Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026
06:03
Development of a Microfluidics-Based Approach for Investigating Microtubule Polymer Mechanics
Published on: May 30, 2025
Flow modulates centriole movements in tubular epithelial cells
Fruzsina Kotsis1, Roland Nitschke, Mara Doerken
1Department of Medicine, Renal Unit, University Hospital Freiburg, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Pflugers Archiv : European Journal of Physiology
|April 22, 2008
Summary
Kidney cysts may arise from abnormal cell orientation. Fluid flow influences centriole movement, not cell division or migration, suggesting cilia help orient kidney cells.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Renal Physiology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cystic kidney diseases are linked to ciliary protein mutations.
- Cilia function as crucial flow sensors in the kidney.
- Abnormal tubular geometry in kidney cysts suggests developmental disorientation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of fluid flow on polarized cellular events.
- To examine cell division, migration, and centriole movement in response to flow.
- To understand the role of cilia in sensing and responding to renal fluid dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells cultured under controlled fluid flow conditions.
- Assessed cell division orientation using microscopy.
- Analyzed cell migration dynamics via wound-healing assays.
- Tracked centriole movement and orientation in response to flow.
- Investigated the role of polycystin 2 and calcium signaling in flow response.
Main Results:
- Fluid flow did not affect the mitotic orientation of dividing cells.
- Cell migration speed and direction remained unaltered by fluid flow.
- Significant increase in centriole motility and biased movement along the flow axis was observed.
- Flow-induced centriole movement was dependent on calcium signaling mediated by polycystin 2.
Conclusions:
- Cilia may transduce mechanical fluid flow signals into altered centriole dynamics.
- This flow-induced centriole reorientation could be critical for establishing and maintaining normal kidney tubular geometry.
- Findings implicate cilia-mediated mechanosensation in preventing kidney cyst formation.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Microtubules in Cell Motility
Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
01:24Microtubules in Cell Motility
Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
01:16Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
01:05Mechanism of Ciliary Motion
The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are responsible for cell movement, while in higher organisms, these appendages help in the movement of the extracellular fluids within the body cavities.
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
01:05Mechanism of Ciliary Motion
The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are responsible for cell movement, while in higher organisms, these appendages help in the movement of the extracellular fluids within the body cavities.
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
01:39Mechanism of Filopodia Formation
Filopodia are thin, actin-rich cellular protrusions that play an important role in many fundamental cellular functions. They vary in their occurrence, length, and positioning in different cell types, suggesting their diverse roles.
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...