inStem (Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine)

Department of Biotechnology
Department of Biotechnology
inStem (Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine)

Notch signaling stabilizes lengths of motile cilia in multiciliated cells in the lung.

Publication Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

March 1, 2026

Journal

Life science alliance

Volume/Issue

9/3

ISSN

2575-1077

Airway multiciliated cells (MCs) maintain respiratory health by clearing mucus and trapped particles through coordinated ciliary beating. Although ciliary length progressively decreases along the proximal-distal (P-D) axis of the tracheobronchial tree, the mechanisms that maintain this gradient remain unclear. We show that canonical Notch signaling in MCs stabilizes ciliary length across airway regions. Inhibition of Notch signaling shortens tracheal cilia, lengthens distal airway cilia, abolishes the P-D gradient in ciliary length, and induces region-specific changes in gene expression. To assess how environmental factors influence this regulation, we examined germ-free mice and a model of () infection. Germ-free conditions did not alter ciliary architecture, whereas infection led to elongation of distal airway cilia accompanied by down-regulation of Notch signaling. These findings identify Notch signaling as a key homeostatic regulator that maintains ciliary length and preserves the P-D gradient in airway multiciliated cells.

Alternate Journal

Life Sci Alliance

PubMed ID

41571441

PubMed Central ID

PMC12827581

Authors

Joy N
Deshpande A
Lingamallu SM
Prabantu VM
Naveenkumar CN
Bharathkumar K
Bhat S
Alvarado-Martinez Z
Livraghi-Butrico A
Hagood JS
Boucher RC
Lafkas D
Byrd KM
Narayanan S
Shandil RK
Guha A

Keywords

Mice
Cilia
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Lung
Trachea
Receptors
Inbred C57BL
Notch
Animals
Signal Transduction