On Nov.11, 2016, Guangshuo Ou's group published 'The glial actin cytoskeleton regulates neuronal ciliogenesis' in Cell Research.

Their study reveals a new function of the actin cytoskeleton in metazoan ciliogenesis and highlights the importance of compartment-cilium interactions in this process. The reduction of channel size in wsp-1a mutants disrupts the morphology of cilia inside the channel and the organization of axonemal MTs (Figure 1F-1M), suggesting that sensory compartment is not only crucial for the exposure of sensory cilia to the environment but also provides a “ciliary niche” for regulating cilium morphology and axonemal structure. The potential niche factors include physical support from the sensory channel and possibly molecules that are secreted from the glial cells. In support of the ciliary niche hypothesis, the secretory vesicular structures have been observed in the socket and sheath cells, and sensory cilia can take up materials from the extracellular medium.