Abstract
Many epithelia have contact with air-liquid interfaces. This applies particularly to the lung, where one of the epithelial cell types, the surfactant secreting AT II cells, even project into the air-filled alveolar lumen. This specific environment may be of considerable physiological relevance; however, only few data exist to provide a satisfying description. This is mainly due to the experimental difficulty to manipulate cell-air contacts in a specific way. In previous investigations, using new microscopic approaches, we found that the presence of an air-liquid interface leads to a paradoxical situation: it is a potential threat that causes cell injury, but also a potent stimulus: AT II cells respond promptly, and show sustained Ca2+-signals that activate exocytosis.
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