Motile cilia of human airway epithelia are chemosensory

Alok S Shah; Yehuda Ben-Shahar; Thomas O Moninger; Joel N Kline; Michael J Welsh

doi:10.1126/science.1173869

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Motile cilia of human airway epithelia are chemosensory

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Motile cilia of human airway epithelia are chemosensory

Alok S Shah, Yehuda Ben-Shahar, Thomas O Moninger, Joel N Kline and Michael J Welsh

Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Vol.325(5944), pp.1131-1134

08/28/2009

DOI: 10.1126/science.1173869

PMCID: PMC2894709

PMID: 19628819

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Abstract

Cilia are microscopic projections that extend from eukaryotic cells. There are two general types of cilia; primary cilia serve as sensory organelles, whereas motile cilia exert mechanical force. The motile cilia emerging from human airway epithelial cells propel harmful inhaled material out of the lung. We found that these cells express sensory bitter taste receptors, which localized on motile cilia. Bitter compounds increased the intracellular calcium ion concentration and stimulated ciliary beat frequency. Thus, airway epithelia contain a cell-autonomous system in which motile cilia both sense noxious substances entering airways and initiate a defensive mechanical mechanism to eliminate the offending compound. Hence, like primary cilia, classical motile cilia also contain sensors to detect the external environment.

Cilia - physiology

Phospholipase C beta - metabolism

Epithelial Cells - metabolism

Movement

Respiratory Mucosa - cytology

Noxae

Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled - metabolism

Signal Transduction

Trachea - cytology

Calcium - metabolism

Humans

Cells, Cultured

Cilia - metabolism

Monoterpenes - pharmacology

Monoterpenes - metabolism

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds - metabolism

Transducin - metabolism

Taste

Respiratory Mucosa - metabolism

Bronchi - cytology

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds - pharmacology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Motile cilia of human airway epithelia are chemosensory
Creators: Alok S Shah - Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Yehuda Ben-Shahar
Thomas O Moninger
Joel N Kline
Michael J Welsh
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Vol.325(5944), pp.1131-1134
DOI: 10.1126/science.1173869
PMID: 19628819
PMCID: PMC2894709
NLM abbreviation: Science
ISSN: 0036-8075
eISSN: 1095-9203
Publisher: United States
Grant note: Howard Hughes Medical Institute P01 HL051670 / NHLBI NIH HHS HL51670 / NHLBI NIH HHS P30 DK054759-109004 / NIDDK NIH HHS P01 HL051670-15 / NHLBI NIH HHS P30 DK054759 / NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK054759-13 / NIDDK NIH HHS DK54759 / NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK051315 / NIDDK NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 08/28/2009
Academic Unit: Neurology; Molecular Physiology and Biophysics; Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Occupational and Environmental Health; Neurosurgery; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984013201502771

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