Ciliary dysfunction impairs beta-cell insulin secretion and promotes development of type 2 diabetes in rodents.
In a study, presented in Nature Communications, we investigated the role of primary cilia in islet function and glucose homeostasis. This is possibly the first study to address the role of primary cilia in glucose handling, insulin signalling and T2DM susceptibility. Moreover, it is also one of the first to investigate the role of cilia in pancreatic tissue homeostasis. Hence, the findings contribute to the understanding of the disease mechanism underlying T2DM and present a novel approach for therapeutic intervention.