Endothelial cilia protect against atherosclerosis

Research over the past 15 years has established that defective primary cilia play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of various genetic and acquired human diseases now termed ciliopathies. A new study, published in this issue of EMBO reports, expands the spectrum of cilia-related diseases by uncovering a role for primary cilia in preventing cardiovascular disease. Dinsmore and Reiter show that lack of endothelial cilia in the aorta results in accelerated development of atherosclerotic lesions in a mouse model of atherosclerosis on a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet. Loss of endothelial cilia further increases inflammatory gene expression and reduces vasoprotective eNOS activity . In summary, this interesting study identifies a role for aortic endothelial cilia to protect against atherosclerosis.