How Cells Learn to “Count” – Andrew Holland, Ph.D.

In experiments with genetically engineered mice, a research team, led by Andrew Holland, Ph.D., has ruled out a mechanism that scientists have long believed controls the number of hairlike structures, called cilia, protruding on the outside of each mammalian cell. They concluded that control of the cilia count might rely instead on a process more commonly seen in non-mammalian species. The experiments, described Dec. 2 in Nature Cell Biology may eventually help scientists learn more about human diseases related to cilia function, such as respiratory infections, infertility and hydrocephaly. Read more…