Lucia Marušiaková, Peter Ďurdík, Marta Jošková, Milan Kuchta, Ján Buchanec
Ciliopathies comprise a group of clinically and genetically overlapping disorders that result from defects in the formation
or function of cilia. Cilia are complex cellular structures that project from the surface of most human cells types.
They perform diverse biological roles including cell locomotion, fluid or mucus movement, chemo-, mechano-, and
photo-sensation, transduction of molecular signals and facilitating interactions between cells and their environment.
A number of proteins creating and formatting cilia are responsible for the wide-ranging and expanding spectrum of ciliopathies.
In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about the structure and function of cilia and genetic causes,
pathophysiology, and the main clinical signs of the ciliopathies, focusing on the pediatric population.