Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xin Zhu, Jieling Wang, Shufen Li, Karl Lechtreck, Junmin Pan
Summary: This study revealed that the IFT-B protein IFT54 interacts with both kinesin-II and IFT dynein, regulating anterograde transport. Deletions of specific residues in IFT54 resulted in disrupted anterograde trafficking of IFT, with accumulations of IFT motors and complexes in different regions of cilia. This suggests a central role for IFT54 in binding IFT motors during anterograde transport.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Wenxing Yang, Taihong Wu, Shasha Tu, Yuang Qin, Chengchen Shen, Jiangyun Li, Myung-Kyu Choi, Fengyun Duan, Yun Zhang
Summary: Olfactory integration is crucial for survival in natural habitats, but the mechanisms behind how the nervous system processes multiple odorant signals are not well understood. In this study, the authors investigate the circuit basis of olfactory integration in Caenorhabditis elegans and identify the genes osm-5 and osm-1 as critical regulators of the integration process. They also find that sensory neurons AWB and downstream interneurons AVA, AIB, RIM play key roles in processing signals and contributing to the integration. The study sheds light on the neural and cellular basis of complex olfactory tasks.
Review
Cell Biology
Wouter Mul, Aniruddha Mitra, Erwin J. G. Peterman
Summary: In this review, the authors explore the regulation of intraflagellar transport (IFT) in cilia from three different perspectives: the motor track, motor proteins, and kinases. By discussing these factors, the authors provide mechanistic insights into IFT regulation in cilia and suggest directions for future research.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juan Wang, Inna A. Nikonorova, Malan Silva, Jonathon D. Walsh, Peter E. Tilton, Amanda Gu, Jyothi S. Akella, Maureen M. Barr
Summary: The shedding of ciliary extracellular vesicles (EVs) is evolutionarily conserved and plays a role in signaling in various organisms. In mammals, ciliary EVs regulate ciliary maintenance and signaling, which is influenced by the trafficking machinery within the cilia. Different cargoes within the EVs are sorted and released in response to environmental cues, indicating a specialized mechanism for regulated EV biogenesis and signaling within the cilium.
Review
Cell Biology
Ashish K. Maurya
Summary: Sensory cilia is an ancient organelle with highly conserved structure and functioning. They serve a wide range of sensory functions and exhibit diverse shapes and sizes to fulfill specialized roles. Studying the structural diversity and underlying mechanisms of cilia can provide a comprehensive understanding of ciliary biology and uncover novel aspects of ciliary disease biology.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Augustine Cleetus, Georg Merck, Felix Mueller-Planitz, Zeynep Oktena
Summary: This article introduces the recognition and transport mechanism of cellular cargo in eukaryotic cells, and the research results of this mechanism in Caenorhabditis elegans and Tetrahymena thermophila. The study found that the role of homodimeric kinesin-2 in intraflagellar transport (IFT) is more important than previously thought, and it shares the same activation mechanism in distant organisms with homodimeric kinesin-2.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wei-Yue Sun, Bin Xue, Yan-Xia Liu, Rui-Kai Zhang, Rong-Chao Li, Wen Xin, Mingfu Wu, Zhen-Chuan Fan
Summary: LZTFL1 maintains BBSome dynamics in cilia by controlling BBSome recruitment to the basal body and its reassembly at the ciliary tip, thus regulating ciliary signaling.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adeline Mallet, Philippe Bastin
Summary: Cilia are unique eukaryotic organelles that show remarkable conservation during evolution. Recent studies have found that intraflagellar transport (IFT) trains, which are responsible for cilia assembly, are restricted to certain doublet microtubules. This restricted positioning of IFT trains may play a role in the evolution of cilia towards more complex or simpler configurations.
Article
Developmental Biology
Daniel C. Quesnelle, Cindy Huang, Jeffrey R. Boudreau, Annie Lam, Jadine Paw, William G. Bendena, Ian D. Chin-Sang
Summary: Cells undergo strict regulation in morphogenesis, and mutations in vab genes of Caenorhabditis elegans cause morphological defects. The function of the vab-6 gene, however, remained unknown. Here, we found that vab-6 is a subunit of the kinesin-II heterotrimeric motor complex called klp-20/Kif3a, which is involved in developing sensory cilia. Mutant versions of KLP-20 protein cause a bumpy epidermal phenotype, indicating its role in regulating epidermal morphogenesis.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xuguang Jiang, Wenxin Shao, Yongping Chai, Jingying Huang, Mohamed A. A. Mohamed, Zeynep Okten, Wei Li, Zhiwen Zhu, Guangshuo Ou
Summary: This study investigates the unloading process of tubulin in intraflagellar transport (IFT) mechanism and discovers that the ciliary kinase DYF-5/MAK phosphorylates the tubulin-binding module of IFT-74, reducing its tubulin-binding affinity. This phosphorylation plays a fundamental role in ciliogenesis by regulating tubulin unloading and impacting the growth and maintenance of cilia.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jessica E. Tanis, Michael Clupper, Rachael Gill, Malek Elsayyid, Denis Touroutine, Jeffrey L. Caplan
Summary: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid-bilayer enclosed particles released from almost all cells, and one specialized site for EV shedding is the primary cilium. The ion channel CLHM-1 is discovered as a ciliary EV cargo. Different populations of EVs, enriched with different protein cargoes, are shed in response to mating partner availability.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jieling Wang, Xin Zhu, Zhengmao Wang, Xuecheng Li, Hui Tao, Junmin Pan
Summary: The machinery of intraflagellar transport (IFT) consists of IFT motors and cargo adaptors, including IFT-A and IFT-B complexes. This study reveals the role of IFT38 in the regulation of anterograde IFT and retrograde trafficking of BBSome. The stability of IFT-B1 and IFT-B2 is mutually dependent and mediated by the connecting tetramer IFT38/5788/52. The findings suggest a modular pathway for IFT-B assembly.
Article
Biology
Hiroaki Ishikawa, Jeremy Moore, Dennis R. Diener, Markus Delling, Wallace F. Marshall, Lotte B. Pedersen
Summary: This study investigates the length regulation of flagella and its impact on carrier transport. Although the concentration of calcium ions inside the flagella is weakly correlated with flagellar length, experiments demonstrate that calcium ions do not serve as the basis for a stable length control system.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Inna A. Nikonorova, Juan Wang, Alexander L. Cope, Peter E. Tilton, Kaiden M. Power, Jonathon D. Walsh, Jyothi S. Akella, Amber R. Krauchunas, Premal Shah, Maureen M. Barr
Summary: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can mediate intercellular communication by carrying protein and RNA cargo. C. elegans is a tractable animal system for studying and identifying EV cargo. The study found that EVs in C. elegans also carry RNA, suggesting a potential role for EVs in extracellular RNA-based communication.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeroen Dobbelaere, Tiffany Y. Su, Balazs Erdi, Alexander Schleiffer, Alexander Dammermann
Summary: Cilia are cellular projections that perform sensory and motile functions in eukaryotic cells. In this study, a set of 386 human genes associated with cilium assembly or motility were identified by analyzing the presence and absence pattern in the genomes of diverse eukaryotes. The novel genes were further characterized and found to be related to cilium defects in fruit flies and nematodes. This dataset defines the core set of genes required for cilium assembly and motility across eukaryotes and provides a valuable resource for future studies.