# Molecular mechanisms regulating chemosensory cilia organization

> **NIH NIH F32** · BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $41,623

## Abstract

Project Summary
Communication between animals relies on sensory reception, transduction, and processing. Loss of hearing,
smell or taste alters social as well as environmental interactions, and adversely affects animal survival and
fitness. Primary cilia are present on all sensory neurons, including on olfactory neurons in the vertebrate nasal
epithelium. These cilia house all olfactory signaling molecules and are thus critical for sensory reception. The
organization of neurons and their processes within neuropils is known to be important for neuron function, but
the organization of cilia within sense organs is poorly studied. In the mouse olfactory epithelium, olfactory
sensory neurons (OSNs) in highly stimulated regions contain longer cilia, suggesting that ciliary patterns may
have functional consequences. The cilia of eight chemosensory neurons of the C. elegans bilateral amphid
sense organs are present within a channel formed by surrounding glia. These cilia are stereotypically
arranged, giving rise to specific cilia-cilia contacts. The functions of each of these chemosensory neurons are
known and can be readily assessed via imaging of stimulus-evoked behaviors and intracellular calcium
dynamics. Thus, this system provides an excellent model in which to study cilia organization and its impact on
chemosensory neuron functions. This proposal will investigate the molecular mechanism controlling cilia
organization in a sense organ, and whether this organization or the cilia-cilia contacts that arise from it,
influence chemosensory neuron functions. The results from this work will provide foundational knowledge
about cilia organization and its importance in chemosensory neuron function, a largely unexplored area of
chemosensory biology. The experiments described in this proposal will provide training in high-resolution
microscopy and quantitative analyses of chemosensory behaviors and neuronal responses. Additionally, this
proposal includes specific plans to enhance training in mentorship, scientific communication, and networking,
all of which are critical skills to become an independent researcher.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10387647
- **Project number:** 1F32DC020082-01
- **Recipient organization:** BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Hannah N Lawson
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $41,623
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2022-03-18

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10387647

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10387647, Molecular mechanisms regulating chemosensory cilia organization (1F32DC020082-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10387647. Licensed CC0.

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