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Motile Cilia and Brain Function: Ependymal Motile Cilia Development, Organization, Function and Their Associated Pathologies

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Cilia and Nervous System Development and Function

Abstract

Unlike immotile cilia, which protrude from most cells in our body, motile cilia are restricted to sperm cells and epithelial cells lining the airways, the oviduct, the paranasal sinuses, and the brain ventricles. The best-known function of these cilia is that their coordinated beating generates extracellular flow that clears mucus from the airways, moves ova from the oviducts toward the uterus, and propels cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the cerebral ventricles. The vertebrate brain forms around a ventricular cavity in which the CSF, secreted by the choroid plexus in each ventricle, flows continuously. The CSF, which contains many growth factors and morphogens, is present from the first stages of brain development and plays crucial roles throughout life. Ependymal cells are specialized glial cells that extend multiple motile cilia into the cerebral ventricles. These cells appear at early postnatal stages and line all cerebral ventricles in adult mammals. In this chapter, we will review current knowledge on ependymal motile cilia development, organization, functions, and their associated pathologies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM U1024, CNRS UMR 8197, Institut de Biologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005, Paris, France

    Nathalie Spassky

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  1. Nathalie Spassky
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Correspondence to Nathalie Spassky .

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  1. , Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 307, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany

    Kerry L. Tucker

  2. , Human Genetics, Emory University, Michael Street, Suite 301 615, Atlanta, 30322, Georgia, USA

    Tamara Caspary

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Spassky, N. (2013). Motile Cilia and Brain Function: Ependymal Motile Cilia Development, Organization, Function and Their Associated Pathologies. In: Tucker, K., Caspary, T. (eds) Cilia and Nervous System Development and Function. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5808-7_7

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