Goblet cells secrete mucins—which are key components of mucus—in a process that is regulated by calcium ions, which enter the goblet cells via a mechanism involving a channel protein called TRPM5.

Cell replenishment within the airways is governed by the random division of a population of basal progenitor cells, in a process that is accelerated in smokers.

A newly characterized calcium-activated chloride channel has been implicated in the immune system of Drosophila, shedding light on an enigmatic family of transmembrane proteins that are ubiquitous in nature.

Systems-level analysis in vertebrate ciliated epithelial cells shows that the network of genes activated by the transcription factor Rfx2 controls the development, migration, insertion and function of these cells.

The identification of four acidic amino acids as potential calcium-binding residues in the TMEM16A calcium-activated chloride channel furthers the molecular understanding of this ion channel family.

In cell types that acquire planar cell polarity, the protein Flattop regulates basal body docking and positioning.

A functional link between representative family members of the CLCA channel regulator family and TMEM16 channels suggests that these protein families may cooperate in influencing multiple homeostatic and disease physiologies.

Directed differentiation of stem cells can generate ventral-anterior foregut spheroids that can expand into three-dimensional lung organoids with striking structural, cellular and molecular similarities to the human fetal lung.