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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Isolation and Fluorescence Imaging for Single-particle Reconstruction of Chlamydomonas Centrioles
Published on: September 21, 2018
Cilia and ciliopathies: from Chlamydomonas and beyond
1Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. panjunmin@tsinhua.edu.cn
Abstract:
The biological function of motile cilia/flagella has long been recognized. The non-motile primary cilium, once regarded as a vestigial organelle, however, has been found recently to play unexpected roles in mammalian physiology and development. Defects in cilia have profound impact on human health. Diseases related to cilia, collectively called ciliopathies include male infertility, primary cilia dyskinesia, renal cyst formation, blindness, polydactyly, obesity, hypertension, and even mental retardation. Our current understanding of cilia and ciliopathies has been fueled by basic research employing various model organisms including Chlamydomonas, a unicellular green alga. This review article provides a general introduction to the cell biology of cilia and an overview of various cilia-related diseases.
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