Airway ciliated cells in adult lung homeostasis and COPD.
Publication Year:
2023
PubMed ID:
38056888
Funding Grants:
Public Summary:
Inside our lungs, microscopic structures called cilia play a surprisingly powerful role in keeping us healthy. These hair-like projections extend from the surface of cells and come in two main types: motile cilia, which sweep away mucus and debris from the airways, and primary cilia, which act like antennae to sense the environment and help cells grow and divide properly.
This review explores how cilia contribute to lung health and how their dysfunction is linked to chronic lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). While scientists have long known that cilia are essential for clearing the lungs and maintaining respiratory health, the molecular mechanisms that control how cilia form and function are still not fully understood. This lack of knowledge has made it difficult to develop therapies that target cilia-related disorders.
The publication highlights how both types of cilia are involved in lung development and maintenance. Motile cilia are especially important in the airways, where they help prevent infections and inflammation by moving mucus out of the lungs. Primary cilia, on the other hand, are found on undifferentiated (immature) cells and help regulate how these cells grow and specialize—functions that are critical for tissue repair and regeneration.
Understanding how cilia influence lung cell behavior could help scientists harness stem cells more effectively to regenerate damaged lung tissue. For example, by learning how to restore or mimic cilia function, researchers may be able to guide stem cells to develop into healthy lung cells or improve the repair of damaged airways in diseases like COPD.
In short, this review brings attention to a tiny but mighty part of our cells—and how it could help unlock new treatments for chronic lung diseases through the power of regenerative medicine.
Scientific Abstract:
Cilia are organelles emanating from the cell surface, consisting of an axoneme of microtubules that extends from a basal body derived from the centrioles. They are either isolated and nonmotile (primary cilia), or grouped and motile (motile cilia). Cilia are at the centre of fundamental sensory processes and are involved in a wide range of human disorders. Pulmonary cilia include motile cilia lining the epithelial cells of the conductive airways to orchestrate mucociliary clearance, and primary cilia found on nondifferentiated epithelial and mesenchymal cells acting as sensors and cell cycle keepers. Whereas cilia are essential along the airways, their regulatory molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood, resulting in a lack of therapeutic strategies targeting their structure or functions. This review summarises the current knowledge on cilia in the context of lung homeostasis and COPD to provide a comprehensive overview of the (patho)biology of cilia in respiratory medicine with a particular emphasis on COPD.
