Cilia and Cancer: From Molecular Genetics to Therapeutic Strategies

Cilia are microtubule-based organelles that project from the cell surface with motility or sensory functions. Primary cilia work as antennae to sense and transduce extracellular signals. Cilia critically control proliferation by mediating cell-extrinsic signals and by regulating cell cycle entry. Re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genes 2023-07, Vol.14 (7), p.1428
Main Authors: Carotenuto, Pietro, Gradilone, Sergio A, Franco, Brunella
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autophagy
Cancer
Cell cycle
Cell division
Cell growth
Cell surface
Cilia
Communication
Genetic aspects
Genomes
Health aspects
Molecular genetics
Motility
Organelles
Proteins
Review
Tumorigenesis
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Summary:Cilia are microtubule-based organelles that project from the cell surface with motility or sensory functions. Primary cilia work as antennae to sense and transduce extracellular signals. Cilia critically control proliferation by mediating cell-extrinsic signals and by regulating cell cycle entry. Recent studies have shown that primary cilia and their associated proteins also function in autophagy and genome stability, which are important players in oncogenesis. Abnormal functions of primary cilia may contribute to oncogenesis. Indeed, defective cilia can either promote or suppress cancers, depending on the cancer-initiating mutation, and the presence or absence of primary cilia is associated with specific cancer types. Together, these findings suggest that primary cilia play important, but distinct roles in different cancer types, opening up a completely new avenue of research to understand the biology and treatment of cancers. In this review, we discuss the roles of primary cilia in promoting or inhibiting oncogenesis based on the known or predicted functions of cilia and cilia-associated proteins in several key processes and related clinical implications.
ISSN:2073-4425
2073-4425
DOI:10.3390/genes14071428