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Updated: Jan 31, 2026
08:07
Simple Detection of Primary Cilia by Immunofluorescence
Published on: May 15, 2020
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Cenpj Regulates Cilia Disassembly and Neurogenesis in the Developing Mouse Cortex
Wenyu Ding1,2, Qian Wu1,2, Le Sun1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (Shanghai), Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Summary
Cenpj protein is crucial for primary cilia disassembly in neural progenitor cells. Its depletion causes abnormal cilia, leading to microcephaly in mice by affecting cell division and proliferation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Primary cilia are vital for sensing the environment and are linked to diseases like primary ciliary dyskinesia.
- The role of ciliogenesis in cortical development is not well understood.
- Cenpj is essential for centriole biogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Cenpj in ciliogenesis during cortical development.
- To understand how Cenpj regulates cilia disassembly and its impact on neural progenitor cells.
- To explore the link between Cenpj, cilia dynamics, and neurogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Conditional Cenpj deletion in mice.
- Analysis of cilia structure and dynamics in neural progenitor cells and adult neural stem cells.
- Assessment of cell division, proliferation, and apoptosis.
- Investigation of the role of Kif2a in Cenpj-mediated regulation.
Main Results:
- Depletion of Cenpj in neural progenitor cells resulted in abnormally long cilia and impaired disassembly.
- Cenpj deficiency led to incomplete cell division, reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis, and microcephaly in developing mouse brains.
- In adult mice, Cenpj depletion affected primary and motile cilia in neural stem cells, reducing proliferation in the subventricular zone.
- Cenpj regulates cilia disassembly and neurogenesis via Kif2a.
Conclusions:
- Cenpj plays a critical role in regulating primary cilia disassembly during cortical development.
- Defective cilia disassembly due to Cenpj depletion contributes to microcephaly by disrupting neural progenitor cell function.
- Cenpj is also involved in maintaining cilia structure and adult neurogenesis, highlighting the importance of cilia dynamics in neural stem cell regulation.
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