MAPK8 and infection: We show that cultured AECs respond in a distinctive and dynamic manner to A. fumigatus infection during the early (conidia), intermediate (germlings/immature hyphae), and late (mature hyphae/secreted effector) phases of infection, with activation of the NF-κB signaling circuit occurring within 4 h of spore exposure (Fig. 3) followed by activation of JNK signaling as spores swell and germinate (Fig. 3).