A team of NUI Galway scientists have found that cells of
the immune system have a previously undescribed ability. In a paper just
published Journal of Cell Biology, the
scientists describe the presence of primary cilia on immune cells. These
antenna-like structures are found on almost all cell types in the body, but
since the 1960s, it has been thought that they do not arise in blood cells.
Professor
Ciaran Morrison of NUI Galway’s Centre for Chromosome Biology, who co-authored
the paper with Dr Suzanna Prosser, explains the significance: “The paper is of
scientific interest because it provides new information about how ciliation is
controlled. Also, we have shown that immune cells do at least have all the
material they would need to make primary cilia. The next question is whether
the cells make cilia in the body.”
View article here: Centrin2 regulates CP110 removal in primary cilium formation
The 60 scientists
led by 11 Principal Investigators at the Centre for Chromosome Biology in NUIGalway are dedicated to understanding many different areas of chromosome
biology, such as how cell proliferation is controlled, the structure and
maintenance of the genome, precise control of genome duplication and how genes
are expressed. Their work is critical to the ongoing scientific battle against
cancer and other areas including human reproduction and fertility and genetic
diseases such as Huntington’s Disease.
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