Cellular and molecular biology of airway chemoreceptors

Pulmonary Neuroepithelial Bodies (NEBs) are clusters of innervated amine- and peptide-producing cells distributed throughout the airway mucosa and thought to function as hypoxia sensitive airway chemoreceptors involved in respiratory control or other pulmonary homeostatic mechanisms. This book reviews the recent advances in cellular and molecular biology of NEB cells with emphasis on the mechanism of oxygen sensing as well as morphology, ontogeny, molecular markers and in vitro models. The possible functions during neonatal adaptation are discussed, including implications in apnea of prematurity and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The book provides a review of alterations in NEBs observed under a variety of experimental and disease conditions, including a discussion of lung cancer in relation to NEB cells.