Mechanism of ciliary disassembly

As motile organelles and sensors, cilia play pivotal roles in cell physiology, development and organ homeostasis. Ciliary defects are associated with a class of cilia-related diseases or developmental disorders, termed ciliopathies. Even though the presence of cilia is required for diverse functions, cilia can be removed through ciliary shortening or resorption that necessitates disassembly of the cilium, which occurs normally during cell cycle progression, cell differentiation and in response to cellular stress. The functional significance of ciliary resorption is highlighted in controlling the G1-S transition during cell cycle progression. Internal or external cues that trigger ciliary resorption initiate signaling cascades that regulate several downstream events including depolymerization of axonemal microtubules, dynamic changes in actin and the ciliary membrane, regulation of intraflagellar transport and posttranslational modifications of ciliary proteins. To ensure ciliary resorption, both the active disassembly of the cilium and the simultaneous inhibition of ciliary assembly must be coordinately regulated.