Most biologists are familiar with motile cilia, the finger-like appendages that allow unicellular organisms to swim, and the specialized cells that move fluids and clear away debris in our kidneys and lungs. Few are aware, though, that nearly every cell in the human body also possesses a single immotile or “primary” cilium. The functions of primary cilia are quite obscure, and until recently they were considered to be vestigial.
Ciliary biology has undergone a quiet revolution. Defects in primary cilia are now proposed to contribute to such diverse disorders as diabetes, obesity, and schizophrenia. At the same time, ciliary biologists are gaining a better understanding of disorders caused by defects in motile cilia, such as chronic respiratory disease and abnormal organ development. “There is quite a broad range of human disorder that is going to be caused by ciliary dysfunction,” predicts Nicholas Katsanis of Johns Hopkins University, who studies Bardet-Biedl ...
