Despite the importance of mucociliary epithelia in animal physiology, the mechanisms controlling their establishment are poorly understood. Using the developing Xenopus epidermis and regenerating human upper airways, we reveal the importance of BMP signalling for the construction of vertebrate mucociliary epithelia. In Xenopus, attenuation of BMP activity is necessary for the specification of multiciliated cells (MCCs), ionocytes and small secretory cells (SSCs). Conversely, BMP activity is required for the proper differentiation of goblet cells. Our data suggest that the BMP and Notch pathways interact to control fate choices in the developing epidermis. Unexpectedly, BMP activity is also necessary for the insertion of MCCs, ionocytes and SSCs into the surface epithelium. In human, BMP inhibition also strongly stimulates the formation of MCCs in normal and pathological (cystic fibrosis) airway samples, whereas BMP overactivation has the opposite effect. This work identifies the BMP pathway as a key regulator of vertebrate mucociliary epithelium differentiation and morphogenesis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/dev.118679 | DOI Listing |
Respir Res
January 2025
Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), Albinusdreef 2, C2-R-062, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Objective: Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a serious side-effect of radiotherapy for lung cancer, in which effects on the normal lung epithelium may play a key role. Since these effects are incompletely understood, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of ionizing radiation (IR) on cultured well-differentiated primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) with a focus on cytotoxicity, barrier formation, inflammation and epithelial progenitor function.
Materials And Methods: PBEC were cultured at the Air-Liquid Interface (ALI-PBEC) to allow mucociliary differentiation.
Respir Res
January 2025
Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
Background: Many respiratory viruses attack the airway epithelium and cause a wide spectrum of diseases for which we have limited therapies. To date, a few primary human stem cell-based models of the proximal airway have been reported for drug discovery but scaling them up to a higher throughput platform remains a significant challenge. As a result, most of the drug screening assays for respiratory viruses are performed on commercial cell line-based 2D cultures that provide limited translational ability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Nano
January 2025
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan.
The development of a inhaled nanodrug delivery assessment platform is crucial for advancing treatments for chronic lung diseases. Traditional in vitro models and commercial aerosol systems fail to accurately simulate the complex human respiratory patterns and mucosal barriers. To address this, we have developed the breathing mucociliary-on-a-chip (BMC) platform, which replicates mucociliary clearance and respiratory dynamics in vitro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiosensors (Basel)
November 2024
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300093, Taiwan.
Organ-on-a-chip (OOC) devices mimic human organs, which can be used for many different applications, including drug development, environmental toxicology, disease models, and physiological assessment. Image data acquisition and analysis from these chips are crucial for advancing research in the field. In this study, we propose a label-free morphology imaging platform compatible with the small airway-on-a-chip system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRespir Res
December 2024
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, University Medical Center Essen, Ruhrlandklinik, Essen, Germany.
Background: Using primary airway epithelial cells (AEC) is essential to mimic more closely different types and stages of lung disease in humans while reducing or even replacing animal experiments. Access to lung tissue remains limited because these samples are generally obtained from patients who undergo lung transplantation for end-stage lung disease or thoracic surgery for (mostly) lung cancer. We investigated whether forceps or cryo biopsies are a viable alternative source of AEC compared to the conventional technique.
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