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Cell biology

Molecular clearance at the cell's antenna

Nature volume 502, pages 180–181 (2013)Cite this article

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The degradative process known as autophagy is a cellular quality-control mechanism that is associated with many clinical disorders. It emerges that autophagy and the cell's primary cilium regulate each other. See Article p.194 and Letter p.254

Long considered a vestigial organelle, the primary cilium has lately been identified as the cell's sensory antenna. It extends from the cell surface to the extracellular space, and so is ideally positioned to receive signals from outside. On sensing such signals, it integrates and transduces them to coordinate an appropriate cellular response and decide the cell's fate1. The fact that the primary cilium is present in most human cells, together with the discovery of its sensory function and the identification of cilium-related human disorders that include polycystic kidney disease, retinal degeneration and hydrocephalus, have all contributed to the recent explosion of interest in this organelle. In this context, the findings of Pampliega et al.2 and Tang et al.3, published in this issue, are of great importanceFootnote 1. They describe a role for autophagy — a pathway for the degradation of cellular components4 — in the development of the primary cilium (ciliogenesis) and, reciprocally, the involvement of this organelle in regulating autophagy.

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Figure 1: Ciliogenesis and autophagy.

Change history

  • 09 October 2013

    Francesco Cecconi was originally listed as being at the Unit of Cell Death and Metabolism. This has now been corrected to the Unit of Cell Stress and Survival.

Notes

  1. *This article and the papers under discussion were published online on 2 October 2013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Valentina Cianfanelli and Francesco Cecconi are in the Department of Biology, and in the Department of Neuroscience, University of Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome.,

    Valentina Cianfanelli & Francesco Cecconi

  2. F.C. is also at the Unit of Cell Stress and Survival, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.,

    Francesco Cecconi

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  1. Valentina Cianfanelli
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  2. Francesco Cecconi
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Correspondence to Francesco Cecconi.

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Cianfanelli, V., Cecconi, F. Molecular clearance at the cell's antenna. Nature 502, 180–181 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12693

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