SummaryMulti-ciliated airway cells (MCACs) play a role in mucociliary clearance of the lung. However, the efficient induction of functional MCACs from human pluripotent stem cells has not yet been reported. Using carboxypeptidase M (CPM) as a surface marker of NKX2-1+-ventralized anterior foregut endoderm cells (VAFECs), we report a three-dimensional differentiation protocol for generating proximal airway epithelial progenitor cell spheroids from CPM+ VAFECs. These spheroids could be induced to generate MCACs and other airway lineage cells without alveolar epithelial cells. Furthermore, the directed induction of MCACs and of pulmonary neuroendocrine lineage cells was promoted by adding DAPT, a Notch pathway inhibitor. The induced MCACs demonstrated motile cilia with a “9 + 2” microtubule arrangement and dynein arms capable of beating and generating flow for mucociliary transport. This method is expected to be useful for future studies on human airway disease modeling and regenerative medicine.

Herawati et al. developed a long-term and high-resolution live imaging system for cultured mouse tracheal multiciliated cells. Using both experimental and theoretical studies, they reveal the developmental principle of ciliary basal body alignment directed by apical cytoskeletons.

Analysis of Odf2 deletion mutants reveals regions important for the formation of basal body transition fibers and centriole distal appendages and distinct regions required for basal feet and subdistal appendages.

The cytoskeleton is an essential cellular component that enables various sophisticated functions of epithelial cells by forming specialized subcellular compartments. However, the functional and structural roles of cytoskeletons in subcellular compartmentalization are still not fully understood. Here we identified a novel network structure consisting of actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules directly beneath the apical membrane in mouse airway multiciliated cells and in cultured epithelial cells. Three-dimensional imaging by ultra-high voltage electron microscopy and immunofluorescence revealed that the morphological features of each network depended on the cell type and were spatiotemporally integrated in association with tissue development. Detailed analyses using Odf2 mutant mice, which lack ciliary basal feet and apical microtubules, suggested a novel contribution of the intermediate filaments to coordinated ciliary beating. These findings provide a new perspective for viewing epithelial cell differentiation and tissue morphogenesis through the structure and function of apical cytoskeletal networks.