Masoumeh Maghami,1,*
1. Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Introduction: Besides the sensory role of the primary cilium in olfaction, the perception of light, and mechano-and chemo perception, it is increasingly being considered to be extremely important for cancer fate.
Although tumors initiate from oncogenic changes in a cancer cell, subsequent tumor progression and therapeutic response depend on interactions between the cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME).
The primary cilium provides a spatially localized platform for signaling by Hedgehog, Notch, WNT and some receptor tyrosine kinase pathways and mechanosensation.
Changes in ciliation of cancer cells and/or cells of the TME during tumor development enforce asymmetric intercellular signaling in the TME.
Growing evidence indicates that some oncogenic signaling pathways as well as some targeted anticancer therapies induce ciliation, while others repress it.
Methods: Several tumor cell lines that become drug-resistant after chronic drug exposure showed a percentage increase in ciliogenesis and/or cilia length, with the appearance of cilia fragmentation.
Finally, targeting ciliogenesis with a siRNA approach or the pharmacological inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway sensitized tumor cells to drugs and enhanced apoptosis.
Results: The links between the genomic profile of cancer cells, drug treatment and ciliary signalling in the TME likely affect tumour growth and therapeutic response.
as well as clinical reports demonstrated an important role for cilia and cilia length in acquired, which are clinically relevant therapeutic agents primary cilia are interesting targets for novel therapeutic approaches. So-called “ciliotherapy” could be proposed, based on drug repurposing, which would enable the restoration of primary cilia in cilia-lacking cancer cells.
Conclusion: Primary cilia are interesting targets for novel therapeutic approaches. So-called “ciliotherapy” could be proposed, based on drug repurposing, which would enable the restoration of primary cilia in cilia-lacking cancer cells.