The first stage of 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation is growth arrest, which is achieved by contact inhibition at confluence. In growth-arrested confluent 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, alpha-tubulin acetylation and primary-cilium formation were induced. The blockade of primary-cilium formation by suppressing IFT88 or Kif3a inhibited 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. IGF-1 (IGF-I)-receptor signaling, whi...

The benefits of physical loading to skeletal mass are well known. primary cilium has emerged as an important organelle in bone mechanobiology/mechanotransduction, particularly mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, yet the molecular mechanisms mechanotransduction poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that Gpr161 is a mechanoresponsive GPCR, localises cilium, and involved fluid shear-induced...

The presence of single, non-motile "primary" cilia on the surface of epithelial cells has been well described since the 1960s. However, for decades these organelles were believed to be vestigial, with no remaining function, having lost their motility. It wasn't until 2003, with the discovery that proteins responsible for transport along the primary cilium are essential for hedgehog signaling in...

Primary cilia are involved in a variety of physiological processes such as sensing of the environment, cell growth and development. Numerous developmental disorders and pathologies arise from defects in these organelles. Multiple proteins that promote formation and disassembly of the primary cilium have been identified, but little is known about the mechanisms that control steady-state cilium s...

The primary cilium is an extraordinary organelle. For many years, it had the full attention of only a few dedicated scientists fascinated by its uniqueness. Unexpectedly, after decades of obscurity, it has moved very quickly into the limelight with the increasing evidence of its central role in the many genetic variations that lead to what are now known as ciliopathies. These studies implicated...

A subset of familial and sporadic clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) is believed to develop from cystic precursor lesions. Loss of function of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene (VHL) predisposes renal epithelial cells to loss of the primary cilium in response to specific signals. Because the primary cilium suppresses renal cyst formation, loss of the cilium may be an initiating...

The primary cilium has an important role in signaling; defects in structure are associated with a variety of human diseases. Much of the most basic biology of this organelle is poorly understood, even basic mechanisms, such as control of growth and resorption. We show that the activity of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC), an E3 that regulates the onset of anaphase, destabilizes axonemal mic...