Stem Cells Sheltered from Air-Raids Repair Airways

Submucosal glands contribute to the luminal secretions of conducting airways in the respiratory tract. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell , both Tata et al. (2018) and Lynch et al. (2018) report that myoepithelial cells of submucosal glands serve as reserve stem cells to regenerate the damaged surface epithelium following severe airway injury.