Conclusions
In summary, we have shown that human ASM cell cultures represent heterogeneous cell populations that exhibit morphological and functional differences. Our studies also reveal that a significant proportion of individual early passage human ASM cells have the potential to create expanded cell populations suggesting the presence of large number of mesenchymal progenitors. Taken together we suggest that these phenotypically diverse cell populations existing within ASM cultures may contribute differentially to inflammatory and remodelling processes within the airways.