稱為初級纖毛的微小細胞器是抗擊炎症的關鍵，倫敦瑪麗大學的科學家們發現了一種新的抗擊炎症的治療目標。
相關研究論文發表在Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences雜誌上，研究人員發現稱為初級纖毛的微小細胞器對調節炎症反應很重要。這一發現可能為百萬計患有關節炎的人帶來潛在的新的治療方法。
Martin Knight博士說：「雖然初級纖毛已經發現了有一個多世紀前，但我們才剛剛開始意識到它的重要性，它們在不同的疾病和條件下發揮潛在的治療益處，可以操縱纖毛結構和功能。
研究人員研究了初級纖毛在炎症反應中的作用。他們把軟骨細胞暴露於稱為細胞因子特別是白細胞介素1（IL-1）的炎症蛋白環境下，看初級纖毛是否有任何變化。
他說：當我們暴露了細胞於IL-1時，初級纖毛長度在短短的三個小時內增加了50％。
但當我們處理細胞以防止這種纖毛的延伸時。軟骨細胞的炎症蛋白大大降低了。研究人員表示：如果我們能更好地操縱初級纖毛，我們就可能會減弱甚至防止發炎。（生物谷：Bioon.com）
Primary cilia elongation in response to interleukin-1 mediates the inflammatory response
A. K. T. Wann and M. M. Knight
Primary cilia are singular, cytoskeletal organelles present in the majority of mammalian cell types where they function as coordinating centres for mechanotransduction, Wnt and hedgehog signalling. The length of the primary cilium is proposed to modulate cilia function, governed in part by the activity of intraflagellar transport (IFT). In articular cartilage, primary cilia length is increased and hedgehog signaling activated in osteoarthritis (OA). Here, we examine primary cilia length with exposure to the quintessential inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1), which is up-regulated in OA. We then test the hypothesis that the cilium is involved in mediating the downstream inflammatory response. Primary chondrocytes treated with IL-1 exhibited a 50 % increase in cilia length after 3 h exposure. IL-1-induced cilia elongation was also observed in human fibroblasts. In chondrocytes, this elongation occurred via a protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent mechanism. G-protein coupled adenylate cyclase also regulated the length of chondrocyte primary cilia but not downstream of IL-1. Chondrocytes treated with IL-1 exhibit a characteristic increase in the release of the inflammatory chemokines, nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2. However, in cells with a mutation in IFT88 whereby the cilia structure is lost, this response to IL-1 was significantly attenuated and, in the case of nitric oxide, completely abolished. Inhibition of IL-1-induced cilia elongation by PKA inhibition also attenuated the chemokine response. These results suggest that cilia assembly regulates the response to inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, the cilia proteome may provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammatory pathologies, including OA.