Cilia are evolutionarily conserved, microtubule-based organelles that project from the surface of most eukaryotic cells and play a central role in sensing and integrating extracellular signals. Once considered vestigial structures, cilia are now recognized as essential regulators of cell growth, differentiation, and tissue homeostasis. By coordinating multiple signaling pathways, cilia influence fundamental biological processes whose disruption can lead to developmental abnormalities and disease.

Primary cilia functions as specialized signaling hubs that organize and regulate pathways critical for cell growth, transforming growth factor beta, and mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling. Through spatial and temporal control of receptor localization and signal transduction, cilia ensure appropriate cellular responses to environmental and mechanical cues. This tight regulation is particularly important in balancing cell proliferation and quiescence, a process that underpins normal development and tissue maintenance.

Defects in ciliary structure or function, collectively known as ciliopathies, highlight the importance of cilia in growth regulation. These disorders often present multisystem manifestations, including skeletal abnormalities, kidney disease, retinal degeneration, and neurodevelopmental defects. At the cellular level, dysfunctional ciliary signaling can lead to aberrant growth control, impaired differentiation, and altered cell cycle progression. Increasing evidence also links ciliary dysfunction to cancer, where loss or modification of cilia contributes to uncontrolled proliferation, tumor progression, and therapeutic resistance in a context dependent manner.

Beyond genetic disorders, cilia play a role in acquired diseases and aging related pathologies. Changes in ciliary length, composition, or signaling capacity have been associated with metabolic disorders, fibrosis, and inflammatory diseases. Understanding how cilia adapt to physiological and pathological contexts is therefore critical for elucidating disease mechanisms and identifying novel therapeutic targets. Advances in imaging, single cell analysis, and organoid models are now enabling deeper exploration of ciliary dynamics and their impact on cell growth across tissues.

This Research Topic aims to bring together basic, translational, and clinical studies that explore how cell growth and how their dysfunction contributes to disease. By integrating insights across disciplines, this collection seeks to advance our understanding of cilia as key regulators at the intersection of cell growth and pathology.

Research topics of interest include but not limited to

• Ciliary regulation of cell cycle progression and growth control

• Signaling pathways organized by cilia in development and disease

• Ciliary dysfunction in cancer initiation and progression

• Roles of cilia in tissue homeostasis and regeneration

• Cilia mediated mechanisms in metabolic and inflammatory diseases

• Structural and molecular determinants of ciliary signaling specificity

• Therapeutic strategies targeting ciliary pathways in disease

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

From Cell Growth to Disease: The Regulatory Role of Cilia