Role of primary cilia in brain development and cancer

Lateral expansion of the mammalian cerebral cortex is related to anchorage of centrosomes in apical neural progenitors

The centrosome is the main microtubule organizing center in stem cells, and its mother centriole, anchored to the cell membrane, serves as the basal body of the primary cilium. Prolonged anchorage of centrosomes and primary cilia to the apical segment of the membrane of apical neural progenitor cells is considered vital for interkinetic nuclear translocation and repetitive cycling in the ventricular zone. In contrast, the basolateral anchorage of primary cilia has been regarded as the first step in delamination and conversion of apical to basal neural progenitor cells or neurons. Using electron microscopy analysis of serial sections, we show that centrosomes, in a fraction of cells, anchor to the basolateral cell membrane immediately after cell division and before development of cilia. In other cells, centrosomes situate freely in the cytoplasm, increasing their probability of subsequent apical anchorage. In mice, anchored centrosomes in the cells shortly after mitosis predominate during the entire cerebral neurogenesis, whereas in macaque monkeys, cytoplasmic centrosomes are more numerous. Species-specific differences in the ratio of anchored and free cytoplasmic centrosomes appear to be related to prolonged neurogenesis in the ventricular zone that is essential for lateral expansion of the cerebral cortex in primates.

BBS genes are involved in accelerated proliferation and early differentiation of BBS-related tissues

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an inherited disorder primarily ciliopathy with pleiotropic multi-systemic phenotypic involvement, including adipose, nerve, retinal, kidney, Etc. Consequently, it is characterized by obesity, cognitive impairment and retinal, kidney and cutaneous abnormalities. Initial studies, including ours have shown that BBS genes play a role in the early developmental stages of adipocytes and β-cells. However, this role in other BBS-related tissues is unknown. We investigated BBS genes involvement in the proliferation and early differentiation of different BBS cell types. The involvement of BBS genes in cellular proliferation were studied in seven in-vitro and transgenic cell models; keratinocytes (hHaCaT) and Ras-transfected keratinocytes (Ras-hHaCaT), neuronal cell lines (hSH-SY5Y and rPC-12), silenced BBS4 neural cell lines (siBbs4 hSH-SY5Y and siBbs4 rPC-12), adipocytes (m3T3L1), and ex-vivo transformed B-cells obtain from BBS4 patients, using molecular and biochemical methodologies. RashHaCaT cells showed an accelerated proliferation rate in parallel to significant reduction in the transcript levels of BBS1, 2, and 4. BBS1, 2, and 4 transcripts linked with hHaCaT cell cycle arrest (G1 phase) using both chemical (CDK4 inhibitor) and serum deprivation methodologies. Adipocyte (m3T3-L1) Bbs1, 2 and 4 transcript levels corresponded to the cell cycle phase (CDK4 inhibitor and serum deprivation). SiBBS4 hSH-SY5Y cells exhibited early cell proliferation and differentiation (wound healing assay) rates. SiBbs4 rPC-12 models exhibited significant proliferation and differentiation rate corresponding to Nestin expression levels. BBS4 patients-transformed B-cells exhibited an accelerated proliferation rate (LPS-induced methodology). In conclusions, the BBS4 gene plays a significant, similar and global role in the cellular proliferation of various BBS related tissues. These results highlight the universal role of the BBS gene in the cell cycle, and further deepen the knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the development of BBS.

Compartmentalized ciliation changes of oligodendrocytes in aged mouse optic nerve

Primary cilia are microtubule-based sensory organelles that project from the apical surface of most mammalian cells, including oligodendrocytes, which are myelinating cells of the central nervous system (CNS) that support critical axonal function. Dysfunction of CNS glia is associated with aging-related white matter diseases and neurodegeneration, and ciliopathies are known to affect CNS white matter. To investigate age-related changes in ciliary profile, we examined ciliary length and frequency in the retinogeniculate pathway, a white matter tract commonly affected by diseases of aging but in which expression of cilia has not been characterized. We found expression of Arl13b, a marker of primary cilia, in a small group of Olig2-positive oligodendrocytes in the optic nerve, optic chiasm, and optic tract in young and aged C57BL/6 wild-type mice. While the ciliary length and ciliated oligodendrocyte cells were constant in young mice in the retinogeniculate pathway, there was a significant increase in ciliary length in the anterior optic nerve as compared to the aged animals. Morphometric analysis confirmed a specific increase in the ciliation rate of CC1+ /Olig2+ oligodendrocytes in aged mice compared with young mice. Thus, the prevalence of primary cilia in oligodendrocytes in the visual pathway and the age-related changes in ciliation suggest that they may play important roles in white matter and age-associated optic neuropathies.

Hedgehog Signaling in Cortical Development

The Hedgehog (Hh) pathway plays a crucial role in embryonic development, acting both as a morphogenic signal that organizes tissue formation and a potent mitogenic signal driving cell proliferation. Dysregulated Hh signaling leads to various developmental defects in the brain. This article aims to review the roles of Hh signaling in the development of the neocortex in the mammalian brain, focusing on its regulation of neural progenitor proliferation and neuronal production. The review will summarize studies on genetic mouse models that have targeted different components of the Hh pathway, such as the ligand Shh, the receptor Ptch1, the GPCR-like transducer Smo, the intracellular transducer Sufu, and the three Gli transcription factors. As key insights into the Hh signaling transduction mechanism were obtained from mouse models displaying neural tube defects, this review will also cover some studies on Hh signaling in neural tube development. The results from these genetic mouse models suggest an intriguing hypothesis that elevated Hh signaling may play a role in the gyrification of the brain in certain species. Additionally, the distinctive production of GABAergic interneurons in the dorsal cortex in the human brain may also be linked to the extension of Hh signaling from the ventral to the dorsal brain region. Overall, these results suggest key roles of Hh signaling as both a morphogenic and mitogenic signal during the forebrain development and imply the potential involvement of Hh signaling in the evolutionary expansion of the neocortex.

Emerging principles of primary cilia dynamics in controlling tissue organization and function

Primary cilia project from the surface of most vertebrate cells and are key in sensing extracellular signals and locally transducing this information into a cellular response. Recent findings show that primary cilia are not merely static organelles with a distinct lipid and protein composition. Instead, the function of primary cilia relies on the dynamic composition of molecules within the cilium, the context-dependent sensing and processing of extracellular stimuli, and cycles of assembly and disassembly in a cell- and tissue-specific manner. Thereby, primary cilia dynamically integrate different cellular inputs and control cell fate and function during tissue development. Here, we review the recently emerging concept of primary cilia dynamics in tissue development, organization, remodeling, and function.

Increasing Ciliary ARL13B Expression Drives Active and Inhibitor-Resistant Smoothened and GLI into Glioma Primary Cilia

ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 13B (ARL13B), a regulatory GTPase and guanine exchange factor (GEF), enriches in primary cilia and promotes tumorigenesis in part by regulating Smoothened (SMO), GLI, and Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling. Gliomas with increased ARL13B, SMO, and GLI2 expression are more aggressive, but the relationship to cilia is unclear. Previous studies have showed that increasing ARL13B in glioblastoma cells promoted ciliary SMO accumulation, independent of exogenous SHH addition. Here, we show that SMO accumulation is due to increased ciliary, but not extraciliary, ARL13B. Increasing ARL13B expression promotes the accumulation of both activated SMO and GLI2 in glioma cilia. ARL13B-driven increases in ciliary SMO and GLI2 are resistant to SMO inhibitors, GDC-0449, and cyclopamine. Surprisingly, ARL13B-induced changes in ciliary SMO/GLI2 did not correlate with canonical changes in downstream SHH pathway genes. However, glioma cell lines whose cilia overexpress WT but not guanine exchange factor-deficient ARL13B, display reduced INPP5e, a ciliary membrane component whose depletion may favor SMO/GLI2 enrichment. Glioma cells overexpressing ARL13B also display reduced ciliary intraflagellar transport 88 (IFT88), suggesting that altered retrograde transport could further promote SMO/GLI accumulation. Collectively, our data suggest that factors increasing ARL13B expression in glioma cells may promote both changes in ciliary membrane characteristics and IFT proteins, leading to the accumulation of drug-resistant SMO and GLI. The downstream targets and consequences of these ciliary changes require further investigation.

Tau tubulin kinase 1 and 2 regulate ciliogenesis and human pluripotent stem cells-derived neural rosettes

Primary cilia are key regulators of embryo development and tissue homeostasis. However, their mechanisms and functions, particularly in the context of human cells, are still unclear. Here, we analyzed the consequences of primary cilia modulation for human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) proliferation and differentiation. We report that neither activation of the cilia-associated Hedgehog signaling pathway nor ablation of primary cilia by CRISPR gene editing to knockout Tau Tubulin Kinase 2 (TTBK2), a crucial ciliogenesis regulator, affects the self-renewal of hPSCs. Further, we show that TTBK1, a related kinase without previous links to ciliogenesis, is upregulated during hPSCs-derived neural rosette differentiation. Importantly, we demonstrate that while TTBK1 fails to localize to the mother centriole, it regulates primary cilia formation in the differentiated, but not the undifferentiated hPSCs. Finally, we show that TTBK1/2 and primary cilia are implicated in the regulation of the size of hPSCs-derived neural rosettes.

Cilia and Cancer: From Molecular Genetics to Therapeutic Strategies

Cilia are microtubule-based organelles that project from the cell surface with motility or sensory functions. Primary cilia work as antennae to sense and transduce extracellular signals. Cilia critically control proliferation by mediating cell-extrinsic signals and by regulating cell cycle entry. Recent studies have shown that primary cilia and their associated proteins also function in autophagy and genome stability, which are important players in oncogenesis. Abnormal functions of primary cilia may contribute to oncogenesis. Indeed, defective cilia can either promote or suppress cancers, depending on the cancer-initiating mutation, and the presence or absence of primary cilia is associated with specific cancer types. Together, these findings suggest that primary cilia play important, but distinct roles in different cancer types, opening up a completely new avenue of research to understand the biology and treatment of cancers. In this review, we discuss the roles of primary cilia in promoting or inhibiting oncogenesis based on the known or predicted functions of cilia and cilia-associated proteins in several key processes and related clinical implications.

Calcium dynamics at the neural cell primary cilium regulate Hedgehog signaling-dependent neurogenesis in the embryonic neural tube

The balance between neural stem cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation is paramount for the appropriate development of the nervous system. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is known to sequentially promote cell proliferation and specification of neuronal phenotypes, but the signaling mechanisms responsible for the developmental switch from mitogenic to neurogenic have remained unclear. Here, we show that Shh enhances Ca2+ activity at the neural cell primary cilium of developing Xenopus laevis embryos through Ca2+ influx via transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 3 (TRPC3) and release from intracellular stores in a developmental stage-dependent manner. This ciliary Ca2+ activity in turn antagonizes canonical, proliferative Shh signaling in neural stem cells by down-regulating Sox2 expression and up-regulating expression of neurogenic genes, enabling neuronal differentiation. These discoveries indicate that the Shh-Ca2+-dependent switch in neural cell ciliary signaling triggers the switch in Shh action from canonical-mitogenic to neurogenic. The molecular mechanisms identified in this neurogenic signaling axis are potential targets for the treatment of brain tumors and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Cilia-associated wound repair mediated by IFT88 in retinal pigment epithelium

Primary cilia are conserved organelles that integrate extracellular cues into intracellular signals and are critical for diverse processes, including cellular development and repair responses. Deficits in ciliary function cause multisystemic human diseases known as ciliopathies. In the eye, atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a common feature of many ciliopathies. However, the roles of RPE cilia in vivo remain poorly understood. In this study, we first found that mouse RPE cells only transiently form primary cilia. We then examined the RPE in the mouse model of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome 4 (BBS4), a ciliopathy associated with retinal degeneration in humans, and found that ciliation in BBS4 mutant RPE cells is disrupted early during development. Next, using a laser-induced injury model in vivo, we found that primary cilia in RPE reassemble in response to laser injury during RPE wound healing and then rapidly disassemble after the repair is completed. Finally, we demonstrated that RPE-specific depletion of primary cilia in a conditional mouse model of cilia loss promoted wound healing and enhanced cell proliferation. In summary, our data suggest that RPE cilia contribute to both retinal development and repair and provide insights into potential therapeutic targets for more common RPE degenerative diseases.

CRISPR/Cas9 and piggyBac Transposon-Based Conversion of a Pathogenic Biallelic TBCD Variant in a Patient-Derived iPSC Line Allows Correction of PEBAT-Related Endophenotypes

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have been established as a reliable in vitro disease model system and represent a particularly informative tool when animal models are not available or do not recapitulate the human pathophenotype. The recognized limit in using this technology is linked to some degree of variability in the behavior of the individual patient-derived clones. The development of CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing solves this drawback by obtaining isogenic iPSCs in which the genetic lesion is corrected, allowing a straightforward comparison with the parental patient-derived iPSC lines. Here, we report the generation of a footprint-free isogenic cell line of patient-derived TBCD-mutated iPSCs edited using the CRISPR/Cas9 and piggyBac technologies. The corrected iPSC line had no genetic footprint after the removal of the selection cassette and maintained its "stemness". The correction of the disease-causing TBCD missense substitution restored proper protein levels of the chaperone and mitotic spindle organization, as well as reduced cellular death, which were used as read-outs of the TBCD KO-related endophenotype. The generated line represents an informative in vitro model to understand the impact of pathogenic TBCD mutations on nervous system development and physiology.

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-2alpha Affects the MEK/ERK Signaling Pathway via Primary Cilia in Connection with the Intraflagellar Transport Protein 88 Homolog

The ability of cells to communicate with their surrounding is a prerequisite for essential processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and differentiation. To this purpose, primary cilia serve as antennae-like structures on the surface of most mammalian cell types. Cilia allow signaling via hedgehog, Wnt or TGF-beta pathways. Their length, in part controlled by the activity of intraflagellar transport (IFT), is a parameter for adequate function of primary cilia. Here we show, in murine neuronal cells, that intraflagellar transport protein 88 homolog (IFT88) directly interacts with the hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α), hitherto known as an oxygen-regulated transcription factor. Furthermore, HIF-2α accumulates in the ciliary axoneme and promotes ciliary elongation under hypoxia. Loss of HIF-2α affected ciliary signaling in neuronal cells by decreasing transcription of Mek1/2 and Erk1/2. Targets of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, such as Fos and Jun, were significantly decreased. Our results suggest that HIF-2α influences ciliary signaling by interacting with IFT88 under hypoxic conditions. This implies an unexpected and far more extensive function of HIF-2α than described before.

Characterization of Primary Cilia Formation in Human ESC-Derived Retinal Organoids

Objectives

Primary cilia are conserved organelles found in polarized mammalian cells that regulate neuronal growth, migration, and differentiation. Proper cilia formation is essential during eye development. Our previous reports found that both amacrine and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) contain primary cilia in primate and rodent retinas. However, whether primary cilia are present in the inner retina of human retinal organoids remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to characterize the primary cilia distribution in human embryonic stem cell (hESC-derived retinal organoid development.

Materials and Methods

Retinal organoids were differentiated from a hESC line, harvested at various developmental timepoints (day 44-day 266), and immunostained with antibodies for primary cilia, including Arl13b (for the axoneme), AC3, and Centrin3 (for the basal body). AP2α, Prox1, GAD67, Calretinin, GFAP, PKCα, and Chx10 antibodies as well as Brn3b-promoted tdTomato expression were used to visualize retinal cell types.

Results

A group of ciliated cells were present in the inner aspects of retinal organoids from day 44 to day 266 in culture. Ciliated Chx10-positive retinal progenitor cells, GFAP-positive astrocytes, and PKCα-positive rod-bipolar cells were detected later during development (day 176 to day 266). Ciliation persisted during all stages of retinal developmental in AP2α-positive amacrine cells, but it was decreased in Brn3b-positive retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) at later time points. Additionally, AC3-positive astrocytes significantly decreased during the later stages of organoid formation.

Conclusions

Amacrine cells in retinal organoids retain cilia throughout development, whereas RGC ciliation gradually and progressively decreases with organoid maturation.

Appearing and disappearing acts of cilia

The past few decades have seen a rise in research on vertebrate cilia and ciliopathy, with interesting collaborations between basic and clinical scientists. This work includes studies on ciliary architecture, composition, evolution, and organelle generation and its biological role. The human body has cells that harbour any of the following four types of cilia: 9+0 motile, 9+0 immotile, 9+2 motile, and 9+2 immotile. Depending on the type, cilia play an important role in cell/fluid movement, mating, sensory perception, and development. Defects in cilia are associated with a wide range of human diseases afflicting the brain, heart, kidneys, respiratory tract, and reproductive system. These are commonly known as ciliopathies and affect millions of people worldwide. Due to their complex genetic etiology, diagnosis and therapy have remained elusive. Although model organisms like Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been a useful source for ciliary research, reports of a fascinating and rewarding translation of this research into mammalian systems, especially humans, are seen. The current review peeks into one of the complex features of this organelle, namely its birth, the common denominators across the formation of both 9+0 and 9+2 ciliary types, the molecules involved in ciliogenesis, and the steps that go towards regulating their assembly and disassembly.

Primary Cilia Dysfunction in Neurodevelopmental Disorders beyond Ciliopathies

Primary cilia are specialized, microtubule-based structures projecting from the surface of most mammalian cells. These organelles are thought to primarily act as signaling hubs and sensors, receiving and integrating extracellular cues. Several important signaling pathways are regulated through the primary cilium including Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) and Wnt signaling. Therefore, it is no surprise that mutated genes encoding defective proteins that affect primary cilia function or structure are responsible for a group of disorders collectively termed ciliopathies. The severe neurologic abnormalities observed in several ciliopathies have prompted examination of primary cilia structure and function in other brain disorders. Recently, neuronal primary cilia defects were observed in monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders that were not traditionally considered ciliopathies. The molecular mechanisms of how these genetic mutations cause primary cilia defects and how these defects contribute to the neurologic manifestations of these disorders remain poorly understood. In this review we will discuss monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders that exhibit cilia deficits and summarize findings from studies exploring the role of primary cilia in the brain to shed light into how these deficits could contribute to neurologic abnormalities.

Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Cerebellar Development and Cancer

The sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway regulates the development of the central nervous system in vertebrates. Aberrant regulation of SHH signaling pathways often causes neurodevelopmental diseases and brain tumors. In the cerebellum, SHH secreted by Purkinje cells is a potent mitogen for granule cell progenitors, which are the most abundant cell type in the mature brain. While a reduction in SHH signaling induces cerebellar structural abnormalities, such as hypoplasia in various genetic disorders, the constitutive activation of SHH signaling often induces medulloblastoma (MB), one of the most common pediatric malignant brain tumors. Based on the existing literature on canonical and non-canonical SHH signaling pathways, emerging basic and clinical studies are exploring novel therapeutic approaches for MB by targeting SHH signaling at distinct molecular levels. In this review, we discuss the present consensus on SHH signaling mechanisms, their roles in cerebellar development and tumorigenesis, and the recent advances in clinical trials for MB.

Cilium Expression Score Predicts Glioma Survival

The accurate classification, prognostication, and treatment of gliomas has been hindered by an existing cellular, genomic, and transcriptomic heterogeneity within individual tumors and their microenvironments. Traditional clustering is limited in its ability to distinguish heterogeneity in gliomas because the clusters are required to be exclusive and exhaustive. In contrast, biclustering can identify groups of co-regulated genes with respect to a subset of samples and vice versa. In this study, we analyzed 1,798 normal and tumor brain samples using an unsupervised biclustering approach. We identified co-regulated gene expression profiles that were linked to proximally located brain regions and detected upregulated genes in subsets of gliomas, associated with their histologic grade and clinical outcome. In particular, we present a cilium-associated signature that when upregulated in tumors is predictive of poor survival. We also introduce a risk score based on expression of 12 cilium-associated genes which is reproducibly informative of survival independent of other prognostic biomarkers. These results highlight the role of cilia in development and progression of gliomas and suggest potential therapeutic vulnerabilities for these highly aggressive tumors.

HMGB1 signaling phosphorylates Ku70 and impairs DNA damage repair in Alzheimer's disease pathology

DNA damage is increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD), while the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we employ comprehensive phosphoproteome analysis, and identify abnormal phosphorylation of 70 kDa subunit of Ku antigen (Ku70) at Ser77/78, which prevents Ku70-DNA interaction, in human AD postmortem brains. The abnormal phosphorylation inhibits accumulation of Ku70 to the foci of DNA double strand break (DSB), impairs DNA damage repair and eventually causes transcriptional repression-induced atypical cell death (TRIAD). Cells under TRIAD necrosis reveal senescence phenotypes. Extracellular high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein, which is released from necrotic or hyper-activated neurons in AD, binds to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) of neighboring neurons, and activates protein kinase C alpha (PKCα) that executes Ku70 phosphorylation at Ser77/78. Administration of human monoclonal anti-HMGB1 antibody to post-symptomatic AD model mice decreases neuronal DSBs, suppresses secondary TRIAD necrosis of neurons, prevents escalation of neurodegeneration, and ameliorates cognitive symptoms. TRIAD shares multiple features with senescence. These results discover the HMGB1-Ku70 axis that accounts for the increase of neuronal DNA damage and secondary enhancement of TRIAD, the cell death phenotype of senescence, in AD.

How neural stem cells contribute to neocortex development

The mammalian neocortex is the seat of higher cognitive functions, such as thinking and language in human. A hallmark of the neocortex are the cortical neurons, which are generated from divisions of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) during development, and which constitute a key feature of the well-organized layered structure of the neocortex. Proper formation of neocortex structure requires an orchestrated cellular behavior of different cortical NPCs during development, especially during the process of cortical neurogenesis. Here, we review the great diversity of NPCs and their contribution to the development of the neocortex. First, we review the categorization of NPCs into different classes and types based on their cell biological features, and discuss recent advances in characterizing marker expression and cell polarity features in the different types of NPCs. Second, we review the different modes of cell divisions that NPCs undergo and discuss the importance of the balance between proliferation and differentiation of NPCs in neocortical development. Third, we review the different proliferative capacities among different NPC types and among the same type of NPC in different mammalian species. Dissecting the differences between NPC types and differences among mammalian species is beneficial to further understand the development and the evolutionary expansion of the neocortex and may open up new therapeutic avenues for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.

Decoding the Roles of Astrocytes and Hedgehog Signaling in Medulloblastoma

The molecular evolution of medulloblastoma is more complex than previously imagined, as emerging evidence suggests that multiple interactions between the tumor cells and components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) are important for tumor promotion and progression. The identification of several molecular networks within the TME, which interact with tumoral cells, has provided new clues to understand the tumorigenic roles of many TME components as well as potential therapeutic targets. In this review, we discuss the most recent studies regarding the roles of astrocytes in supporting sonic hedgehog (SHH) subgroup medulloblastoma (MB) and provide an overview of MB progression through SHH expression and signal transduction mechanisms into the complex tumor microenvironment. In addition, we highlight the associations between tumor and stromal cells as possible prognostic markers that could be targeted with new therapeutic strategies.

Distinct regulation of hippocampal neuroplasticity and ciliary genes by corticosteroid receptors

Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) — acting through hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) — are critical to physiological regulation and behavioural adaptation. We conducted genome-wide MR and GR ChIP-seq and Ribo-Zero RNA-seq studies on rat hippocampus to elucidate MR- and GR-regulated genes under circadian variation or acute stress. In a subset of genes, these physiological conditions resulted in enhanced MR and/or GR binding to DNA sequences and associated transcriptional changes. Binding of MR at a substantial number of sites however remained unchanged. MR and GR binding occur at overlapping as well as distinct loci. Moreover, although the GC response element (GRE) was the predominant motif, the transcription factor recognition site composition within MR and GR binding peaks show marked differences. Pathway analysis uncovered that MR and GR regulate a substantial number of genes involved in synaptic/neuro-plasticity, cell morphology and development, behavior, and neuropsychiatric disorders. We find that MR, not GR, is the predominant receptor binding to >50 ciliary genes; and that MR function is linked to neuronal differentiation and ciliogenesis in human fetal neuronal progenitor cells. These results show that hippocampal MRs and GRs constitutively and dynamically regulate genomic activities underpinning neuronal plasticity and behavioral adaptation to changing environments.

Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) are of critical importance for maintaining brain health, but their involvement in mental disorders is poorly understood. Here the authors show how GCs act through hippocampal mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors to impact the gene regulatory programs underpinning neuronal plasticity, ciliogenesis and behavioral adaptation.

Myomegalin regulates Hedgehog pathway by controlling PDE4D at the centrosome

Mutations in the hedgehog (Hh) signaling are implicated in birth defects and cancers, including medulloblastoma (MB), one of the most malignant pediatric brain tumors. Current Hh inhibitors face the challenge of drug resistance and tumor relapse, urging new insights in the Hh pathway regulation. Our previous study revealed how PDE4D controls global levels of cAMP in the cytoplasm to positively regulate Hh signaling; in the present study, we found that a specific isoform PDE4D3 is tethered to the centrosome by Myomegalin (Mmg), a centrosome/Golgi-associated protein. Mmg loss dislocates PDE4D3 from the centrosome, leading to local PKA overactivation and inhibition of the Hh signaling, leaving other PKA-related pathways unaffected. Mmg loss suppresses the proliferation of granule neuron precursors and blocks the growth of MB in mouse model. Our findings specify a new regulatory mechanism of the Hh pathway and highlight an exciting therapeutic avenue for Hh-related cancers with reduced side effects.

The essential role of primary cilia in cerebral cortical development and disorders

Primary cilium, first described in the 19th century in different cell types and organisms by Alexander Ecker, Albert Kolliker, Aleksandr Kowalevsky, Paul Langerhans, and Karl Zimmermann (Ecker, 1844; Kolliker, 1854; Kowalevsky, 1867; Langerhans, 1876; Zimmermann, 1898), play an essential modulatory role in diverse aspects of nervous system development and function. The primary cilium, sometimes referred to as the cell's 'antennae', can receive wide ranging inputs from cellular milieu, including morphogens, growth factors, neuromodulators, and neurotransmitters. Its unique structural and functional organization bequeaths it the capacity to hyper-concentrate signaling machinery in a restricted cellular domain approximately one-thousandth the volume of cell soma. Thus enabling it to act as a signaling hub that integrates diverse developmental and homestatic information from cellular milieu to regulate the development and function of neural cells. Dysfunction of primary cilia contributes to the pathophysiology of several brain malformations, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders. This review focuses on the most essential contributions of primary cilia to cerebral cortical development and function, in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders and malformations. It highlights the recent progress made in identifying the mechanisms underlying primary cilia's role in cortical progenitors, neurons and glia, in health and disease. A future challenge will be to translate these insights and advances into effective clinical treatments for ciliopathies.

Cilia, ciliopathies and hedgehog-related forebrain developmental disorders

Development of the forebrain critically depends on the Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway, as illustrated in humans by the frequent perturbation of this pathway in holoprosencephaly, a condition defined as a defect in the formation of midline structures of the forebrain and face. The Shh pathway requires functional primary cilia, microtubule-based organelles present on virtually every cell and acting as cellular antennae to receive and transduce diverse chemical, mechanical or light signals. The dysfunction of cilia in humans leads to inherited diseases called ciliopathies, which often affect many organs and show diverse manifestations including forebrain malformations for the most severe forms. The purpose of this review is to provide the reader with a framework to understand the developmental origin of the forebrain defects observed in severe ciliopathies with respect to perturbations of the Shh pathway. We propose that many of these defects can be interpreted as an imbalance in the ratio of activator to repressor forms of the Gli transcription factors, which are effectors of the Shh pathway. We also discuss the complexity of ciliopathies and their relationships with forebrain disorders such as holoprosencephaly or malformations of cortical development, and emphasize the need for a closer examination of forebrain defects in ciliopathies, not only through the lens of animal models but also taking advantage of the increasing potential of the research on human tissues and organoids.

BBS4 Is Essential for Nuclear Transport of Transcription Factors Mediating Neuronal ER Stress Response

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an autosomal recessive syndrome presenting with retinal dystrophy, cognitive impairment, and obesity. BBS is characterized by elevated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the early stages of adipocyte and retinal development. BBS expression in the CNS and indications of hippocampal dysgenesis suggest neural development abnormalities. However, the role of BBS in ER stress in neuronal cells has not yet been studied. Therefore, we aimed at studying the role of BBS4 in neuronal development under normal and ER stress conditions. ER stress and unfolded protein response (UPR) were studied in BBS4-silenced (SiBBS4) SH-SY5Y cells during differentiation under normal and stress states, using molecular and biochemical markers. ER stress was demonstrated at early neural differentiation, with significantly augmented expression of UPR markers corresponding to BBS4 expression. In the undifferentiated state, BBS4 silencing resulted in significantly reduced ER-stress markers' expression under normal and ER-stress states. Independent of ER stress, SiBBS4 cells demonstrated significant reduction in activated phospho-IRE1α. Under BBS4 silencing, both sXBP-1 and activated ATF6α p50 failed to translocate to the nucleus. Transcript levels of apoptosis markers were upregulated under BBS4 depletion and ER-stress induction, corresponding to decreased viability. BBS4 depletion in neuronal cells results in reduced sensitivity to ER stress during differentiation and under ER-stress induction, partly due to failure in translocation of ER-transcription factors (TF) sXBP-1 and ATF6α p50 to the nucleus. Hence, BBS4 is essential for nuclear transport under ER-stress response in neuronal cells during early differentiation. Our studies shed light on molecular mechanisms through which BBS4 malfunction alters neuronal ER stress response.

The primary cilium: Its role as a tumor suppressor organelle

The primary cilium is an organelle that nearly all cells within the body contain. Its function is to sense the extracellular environment through its abundance of receptors and linked signaling pathways, working as an antenna. Ciliary defects lead to different pathologies. In particular, many tumors lose primary cilia, and this is linked with negative implications for the cell such as an increase in malignancy. In this work we will go through the knowledge of the role of primary cilia in normal conditions, how it is involved in diverse signaling pathways, and in disease, particularly in cancer, highlighting its tumor suppressor properties.

A null allele of Dnaaf2 displays embryonic lethality and mimics human ciliary dyskinesia

The dynein axonemal assembly factor (Dnaaf) protein family is involved in preassembly and stability of dynein arms before they are transported into the cilia. In humans, mutations in DNAAF genes lead to several diseases related to cilia defects such as primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD; OMIM: 612518). Patients with PCD experience malfunctions in cilia motility, which can result in inflammation and infection of the respiratory tract among other defects. Previous studies have identified that a mutation in DNAAF2 results in PCD and that 40% of these patients also experience laterality defects. In an outbred genetic background, Dnaaf2 homozygotes die after birth and have left/right defects among other phenotypes. Here we characterize a novel null allele of Dnaaf2 obtained from the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium. Our data indicate that on a defined C57bl/6NJ genetic background, homozygous Dnaaf2 mouse embryos fail to progress beyond organogenesis stages with many abnormalities including left-right patterning defects. These findings support studies indicating that hypomorphic mutations of human DNAAF2 can result in ciliary dyskinesia and identify Dnaaf2 as an essential component of cilia function in vivo.

Gpr63 is a modifier of microcephaly in Ttc21b mouse mutants

The primary cilium is a signaling center critical for proper embryonic development. Previous studies have demonstrated that mice lacking Ttc21b have impaired retrograde trafficking within the cilium and multiple organogenesis phenotypes, including microcephaly. Interestingly, the severity of the microcephaly in Ttc21b^aln/aln homozygous null mutants is considerably affected by the genetic background and mutants on an FVB/NJ (FVB) background develop a forebrain significantly smaller than mutants on a C57BL/6J (B6) background. We performed a Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) analysis to identify potential genetic modifiers and identified two regions linked to differential forebrain size: modifier of alien QTL1 (Moaq1) on chromosome 4 at 27.8 Mb and Moaq2 on chromosome 6 at 93.6 Mb. These QTLs were validated by constructing congenic strains. Further analysis of Moaq1 identified an orphan G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR), Gpr63, as a candidate gene. We identified a SNP that is polymorphic between the FVB and B6 strains in Gpr63 and creates a missense mutation predicted to be deleterious in the FVB protein. We used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to create two lines of FVB congenic mice: one with the B6 sequence of Gpr63 and the other with a deletion allele leading to a truncation of the GPR63 C-terminal tail. We then demonstrated that Gpr63 can localize to the cilium in vitro. These alleles affect ciliary localization of GPR63 in vitro and genetically interact with Ttc21b^aln/aln as Gpr63;Ttc21b double mutants show unique phenotypes including spina bifida aperta and earlier embryonic lethality. This validated Gpr63 as a modifier of multiple Ttc21b neural phenotypes and strongly supports Gpr63 as a causal gene (i.e., a quantitative trait gene, QTG) within the Moaq1 QTL.

TTC21B in humans is a known ciliopathy gene and contributes to the pathophysiology of a number of ciliopathies. Mice homozygous for a null allele of Ttc21b also have a spectrum of ciliopathy phenotypes, including microcephaly (small brain). Further work has shown that the severity of the microcephaly significantly depends on the genetic background of the mouse model. The genetic mechanisms of the Ttc21b pathophysiology and the interacting gene network remain far from understood. As an initial attempt to understand the underlying mechanism(s) underlying the variable effects on brain size, we performed a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis and found two regions of genomic significance that correlated with smaller brain size. We confirmed both QTLs with congenic lines. One of the two regions was small enough that we considered candidate genes and hypothesized Gpr63 might be a contributing locus for a number of reasons. We evaluated this hypothesis directly with precise variant creation using genome editing and provide evidence that Ttc21b and Gpr63 do indeed genetically interact. Thus, we have been able to combine classical QTL analysis and genome editing to directly test the resulting hypothesis.

Spatiotemporal expression profile of embryonic and adult ankyrin repeat and EF-hand domain containing protein 1-encoding genes ankef1a and ankef1b in zebrafish

Recent human next-generation sequencing (NGS) studies indicate a correlation between ANKEF1 (ankyrin repeat and EF-hand domain containing protein 1) expression and cilia formation or function. Additionally, a single study conducted in the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) showed ankef1 is down-regulated after pharmacological fibroblast growth factor (FGF) inhibition and plays a role in protocadherin-mediated cell protrusion and adhesion. That study also revealed a critical role for ankef1 in the embryonic development of the frog, with morphants exhibiting phenotypes including spina bifida and a shortened body axis. Interestingly, while little is known about ANKEF1 function in other vertebrate systems, recent proteomic data has shown ANKEF1 enriched in ciliated cells. Likewise, publicly available EST profile databases imply ANKEF1 expression in multiple human tissues, including high levels in the testes. Together, these previous studies suggest an important role for ANKEF1 in ciliated tissues and during embryonic development. Here, we report cloning of zebrafish (Danio rerio) ankef1a, as well as its paralog, ankef1b, and expression analyses by whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) during embryonic development and in adult tissues. WISH shows both forms are ubiquitously expressed early in development, with more discrete expression of both transcripts in embryonic tissues known to precede or possess motile cilia, including dorsal forerunner cells (DFC) and the otic vesicles, respectively. Additionally, both transcripts are enriched in the developing pharynx and swim bladder. Our qPCR results indicate enhanced expression in the testes, along with increased expression in brain. Certainly, our experiments in the zebrafish model system with ankef1a and ankef1b provide a solid foundation for future studies to uncover the molecular pathways through which Ankef1 acts in both healthy and disease states.

Primary cilium and brain aging: role in neural stem cells, neurodegenerative diseases and glioblastoma

Brain aging is characterized by a progressive loss of tissue integrity and function as a consequence of impaired homeostasis and regeneration capacities. The primary cilium is a highly conserved organelle that projects from the cell surface in a single copy in virtually all mammalian cell types including neural stem/progenitors cells and neurons. Increasing evidence in the last decade points out that primary cilium could be a relevant mediator of neural stem cell activity, neurogenesis, neuronal maturation and maintenance, and brain tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about primary cilia roles in these processes. There is currently sufficient background to propose that defective primary cilia contribute to age-related cognitive decline and brain tumor development due to their critical roles in cell cycle control and signaling transduction. This might have potential applications on therapy against age-associated brain diseases.

Absence of BBSome function leads to astrocyte reactivity in the brain

In humans, dysfunctional primary cilia result in Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), which presents with clinical features including intellectual disabilities, obesity, and retinal degeneration, and, in mouse models, the added feature of hydrocephalus. We observed increased Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) immunoreactivity in BBS mouse brains. Increased GFAP expression is a hallmark of astrocyte reactivity that is associated with microglia activation and neuro-inflammation. To gain a better understanding of reactive astrocytes observed in BBS mice, we used two mouse models of BBS8, a BBSome protein, to characterize the reactive astrocyte phenotype. The finding of reactive astrocytes in young BBS mouse brains led us to hypothesize that loss of BBSome function leads to reactive astrocytes prior to hydrocephalus and obesity. By using two mouse models of BBS8, a congenital BBS8 knockout with hydrocephalus, and a tamoxifen-inducible BBS8 knockout without hydrocephalus, we were able to molecularly phenotype the reactive astrocytes. Molecular phenotype of reactive astrocytes shows differential regulation of inducers of Pan, A1 neurotoxic, and A2 neuroprotective astrocytes that are significantly altered in brains of both congenital and induced knockouts of BBS8, but without microglia activation. We find evidence for neuroinflammation in the brains of congenital knockout mice, but not in induced knockout mice. Protein levels of GFAP, SERPINA3N and post-synaptic density 95 (PSD95) are significantly increased in congenital knockout mice, but remain unchanged in induced knockout mice. Thus, despite the reactive astrocyte phenotype being present in both models, the molecular signature of reactive astrocytes in BBS8 mice models are distinct. Together, these findings suggest that BBS8, and by extension the BBSome, plays a role in neuro-astrocyte functions independent of hydrocephalus, and its dysregulation is associated with astrocyte reactivity without microglia activation. (Total word count 278).

Non-invasive Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Modulates Primary Cilia of Rat Hippocampal Neurons

Transcranial modulation of primary cilia may provide new opportunities in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. This study investigates the effect of non-invasive low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) stimulation on primary cilia of rat hippocampal neurons. Three hours of LIPUS stimulation significantly reduced the incidence rate and length of cilia on cultured neurons (p < 0.01). Similarly, increasing the duration and intensity of LIPUS stimulation decreased the incidence and length of cilia. LIPUS stimulation improved c-fos expression when it was delivered to CA1 of the intact hippocampus of rats. And prolonged LIPUS stimulation (frequency: 0.5 MHz, pulse repetition frequency: 500 Hz, duty cycle: 5%, I_spta: 255 mW/cm², 10 min/d, 10 d) caused a statistically significant reduction in the incidence rate (p < 0.05) and length of primary cilia (p < 0.01) of neurons in rat CA1 hippocampus. These results indicate the promising potential of LIPUS stimulation in the treatment of primary cilium-related brain diseases.

Loss of Primary Cilia Results in the Development of Cancer in the Murine Thyroid Gland

Communications at the interface between the apical membrane of follicular cells and the follicular lumen are critical for the homeostasis of thyroid gland. Primary cilia at the apical membrane of thyroid follicular cells may sense follicular luminal environment and regulate follicular homeostasis, although their role in vivo remains to be determined. Here, mice devoid of primary cilia were generated by thyroid follicular epithelial cell-specific deletion of the gene encoding intraflagellar transport protein 88 (Ift88 ). Thyroid follicular cell-specific Ift88-deficient mice showed normal folliculogenesis and hormonogenesis; however, those older than 7 weeks showed irregularly dilated and destroyed follicles in the thyroid gland. With increasing age, follicular cells with malignant properties showing the characteristic nuclear features of human thyroid carcinomas formed papillary and solid proliferative nodules from degenerated thyroid follicles. Furthermore, malignant tumor cells manifested as tumor emboli in thyroid vessels. These findings suggest that loss-of-function of Ift88/primary cilia results in malignant transformation from degenerated thyroid follicles.

Emerging Roles of Primary Cilia in Glioma

Primary cilia are microtubule-based organelles that are typically present on cells during the G0 or G1-S/G2 phases of the cell cycle. Recent studies of glioblastoma (GBM) biopsies, a brain tumor that is notorious for its aggressive growth and resistance to treatment, show that many cells in the tumor lack cilia. At this point, it remains unclear whether primary cilia promote or suppress glioma tumorigenesis. In this review, we will discuss the different roles that have been proposed for primary cilia in glioma and how cilia may contribute to the resistance of these tumors to current therapies.

Primary Cilia as Signaling Hubs in Health and Disease

Primary cilia detect extracellular cues and transduce these signals into cells to regulate proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Here, the function of primary cilia as signaling hubs of growth factors and morphogens is in focus. First, the molecular mechanisms regulating the assembly and disassembly of primary cilia are described. Then, the role of primary cilia in mediating growth factor and morphogen signaling to maintain human health and the potential mechanisms by which defects in these pathways contribute to human diseases, such as ciliopathy, obesity, and cancer are described. Furthermore, a novel signaling pathway by which certain growth factors stimulate cell proliferation through suppression of ciliogenesis is also described, suggesting novel therapeutic targets in cancer.

Revealing Nanoscale Morphology of the Primary Cilium Using Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution (SR) microscopy has been used to observe structural details beyond the diffraction limit of ∼250 nm in a variety of biological and materials systems. By combining this imaging technique with both computer-vision algorithms and topological methods, we reveal and quantify the nanoscale morphology of the primary cilium, a tiny tubular cellular structure (∼2-6 μm long and 200-300 nm in diameter). The cilium in mammalian cells protrudes out of the plasma membrane and is important in many signaling processes related to cellular differentiation and disease. After tagging individual ciliary transmembrane proteins, specifically Smoothened, with single fluorescent labels in fixed cells, we use three-dimensional (3D) single-molecule SR microscopy to determine their positions with a precision of 10-25 nm. We gain a dense, pointillistic reconstruction of the surfaces of many cilia, revealing large heterogeneity in membrane shape. A Poisson surface reconstruction algorithm generates a fine surface mesh, allowing us to characterize the presence of deformations by quantifying the surface curvature. Upon impairment of intracellular cargo transport machinery by genetic knockout or small-molecule treatment of cells, our quantitative curvature analysis shows significant morphological differences not visible by conventional fluorescence microscopy techniques. Furthermore, using a complementary SR technique, two-color, two-dimensional stimulated emission depletion microscopy, we find that the cytoskeleton in the cilium, the axoneme, also exhibits abnormal morphology in the mutant cells, similar to our 3D results on the Smoothened-measured ciliary surface. Our work combines 3D SR microscopy and computational tools to quantitatively characterize morphological changes of the primary cilium under different treatments and uses stimulated emission depletion to discover correlated changes in the underlying structure. This approach can be useful for studying other biological or nanoscale structures of interest.

Glioma cell proliferation is enhanced in the presence of tumor-derived cilia vesicles

Background

The mechanisms by which primary cilia affect glioma pathogenesis are unclear. Depending on the glioma cell line, primary cilia can promote or inhibit tumor development. Here, we used piggyBac-mediated transgenesis to generate patient-derived glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines that stably express Arl13b:GFP in their cilia. This allowed us to visualize and analyze the behavior of cilia and ciliated cells during live GBM cell proliferation.

Results

Time-lapse imaging of Arl13b:GFP⁺ cilia revealed their dynamic behaviors, including distal tip excision into the extracellular milieu. Recent studies of non-cancerous cells indicate that this process occurs during the G0 phase, prior to cilia resorption and cell cycle re-entry, and requires ciliary recruitment of F-actin and actin regulators. Similarly, we observed ciliary buds associated with Ki67^- cells as well as scattered F-actin⁺ cilia, suggesting that quiescent GBM cells may also utilize an actin network-based mechanism for ciliary tip excision. Notably, we found that the proliferation of ciliated GBM cells was promoted by exposing them to conditioned media obtained from ciliated cell cultures when compared to conditioned media collected from cilia-defective cell cultures (depleted in either KIF3A or IFT88 using CRISPR/Cas9). These results suggest that GBM cilia may release mitogenic vesicles carrying factors that promote tumor cell proliferation. Although Arl13b is implicated in tumor growth, our data suggest that Arl13b released from GBM cilia does not mediate tumor cell proliferation.

Conclusion

Collectively, our results indicate that ciliary vesicles may represent a novel mode of intercellular communication within tumors that contributes to GBM pathogenesis. The mitogenic capacity of GBM ciliary vesicles and the molecular mediators of this phenomenon requires further investigation.

Neuronal and astrocytic primary cilia in the mature brain

Primary cilia are tiny microtubule-based signaling devices that regulate a variety of physiological functions, including metabolism and cell division. Defects in primary cilia lead to a myriad of diseases in humans such as obesity and cancers. In the mature brain, both neurons and astrocytes contain a single primary cilium. Although neuronal primary cilia are not directly involved in synaptic communication, their pathophysiological impacts on obesity and mental disorders are well recognized. In contrast, research on astrocytic primary cilia lags far behind. Currently, little is known about their functions and molecular pathways in the mature brain. Unlike neurons, postnatal astrocytes retain the capacity of cell division and can become reactive and proliferate in response to various brain insults such as epilepsy, ischemia, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative β-amyloid plaques. Since primary cilia derive from the mother centrioles, astrocyte proliferation must occur in coordination with the dismantling and ciliogenesis of astrocyte cilia. In this regard, the functions, signal pathways, and structural dynamics of neuronal and astrocytic primary cilia are fundamentally different. Here we discuss and compare the current understanding of neuronal and astrocytic primary cilia.

Primary cilium and glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) represents the most common, malignant and lethal primary brain tumour in adults. The primary cilium is a highly conserved and dynamic organelle that protrudes from the apical surface of virtually every type of mammalian cell. There is increasing evidence that abnormal cilia are involved in cancer progression, since primary cilia regulate cell cycle and signalling transduction. In this review, we summarize the role of primary cilium specifically with regard to GBM, where there is evidence postulating it as a critical mediator of GBM tumorigenesis and progression. This opens the way to the application of cilia-targeted therapies (‘ciliotherapy’) as a new approach in the fight against this devastating tumour.

The evolution of cortical development: the synapsid-diapsid divergence

The cerebral cortex covers the rostral part of the brain and, in higher mammals and particularly humans, plays a key role in cognition and consciousness. It is populated with neuronal cell bodies distributed in radially organized layers. Understanding the common and lineage-specific molecular mechanisms that orchestrate cortical development and evolution are key issues in neurobiology. During evolution, the cortex appeared in stem amniotes and evolved divergently in two main branches of the phylogenetic tree: the synapsids (which led to present day mammals) and the diapsids (reptiles and birds). Comparative studies in organisms that belong to those two branches have identified some common principles of cortical development and organization that are possibly inherited from stem amniotes and regulated by similar molecular mechanisms. These comparisons have also highlighted certain essential features of mammalian cortices that are absent or different in diapsids and that probably evolved after the synapsid-diapsid divergence. Chief among these is the size and multi-laminar organization of the mammalian cortex, and the propensity to increase its area by folding. Here, I review recent data on cortical neurogenesis, neuronal migration and cortical layer formation and folding in this evolutionary perspective, and highlight important unanswered questions for future investigation.

Primary Cilia in Brain Development and Diseases

The primary cilium, a sensory appendage that is present in most mammalian cells, plays critical roles in signaling pathways and cell cycle progression. Mutations that affect the structure or function of primary cilia result in ciliopathies, a group of developmental and degenerative diseases that affect almost all organs and tissues. Our understanding of the constituents, development, and function of primary cilia has advanced considerably in recent years, revealing pathogenic mechanisms that potentially underlie ciliopathies. In the brain, the primary cilia are crucial for early patterning, neurogenesis, neuronal maturation and survival, and tumorigenesis, mostly through regulating cell cycle progression, Hedgehog signaling, and WNT signaling. We review these advances in our knowledge of primary cilia, focusing on brain development, and discuss the mechanisms that may underlie brain abnormalities in ciliopathies.

Trafficking to the primary cilium membrane

The primary cilium has been found to be associated with a number of cellular signaling pathways, such as vertebrate hedgehog signaling, and implicated in the pathogenesis of diseases affecting multiple organs, including the neural tube, kidney, and brain. The primary cilium is the site where a subset of the cell's membrane proteins is enriched. However, pathways that target and concentrate membrane proteins in cilia are not well understood. Processes determining the level of proteins in the ciliary membrane include entry into the compartment, removal, and retention by diffusion barriers such as the transition zone. Proteins that are concentrated in the ciliary membrane are also localized to other cellular sites. Thus it is critical to determine the particular role for ciliary compartmentalization in sensory reception and signaling pathways. Here we provide a brief overview of our current understanding of compartmentalization of proteins in the ciliary membrane and the dynamics of trafficking into and out of the cilium. We also discuss major unanswered questions regarding the role that defects in ciliary compartmentalization might play in disease pathogenesis. Understanding the trafficking mechanisms that underlie the role of ciliary compartmentalization in signaling might provide unique approaches for intervention in progressive ciliopathies.

Loss of p73 in ependymal cells during the perinatal period leads to aqueductal stenosis

The p53 family member p73 plays a critical role in brain development. p73 knockout mice exhibit a number of deficits in the nervous system, such as neuronal death, hydrocephalus, hippocampal dysgenesis, and pheromonal defects. Among these phenotypes, the mechanisms of hydrocephalus remain unknown. In this study, we generated a p73 knock-in (KI) mutant mouse and a conditional p73 knockout mouse. The homozygous KI mutants showed aqueductal stenosis. p73 was expressed in the ependymal cell layer and several brain areas. Unexpectedly, when p73 was disrupted during the postnatal period, animals showed aqueductal stenosis at a later stage but not hydrocephalus. An assessment of the integrity of cilia and basal body (BB) patch formation suggests that p73 is required to establish translational polarity but not to establish rotational polarity or the planar polarization of BB patches. Deletion of p73 in adult ependymal cells did not affect the maintenance of translational polarity. These results suggest that the loss of p73 during the embryonic period is critical for hydrocephalus development.

Zfp423/ZNF423 regulates cell cycle progression, the mode of cell division and the DNA-damage response in Purkinje neuron progenitors

The Zfp423/ZNF423 gene encodes a 30-zinc-finger transcription factor involved in key developmental pathways. Although null Zfp423 mutants develop cerebellar malformations, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. ZNF423 mutations are associated with Joubert Syndrome, a ciliopathy causing cerebellar vermis hypoplasia and ataxia. ZNF423 participates in the DNA-damage response (DDR), raising questions regarding its role as a regulator of neural progenitor cell cycle progression in cerebellar development. To characterize in vivo the function of ZFP423 in neurogenesis, we analyzed allelic murine mutants in which distinct functional domains are deleted. One deletion impairs mitotic spindle orientation, leading to premature cell cycle exit and Purkinje cell (PC) progenitor pool deletion. The other deletion impairs PC differentiation. In both mutants, cell cycle progression is remarkably delayed and DDR markers are upregulated in cerebellar ventricular zone progenitors. Our in vivo evidence sheds light on the domain-specific roles played by ZFP423 in different aspects of PC progenitor development, and at the same time strengthens the emerging notion that an impaired DDR may be a key factor in the pathogenesis of JS and other ciliopathies.

Tubulin glycylation controls primary cilia length

In motile cilia and flagella, tubulin glycylation is involved in axoneme stabilization. Using a newly developed antibody, Gadadhar et al. now show that glycylation also accumulates in primary cilia, where it controls ciliary length. This suggests an important role for this PTM in primary cilia homeostasis.

As essential components of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton, microtubules fulfill a variety of functions that can be temporally and spatially controlled by tubulin posttranslational modifications. Tubulin glycylation has so far been mostly found on motile cilia and flagella, where it is involved in the stabilization of the axoneme. In contrast, barely anything is known about the role of glycylation in primary cilia because of limitations in detecting this modification in these organelles. We thus developed novel glycylation-specific antibodies with which we detected glycylation in many primary cilia. Glycylation accumulates in primary cilia in a length-dependent manner, and depletion or overexpression of glycylating enzymes modulates the length of primary cilia in cultured cells. This strongly suggests that glycylation is essential for the homeostasis of primary cilia, which has important implications for human disorders related to primary cilia dysfunctions, such as ciliopathies and certain types of cancer.

Using Primary Neurosphere Cultures to Study Primary Cilia

The primary cilium is fundamentally important for the proliferation of neural stem/progenitor cells and for neuronal differentiation during embryonic, postnatal, and adult life. In addition, most differentiated neurons possess primary cilia that house signaling receptors, such as G-protein-coupled receptors, and signaling molecules, such as adenylyl cyclases. The primary cilium determines the activity of multiple developmental pathways, including the sonic hedgehog pathway during embryonic neuronal development, and also functions in promoting compartmentalized subcellular signaling during adult neuronal function. Unsurprisingly, defects in primary cilium biogenesis and function have been linked to developmental anomalies of the brain, central obesity, and learning and memory deficits. Thus, it is imperative to study primary cilium biogenesis and ciliary trafficking in the context of neural stem/progenitor cells and differentiated neurons. However, culturing methods for primary neurons require considerable expertise and are not amenable to freeze-thaw cycles. In this protocol, we discuss culturing methods for mixed populations of neural stem/progenitor cells using primary neurospheres. The neurosphere-based culturing methods provide the combined benefits of studying primary neural stem/progenitor cells: amenability to multiple passages and freeze-thaw cycles, differentiation potential into neurons/glia, and transfectability. Importantly, we determined that neurosphere-derived neural stem/progenitor cells and differentiated neurons are ciliated in culture and localize signaling molecules relevant to ciliary function in these compartments. Utilizing these cultures, we further describe methods to study ciliogenesis and ciliary trafficking in neural stem/progenitor cells and differentiated neurons. These neurosphere-based methods allow us to study cilia-regulated cellular pathways, including G-protein-coupled receptor and sonic hedgehog signaling, in the context of neural stem/progenitor cells and differentiated neurons.

The radial organization of neuronal primary cilia is acutely disrupted by seizure and ischemic brain injury

BACKGROUND

Neuronal primary cilia are sensory organelles that are critically involved in the proper growth, development, and function of the central nervous system (CNS). Recent work also suggests that they signal in the context of CNS injury, and that abnormal ciliary signaling may be implicated in neurological diseases.

METHODS

We quantified the distribution of neuronal primary cilia alignment throughout the normal adult mouse brain by immunohistochemical staining for the primary cilia marker adenylyl cyclase III (ACIII) and measuring the angles of primary cilia with respect to global and local coordinate planes. We then introduced two different models of acute brain insult-temporal lobe seizure and cerebral ischemia, and re-examined neuronal primary cilia distribution, as well as ciliary lengths and the proportion of neurons harboring cilia.

RESULTS

Under basal conditions, cortical cilia align themselves radially with respect to the cortical surface, while cilia in the dentate gyrus align themselves radially with respect to the granule cell layer. Cilia of neurons in the striatum and thalamus, by contrast, exhibit a wide distribution of ciliary arrangements. In both cases of acute brain insult, primary cilia alignment was significantly disrupted in a region-specific manner, with areas affected by the insult preferentially disrupted. Further, the two models promoted differential effects on ciliary lengths, while only the ischemia model decreased the proportion of ciliated cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide evidence for the regional anatomical organization of neuronal primary cilia in the adult brain and suggest that various brain insults may disrupt this organization.