5 from 1 normal donor lung; n = 10 from 2 IPF patients’ lungs. *P ≤ 0.05 via 1-way ANOVA corrected with Dunnett’s test. (G and H) Cellular suspensions from humanized NSG lung tissues were generated and analyzed by flow cytometry for human EpCAM⁺CCR10⁺ cells. Depicted are correlation analyses of hydroxyproline concentration and number of human CD45^–EpCAM⁺CCR10⁺ cells in NSG lungs humanized with IPF (G) or normal (H) epithelial cells at day 63 after cell injection. n = 5 from 1 normal donor lung; n = 10 from 2 IPF patients’ lungs. P values indicated. IPF, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; NSG, NOD Cg-Prkdc^SCID IL2rg^Tm1wilSzi; Hyp, hydroxyproline.