Signaling through primary cilia: How cellular antennae work

Multiple forms of intercellular communication are transduced through the primary cilium, a highly-organized cellular antenna packed with specialized signaling machinery found on most vertebrate cells. Disruptions of signaling through cilia cause rare inherited diseases, collectively called ciliopathies. Defects in ciliary signaling can also cause common diseases, including cancer and obesity. We have explored how ciliary composition is precisely regulated, a model for how the contents of organelles without surrounding membranes are controlled. Also, by investigating how the ciliary membrane participates in signaling, we are identifying principles by which organelle-specific lipids function.