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Updated: Jun 29, 2025

Using Primary Neurosphere Cultures to Study Primary Cilia
Published on: April 14, 2017
The neuronal cilium - a highly diverse and dynamic organelle involved in sensory detection and neuromodulation
Nathalie Jurisch-Yaksi1, Dagmar Wachten2, Jay Gopalakrishnan3
1Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Erling Skalgssons gate 1, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.
Abstract:
Cilia are fascinating organelles that act as cellular antennae, sensing the cellular environment. Cilia gained significant attention in the late 1990s after their dysfunction was linked to genetic diseases known as ciliopathies. Since then, several breakthrough discoveries have uncovered the mechanisms underlying cilia biogenesis and function. Like most cells in the animal kingdom, neurons also harbor cilia, which are enriched in neuromodulatory receptors. Yet, how neuronal cilia modulate neuronal physiology and animal behavior remains poorly understood. By comparing ciliary biology between the sensory and central nervous systems (CNS), we provide new perspectives on the functions of cilia in brain physiology.
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