Primary cilia and their effects on immune cell functions and metabolism

Abstract

Primary cilia are hair-like protrusions of the plasma membrane that function as cellular antennae and are present on most cells in the human body. Primary cilia dysfunction leads to severe diseases, commonly termed ‘ciliopathies’. A significant symptom of certain ciliopathies is obesity, and current research aims to identify contributing mechanisms of obesity development in these patients. Western lifestyle-associated factors can trigger chronic inflammation, or metaflammation, which can also attribute to obesity-associated metabolic disorders. However, obese individuals can also be ‘metabolically healthy’, as discussed for a subset of patients with obesity and ciliopathy. Here, we propose that primary cilia signaling might modulate specific immune cell phenotypes, behaviors, and functions, which might impact inflammatory responses in the context of ciliopathies and beyond.