Bae Young-Kyung, Barr Maureen M
Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, USA.
Front Biosci. 2008 May 1;13:5959-74. doi: 10.2741/3129.
In the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, cilia are found on the dendritic endings of sensory neurons. C. elegans cilia are classified as 'primary' or 'sensory' according to the '9+0' axonemal ultrastructure (nine doublet outer microtubules with no central microtubule pair) and lack of motility, characteristics of '9+2' cilia. The C. elegans ciliated nervous system allows the animal to perceive environmental stimuli and make appropriate developmental, physiological, and behavioral decisions. In vertebrates, the biological significance of primary cilia had been largely neglected. Recent findings have placed primary/sensory cilia in the center of cellular signaling and developmental processes. Studies using genetic model organisms such as C. elegans identified the link between ciliary dysfunction and human ciliopathies. Future studies in the worm will address important basic questions regarding ciliary development, morphogenesis, specialization, and signaling functions.
在自由生活的线虫秀丽隐杆线虫中，纤毛存在于感觉神经元的树突末端。根据“9+0”轴丝超微结构（九对外围双联微管，无中央微管对）以及缺乏“9+2”纤毛的运动性特征，秀丽隐杆线虫的纤毛被归类为“初级”或“感觉”纤毛。秀丽隐杆线虫的纤毛神经系统使动物能够感知环境刺激，并做出适当的发育、生理和行为决策。在脊椎动物中，初级纤毛的生物学意义在很大程度上被忽视了。最近的研究结果已将初级/感觉纤毛置于细胞信号传导和发育过程的核心位置。使用秀丽隐杆线虫等遗传模式生物进行的研究确定了纤毛功能障碍与人类纤毛病之间的联系。未来对线虫的研究将解决有关纤毛发育、形态发生、特化和信号功能的重要基础问题。
