Bioengineering

Can You Feel the Heat? Your Cilia Can

Published in MD Week, November 2nd, 2007

Johns Hopkins researchers and colleagues have found a previously unrecognized role for tiny hair-like cell structures known as cilia: They help form our sense of touch.

Humans and genetically engineered mice lacking functional cilia respond more slowly to physical sensations such as exposure to hot water or a sharp poke with a stick. Results of the study, appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week, will help doctors better understand diseases already linked to defective cilia like Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) and polycystic kidney disease (PKD)

Cilia, tail-like projections found on the surface of cells, are perhaps best...

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Source: MD Week (2007-11-02)

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