Multiciliated cells are luminal columnar epithelial cells prensent from the nose to the bronchioles. They bear up to 300 motile cilia on their apical surface.
They can be identified by many specific marker genes such as FOXJ1, which is a master transcription factor of multiciliogenesis. FOXJ1 is also expressed at the pre-multiciliated stage where cells amplify their centrioles, this stage is also termed "deuterosomal". Multicilitaed cells express late multiciliogenesis markers such as CAPS, ROPNL1, RSPH1.
Multiciliated (non-nasal) have a gene expression profile which is very similar to that of nasal multiciliated but they do not express nasal specific genes such as SIX3, OTX2 and PAX7.
