Primary Cilia and Brain Cancer

Cell-extrinsic signals and intrinsic cell cycle regulators strictly control proliferation. Cancers develop from a cell that escapes these tight controls and proliferates unrestrictedly. The primary cilium critically controls proliferation by mediating cell-extrinsic signals and regulating cell cycle entry. Accordingly, recent studies showed that defective cilia can either promote or suppress cancers, depending on the cancer-initiating mutation, and that presence or absence of primary cilia is associated with specific cancer types. These novel findings suggest that primary cilia play central but distinct roles in different cancer types, opening up a completely new avenue of research to understand the biology and treatment of cancers.