The Primary Cilium as the Cell's Antenna: Signaling at a Sensory Organelle
Abstract
Almost every vertebrate cell has a specialized cell surface projection called a primary cilium. Although these structures were first described more than a century ago, the full scope of their functions remains poorly understood. Here, we review emerging evidence that in addition to their well-established roles in sight, smell, and mechanosensation, primary cilia are key participants in intercellular signaling. This new appreciation of primary cilia as cellular antennae that sense a wide variety of signals could help explain why ciliary defects underlie such a wide range of human disorders, including retinal degeneration, polycystic kidney disease, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, and neural tube defects.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- August 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.1124534
- Bibcode:
- 2006Sci...313..629S
- Keywords:
-
- CELL BIOL