Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells function as airway sensors to control lung immune response

Neuroendocrine cells as air sensors Liters of air pass through the lung every minute. Signals in the atmospheric environment are processed into physiological outputs, including the immune response. Branchfieldet al. show that rare airway cells called pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) sense and respond to airborne cues (see the Perspective by Whitsett and Morrisey). InactivatingRoundabout genes in mouse PNECs prevents normal PNEC clustering and causes an increase in the production of neuropeptides, which in turn trigger a heightened immune response. Thus PNECs, despite their rarity, are sensitive and effective rheostats on the airway wall that receive, interpret, and respond to environmental stimuli.Science , this issue p.707 ; see also p.662