STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIPS OF MUCOCILIARY CLEARANCE IN HUMAN AIRWAYS

Our study focuses on the intricate connection between tissue-level organization and ciliated organ function in humans, particularly in understanding the morphological organization of airways and their role in mucociliary clearance. Mucociliary clearance is a key mechanical defense mechanism of human airways, and clearance failure is associated with many respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. While single-cell transcriptomics have unveiled the cellular complexity of the human airway epithelium, our understanding of the mechanics that link epithelial structure to clearance function mainly stem from animal models. This reliance on animal data limits crucial insights into human airway barrier function and hampers the human-relevant in vitro modeling of airway diseases. This study, for the first time, maps the distribution of ciliated and secretory cell types along the airway tree in both rats and humans, noting species-specific differences in ciliary function and elucidates structural parameters of airway epithelia that predict clearance function in both native and in vitro tissues alike. By uncovering how tissue organization influences ciliary function, we can better understand disruptions in mucociliary clearance, which could have implications for various ciliated organs beyond the airways.

STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIPS OF MUCOCILIARY CLEARANCE IN HUMAN AIRWAYS

Mucociliary clearance is a key mechanical defense mechanism of human airways, and clearance failure is linked to major respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. While single-cell transcriptomics have unveiled the cellular complexity of the human airway epithelium, our understanding of the mechanics that link epithelial structure to clearance function mainly stem from animal models. This reliance on animal data limits crucial insights into human airway barrier function and hampers the human-relevant in vitro modeling of airway diseases. Our study fills this crucial knowledge gap and for the first time (1) maps the distribution of ciliated and secretory cell types on the mucosal surface along the proximo-distal axis of the rat and human airway tree, (2) identifies species-specific differences in ciliary beat and clearance function, and (3) elucidates structural parameters of airway epithelia that predict clearance function in both native and in vitro tissues alike. Our broad range of experimental approaches and physics-based modeling translate into generalizable parameters to quantitatively benchmark the human-relevancy of mucociliary clearance in experimental models, and to characterize distinct disease states.