Tails of nephron ciliated cell development: insights on patterning a functional tissue barrier from the zebrafish

Cilia are hair-like structures found on the surface of nearly all vertebrate cell types where they have central roles in regulating development and orchestrating physiological events. There is growing interest in understanding the mechanisms of ciliogenesis due to the profound consequences that follow from the absence of proper ciliary function, which include diseases that affect the renal, respiratory, reproductive, nervous, visual, and digestive systems, among others. Now, a recent report has discerned new roles for the transcription factor estrogen-related receptor gamma a (esrrγa) in ciliated cell ontogeny within the embryonic zebrafish kidney and other tissues. Further, the team of researchers discovered that genetic ablation of murine homolog ERRγ in adult kidney epithelial cells led to shortened cilia, which precedes cystogenesis. These intriguing findings expand our fundamental understanding of the pathological basis of cilia defects, which is relevant for identifying future therapeutic targets for ciliopathies.