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Nature Genetics 40, 10–11 (1 January 2008) | doi:10.1038/ng0108-10

Basal bodies, kinocilia and planar cell polarity

Jeffrey D Axelrod

Primary cilia and planar cell polarity (PCP) proteins both contribute to cell polarization, but their relationship is unclear. A new study shows that, in the organ of Corti, primary cilia are required for morphological polarization of sensory hair cells and function downstream of the PCP signaling proteins. The organization of the single kinocilium and multiple stereocilia atop each sensory hair cell in the organ of Corti, within the inner ear, confers a precise polarity within the plane of the epithelium. It has long been hypothesized that directed migration of the kinocilium toward one side of the cell determines the polarity of individual hair cells.