Specialized Cilia in Mammalian Sensory Systems

Cilia and flagella are highly conserved and important microtubule-based organelles that project from the surface of eukaryotic cells and act as antennae to sense extracellular signals. Moreover, cilia have emerged as key players in numerous physiological, developmental, and sensory processes such as...

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Main Authors: Nathalie Falk, Marlene Lösl, Nadja Schröder, Andreas Gießl
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2015-09-01
Series:Cells
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/4/3/500
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spelling doaj-dfd8e1165959497cb03423797e776b992020-11-25T00:33:47ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092015-09-014350051910.3390/cells4030500cells4030500Specialized Cilia in Mammalian Sensory SystemsNathalie Falk0Marlene Lösl1Nadja Schröder2Andreas Gießl3Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Biology, Animal Physiology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Biology, Animal Physiology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Biology, Animal Physiology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyCilia and flagella are highly conserved and important microtubule-based organelles that project from the surface of eukaryotic cells and act as antennae to sense extracellular signals. Moreover, cilia have emerged as key players in numerous physiological, developmental, and sensory processes such as hearing, olfaction, and photoreception. Genetic defects in ciliary proteins responsible for cilia formation, maintenance, or function underlie a wide array of human diseases like deafness, anosmia, and retinal degeneration in sensory systems. Impairment of more than one sensory organ results in numerous syndromic ciliary disorders like the autosomal recessive genetic diseases Bardet-Biedl and Usher syndrome. Here we describe the structure and distinct functional roles of cilia in sensory organs like the inner ear, the olfactory epithelium, and the retina of the mouse. The spectrum of ciliary function in fundamental cellular processes highlights the importance of elucidating ciliopathy-related proteins in order to find novel potential therapies.http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/4/3/500primary ciliaintraflagellar transportkinociliuminner earolfactory epitheliumretinaconnecting cilium
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Nathalie Falk
Marlene Lösl
Nadja Schröder
Andreas Gießl
spellingShingle Nathalie Falk
Marlene Lösl
Nadja Schröder
Andreas Gießl
Specialized Cilia in Mammalian Sensory Systems
Cells
primary cilia
intraflagellar transport
kinocilium
inner ear
olfactory epithelium
retina
connecting cilium
author_facet Nathalie Falk
Marlene Lösl
Nadja Schröder
Andreas Gießl
author_sort Nathalie Falk
title Specialized Cilia in Mammalian Sensory Systems
title_short Specialized Cilia in Mammalian Sensory Systems
title_full Specialized Cilia in Mammalian Sensory Systems
title_fullStr Specialized Cilia in Mammalian Sensory Systems
title_full_unstemmed Specialized Cilia in Mammalian Sensory Systems
title_sort specialized cilia in mammalian sensory systems
publisher MDPI AG
series Cells
issn 2073-4409
publishDate 2015-09-01
description Cilia and flagella are highly conserved and important microtubule-based organelles that project from the surface of eukaryotic cells and act as antennae to sense extracellular signals. Moreover, cilia have emerged as key players in numerous physiological, developmental, and sensory processes such as hearing, olfaction, and photoreception. Genetic defects in ciliary proteins responsible for cilia formation, maintenance, or function underlie a wide array of human diseases like deafness, anosmia, and retinal degeneration in sensory systems. Impairment of more than one sensory organ results in numerous syndromic ciliary disorders like the autosomal recessive genetic diseases Bardet-Biedl and Usher syndrome. Here we describe the structure and distinct functional roles of cilia in sensory organs like the inner ear, the olfactory epithelium, and the retina of the mouse. The spectrum of ciliary function in fundamental cellular processes highlights the importance of elucidating ciliopathy-related proteins in order to find novel potential therapies.
topic primary cilia
intraflagellar transport
kinocilium
inner ear
olfactory epithelium
retina
connecting cilium
url http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/4/3/500
work_keys_str_mv AT nathaliefalk specializedciliainmammaliansensorysystems
AT marlenelosl specializedciliainmammaliansensorysystems
AT nadjaschroder specializedciliainmammaliansensorysystems
AT andreasgießl specializedciliainmammaliansensorysystems
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