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Published Online July 23, 2009
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1173869

Reports

Submitted on March 20, 2009
Accepted on July 10, 2009

Motile Cilia of Human Airway Epithelia Are Chemosensory

Alok S. Shah 1{dagger}, Yehuda Ben-Shahar 2{dagger}, Thomas O. Moninger 1, Joel N. Kline 1, Michael J. Welsh 3*

1 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
2 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.; Present address: Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
3 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.; Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Michael J. Welsh , E-mail: michael-welsh{at}uiowa.edu

{dagger}These authors contributed equally to this work.

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 Ca2+ 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.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Sensorium: The Original Raison D'etre of the Motile Cilium?.
L. M. Quarmby and M. R. Leroux (2009)
J Mol Cell Biol
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Using Taste to Clear the Air(ways).
S. C. Kinnamon and S. D. Reynolds (2009)
Science 325, 1081-1082
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E-Letters:

Read all E-Letters

Denatonium Curse
Alexey Pronin
Science Online, 28 Oct 2009 [Full text]
Response to A. Pronin's E-Letter
Michael J. Welsh, et al.
Science Online, 28 Oct 2009 [Full text]

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