Cryo-Electron Tomography Reveals Ciliary Defect

Cilia are the nano-antennea that cells use for sensory perception. About twenty genetic ciliopathies are known diseases, and dozens more are suspected.   Because cilia are so small, it has been difficult to see their structural pathologies, but recently researchers at Brandeis University and the University of North Carolina have used a freezing and electron tomography technique to produce 3-D images of the organelles’ microtubes and radial spokes. This is the first time ciliopathies in human tissue have been modeled.   MORE

Image Credit: Brandeis University