Last Word on Counterpoint: Alterations in airway smooth muscle phenotype do not cause airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma

to the editor: We thank our colleagues who have taken the time to further support our winning side in this important debate (2, 3). Dr. Black (see Ref. 1) suggests that the multi-tasking capacity of airway smooth muscle is related to its sex/gender (i.e., female), whereas Drs. Bosse and Berger and Marthan (see Ref. 1) suggest that its behavior is related to the company that it keeps. The combination of these observations suggests that ASM is a wanton woman and it is best to keep one's eye on her.

However, Dr. Black should carefully reconsider the consequences of assigning gender to internal organs. Does that mean a married man has now to deal with two intimate women in his life? It has been said that a wife is great at solving problems a husband wouldn't have if he weren't married, so if airway smooth muscle is indeed a woman, does that imply that bronchial thermoplasty might have an off-label use for divorce proceedings? These are questions perhaps only Dr. Black's lab can answer.

DISCLOSURES

No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the author(s).

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

Author contributions: P.D.P. and W.M. conception and design of research; P.D.P. and W.M. performed experiments; P.D.P. and W.M. analyzed data; P.D.P. and W.M. interpreted results of experiments; P.D.P. and W.M. prepared figures; P.D.P. and W.M. drafted manuscript; P.D.P. and W.M. edited and revised manuscript; P.D.P. and W.M. approved final version of manuscript.