The tumor suppressor FBW7 controls ciliary length

The primary cilium provides a hub for reception of extracellular chemical and mechanical cues that influence differentiation, proliferation, and polarity, and contributes to cell cycle control. Ciliary length impacts the cilium's ability to coordinate these processes, and length control defects are linked to a number of clinically important developmental disorders. An exciting new study identifies a new mechanism of ciliary regulation based on interactions of CDK5 and the FBW7 tumor suppressor in regulating the degradation of the centrosomal protein NDE1 (Maskey et al.). New work reveals ubiquitin-dependent degradation of NDE1 as a mechanism linking cell cycle stage to ciliogenesis.