Effect of NAC on ciliary activity and ciliagenesis.

<p>Twenty-one days after ALI differentiation, NHBECs were infected with RSV at 5 PFU per cell. Every 48 h after infection, three different videos were recorded using a high-speed video camera. (A) Beating cells were counted. Results are presented as the mean ± SEM of three independent infections. (B) Fifteen days postinfection (p.i.), the effects of NAC were evaluated in mock-infected cultures (white bars) and RSV-infected cells in the absence (black bars) or presence (squared bars) of 0.1, 1 and 10 mM NAC. (C) Ultrastructural alterations in differentiated NHBEC cultures were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy in control (mock-infected cells, left) and RSV-infected (center) at day 15 p.i. Ultrastructures of cilia (right) were also evaluated. Arrows indicate tubular systems. (D) <i>FOXJ1</i> and (E) <i>DNAI2</i> expression was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR at day 15 p.i. (F) Cultures were also evaluated for β-tubulin expression by immunofluorescence in control (mock-infected cells, left) and RSV-infected cultures in the absence (center) or presence of 10 mM NAC (right). Experiments were performed in triplicate and six independent infections were used (p = 6, n = 18). Data are presented as the mean ± SEM. *<i>p</i><0.05, compared to mock-infected cells; #<i>p</i><0.05, compared to infected cells.