Genetic lung disease’s molecular roots identified

People with the rare genetic disease primary ciliary dyskinesia suffer repeated lung infections because they lack functional cilia, hairlike structures that sweep mucus through the airways.  Most people have errors in the molecular motor that powers the cilia. But some have errors in non-motor proteins. Now, researchers report that mutated non-motor proteins cause disease by assembling the motor incorrectly. The findings suggest new routes to drug discovery.