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Science 325 (5944): 1081-1082

Copyright © 2009 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Cell Biology

Using Taste to Clear the Air(ways)

Sue C. Kinnamon1, and Susan D. Reynolds2

Epithelial cells that line the human airway are constantly bombarded by environmental hazards, including toxins, irritants, viruses, and bacteria. The airway rids itself of these agents by secreting mucus to "capture" harmful substances and increasing the beat frequency of motile cilia on epithelial cells to sweep the mucus out of the system. Protective reflexes such as coughing are also initiated. The mechanisms used to detect and respond to harmful agents are poorly understood. On page 1131 of this issue, Shah et al. (1) report that cultured human airway epithelial cells use elements of the bitter taste cellular signaling pathway to detect and eliminate potential noxious agents from the airways.

1 Department of Otolaryngology and Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, University of Colorado Denver, 12700 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
2 Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO 80206, USA.

E-mail: sue.kinnamon{at}ucdenver.edu

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Context-Dependent Differentiation of Multipotential Keratin 14-Expressing Tracheal Basal Cells.
M. Ghosh, H. M. Brechbuhl, R. W. Smith, B. Li, D. A. Hicks, T. Titchner, C. M. Runkle, and S. D. Reynolds (2011)
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Sensory reception is an attribute of both primary cilia and motile cilia.
R. A. Bloodgood (2010)
J. Cell Sci. 123, 505-509
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2009: Signaling Breakthroughs of the Year.
E. M. Adler (2010)
Science Signaling 3, eg1
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