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Large particles are cleared by mucus bundles made in submucosal glands by parallel linear polymers of the MUC5B mucins. However, the structural organization and function of the mucus generated in surface goblet cells are poorly understood.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The origin and characteristics of different mucus structures were studied on live tissue explants from newborn wild-type (WT), cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) deficient (CF) piglets and weaned pig airways using video microscopy, Airyscan imaging and electron microscopy. Bronchoscopy was performed in juvenile pigs in vivo.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We have identified a distinct mucus formation secreted from the surface goblet cells with a diameter less than two micrometer. This type of mucus was named mucus threads. With time mucus threads gathered into larger mucus assemblies, efficiently collecting particles. The previously observed Alcian blue stained mucus bundles were around 10 times thicker than the threads. Together the mucus bundles, mucus assemblies and mucus threads cleared the pig trachea from particles.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These results demonstrate that normal airway mucus is more complex and has a more variable structural organization and function than was previously understood. These observations emphasize the importance of studying young objects to understand the function of a non-compromised lung.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12931-021-01898-3","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,30]],"date-time":"2021-11-30T13:32:03Z","timestamp":1638279123000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":27,"title":["Mucus threads from surface goblet cells clear particles from the airways"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3233-043X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Ermund","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lauren N.","family":"Meiss","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brendan","family":"Dolan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Florian","family":"Jaudas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lars","family":"Ewaldsson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"B\u00e4hr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nikolai","family":"Klymiuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gunnar C.","family":"Hansson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"1898_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5746","DOI":"10.1074\/jbc.RA117.001014","volume":"293","author":"S Trillo-Muyo","year":"2018","unstructured":"Trillo-Muyo S, Nilsson HE, Recktenwald CV, Ermund A, Ridley C, Meiss LN, et al. 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Ethical permits were obtained for newborn WT and CF piglets from Regierungen von Oberbauern, Munich, Germany (AZ55.2-1-54-2531-78-07) and Jordbruksverket, J\u00f6nk\u00f6ping, Sweden (Dnr 6.7.18-12708\/2019). Protocols for the analysis of explant tissue from weaned pigs (2937\/2020) and in vivo bronchoscopy in anesthetized pigs (1763\/2018) were approved by the Swedish Laboratory Animal Ethical Committee in Gothenburg, Sweden.Consent to participate not applicable.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare that they have no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"303"}}