Roles of primary cilia in cell death

In most vertebrate cells, there are specialized antenna-like organelles, called primary cilia, which protrude singly from the cell body surface. They can sense extracellular cues, and retract or lengthen substantially in a short time, to participate in various physiological and pathological processes by specific signaling modules. Cell death is a fundamental biological process, which plays an essential role in the development and homeostasis of tissue and organ. Although novel cell death modes have been proposed over the last twenty years, the specific molecular mechanisms, particularly upstream signaling pathways, remain elusive. Recent studies have revealed that primary cilia can regulate cell death in response to diverse stimuli, and play a crucial role in cell death-related disorders. In this review, we highlight the current insights into the primary cilia as modulators of cell death, and discuss the ciliary signaling targeting as novel directions in the treatment of the cell death-related disorders.