How cilia get organized: Researchers unlock architectural secrets of ciliary partitioning
Friday, February 15, 2013 - 10:30
in Biology & Nature
Just about every cell in your body contains microscopic organelles called cilia. Primary cilia act like antennas, detecting and relaying molecular signals from a cell's external environment. Motile cilia paddle together in a single direction, like oars on a rowboat, either moving a cell along or regulating the flow of fluids around the cell. Properly functioning cilia are critical to good health. For cilia to function properly, however, the hundreds of proteins that comprise them must be appropriately partitioned and compartmentalized. How this process is carried out is largely unknown – but scientists have now taken a significant step towards understanding the process.