Unveiling an Important New Cell Type in the Lung: Microfold Cells
Mammalian lungs are directly exposed to environmental pathogens and toxins and have evolved complex defense mechanisms, including the mucociliary escalator and secretion of antimicrobial peptides to trap and remove foreign particles and microbes from the airways. Advances in new technologies are now allowing us to identify rare cell types in the respiratory tract that have not been characterized before. In two recent issues of the Journal, studies from two independent groups (1, 2) report on a rare