Cilia.Pro database of ciliary proteins from vertebrates, <i>Chlamydomonas</i> , and <i>Caenorhabditis</i>

Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based organelles that generate force and sense the extracellular environment. In humans, these structures are essential for development, homeostasis, and reproduction, with defects contributing to a wide array of congenital and degenerative disorders. As cilia were present on the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes, research on cilia across model organisms holds significant relevance for understanding human disease. The green alga <i>Chlamydomonas</i>, which diverged from the human lineage with the animal-plant split, shares striking similarities in ciliary structure and function with humans. Two decades ago, our group published the proteome of the <i>Chlamydomonas</i> cilium, identifying hundreds of new ciliary proteins that were organized in an online database. Since then, advances have brought us a more comprehensive understanding of both <i>Chlamydomonas</i> and mammalian cilia. Our database, www.Cilia.Pro, has been continually updated to integrate proteomic, transcriptomic, and genomic data from <i>Chlamydomonas</i> and <i>Caenorhabditis</i> along with humans, and other vertebrates providing a valuable tool for the ciliary research community.