From Movement to Sensing: Innovations in Cilia and Flagella Research

Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based organelles that extend from the surface of eukaryotic cells and play pivotal roles in both motility and sensory perception. Recent research has unveiled their multifaceted functions in signaling, mechanosensation, and tissue organization. These discoveries have revolutionized our understanding of cilia and flagella as dynamic organelles central to morphogenesis and developmental biology.

During embryogenesis, cilia act as signaling hubs that regulate key developmental pathways such as Hedgehog, Wnt, and planar cell polarity. By integrating mechanical and chemical signals, they influence cell fate determination, tissue patterning, and organogenesis. For example, motile cilia at the embryonic node generate fluid flow essential for establishing left-right body asymmetry, while primary cilia orchestrate signaling cascades that guide brain, kidney, and skeletal morphogenesis. Similarly, flagella contribute to fertilization and early developmental events, ensuring successful transmission of genetic material and proper zygote formation. Dysfunctions in these organelles can disrupt morphogenetic processes, giving rise to ciliopathies, complex disorders marked by structural malformations and multi-organ involvement.

This Research Topic will highlight cutting-edge discoveries on the roles of cilia and flagella in development and morphogenesis. We welcome contributions exploring molecular mechanisms of ciliary assembly, signaling integration during embryogenesis, structural innovations driving morphogenetic outcomes, and disease models linking ciliary dysfunction to developmental disorders. By bridging movement and sensing, this collection aims to provide a comprehensive view of how cilia and flagella orchestrate developmental processes and to inspire future therapeutic strategies for ciliopathies and related pathologies.

This Research Topic will highlight cutting-edge discoveries on the roles of cilia and flagella in development and morphogenesis. We welcome contributions focusing on but not limited to:

• Regulation of cilia and flagella biogenesis during embryonic development and tissue morphogenesis.

• Sensory roles of primary cilia in coordinating developmental signaling pathways such as Hedgehog, Wnt, and planar cell polarity.

• Impact of cilia- and flagella-mediated signaling on cell fate determination, tissue patterning, and organogenesis.

• Mechanistic links between ciliary dysfunction and developmental disorders (ciliopathies) affecting brain, kidney, limb, and skeletal morphogenesis.

• Application of advanced technologies (e.g., stem cell-derived organoids, CRISPR/Cas-based editing, and live imaging) to study cilia-driven processes in developmental biology.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Cilia, Flagella, Morphogenesis, Developmental Biology, Ciliopathies

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.