Ciliares

Ciliares is a term commonly used in biology to describe anything pertaining to cilia, the hair-like organelles that project from the surface of many cells. Cilia can be motile, generating movement of the cell or the surrounding fluid, or non-motile, serving as sensory antennae that detect molecular and mechanical cues.

In animals, motile cilia line the respiratory tract and portions of the female reproductive tract, where coordinated beating transports mucus and other substances. In the brain, ciliated ependymal cells help circulate cerebrospinal fluid. Primary (non-motile) cilia function as sensory organelles involved in signaling pathways, with defects linked to a range of developmental disorders.

Among unicellular eukaryotes, ciliates form a group of protists named for their many cilia covering the cell body. They use cilia for locomotion and feeding, and they exhibit complex nuclear dimorphism, with a macronucleus and one or more micronuclei. Classic examples include Paramecium and Tetrahymena; these organisms are widely used in cell biology and genetics.

Clinically, cilia dysfunction underlies ciliopathies, a spectrum of disorders that can affect the respiratory system, kidneys, eyes, and reproductive tracts. Examples include primary ciliary dyskinesia and Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Understanding ciliary structure and function is therefore relevant for physiology, developmental biology, and medicine.

Origin and related terms: the term derives from cilium, the Latin for "eyelash." Related terms include ciliary, ciliopathy, ciliogenesis, and ciliates (the protozoan group that bears numerous cilia).