1
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Marshall WF. Chlamydomonas as a model system to study cilia and flagella using genetics, biochemistry, and microscopy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1412641. [PMID: 38872931 PMCID: PMC11169674 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1412641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, has played a central role in discovering much of what is currently known about the composition, assembly, and function of cilia and flagella. Chlamydomonas combines excellent genetics, such as the ability to grow cells as haploids or diploids and to perform tetrad analysis, with an unparalleled ability to detach and isolate flagella in a single step without cell lysis. The combination of genetics and biochemistry that is possible in Chlamydomonas has allowed many of the key components of the cilium to be identified by looking for proteins that are missing in a defined mutant. Few if any other model organisms allow such a seamless combination of genetic and biochemical approaches. Other major advantages of Chlamydomonas compared to other systems include the ability to induce flagella to regenerate in a highly synchronous manner, allowing the kinetics of flagellar growth to be measured, and the ability of Chlamydomonas flagella to adhere to glass coverslips allowing Intraflagellar Transport to be easily imaged inside the flagella of living cells, with quantitative precision and single-molecule resolution. These advantages continue to work in favor of Chlamydomonas as a model system going forward, and are now augmented by extensive genomic resources, a knockout strain collection, and efficient CRISPR gene editing. While Chlamydomonas has obvious limitations for studying ciliary functions related to animal development or organ physiology, when it comes to studying the fundamental biology of cilia and flagella, Chlamydomonas is simply unmatched in terms of speed, efficiency, cost, and the variety of approaches that can be brought to bear on a question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wallace F. Marshall
- Department Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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2
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Penny GM, Dutcher SK. Gene dosage of independent dynein arm motor preassembly factors influences cilia assembly in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011038. [PMID: 38498551 PMCID: PMC11020789 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Motile cilia assembly utilizes over 800 structural and cytoplasmic proteins. Variants in approximately 58 genes cause primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) in humans, including the dynein arm (pre)assembly factor (DNAAF) gene DNAAF4. In humans, outer dynein arms (ODAs) and inner dynein arms (IDAs) fail to assemble motile cilia when DNAAF4 function is disrupted. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a ciliated unicellular alga, the DNAAF4 ortholog is called PF23. The pf23-1 mutant assembles short cilia and lacks IDAs, but partially retains ODAs. The cilia of a new null allele (pf23-4) completely lack ODAs and IDAs and are even shorter than cilia from pf23-1. In addition, PF23 plays a role in the cytoplasmic modification of IC138, a protein of the two-headed IDA (I1/f). As most PCD variants in humans are recessive, we sought to test if heterozygosity at two genes affects ciliary function using a second-site non-complementation (SSNC) screening approach. We asked if phenotypes were observed in diploids with pairwise heterozygous combinations of 21 well-characterized ciliary mutant Chlamydomonas strains. Vegetative cultures of single and double heterozygous diploid cells did not show SSNC for motility phenotypes. When protein synthesis is inhibited, wild-type Chlamydomonas cells utilize the pool of cytoplasmic proteins to assemble half-length cilia. In this sensitized assay, 8 double heterozygous diploids with pf23 and other DNAAF mutations show SSNC; they assemble shorter cilia than wild-type. In contrast, double heterozygosity of the other 203 strains showed no effect on ciliary assembly. Immunoblots of diploids heterozygous for pf23 and wdr92 or oda8 show that PF23 is reduced by half in these strains, and that PF23 dosage affects phenotype severity. Reductions in PF23 and another DNAAF in diploids affect the ability to assemble ODAs and IDAs and impedes ciliary assembly. Thus, dosage of multiple DNAAFs is an important factor in cilia assembly and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gervette M. Penny
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis,Missouri, United States of America
| | - Susan K. Dutcher
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis,Missouri, United States of America
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3
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Bigge BM, Dougherty LL, Avasthi P. Lithium-induced ciliary lengthening sparks Arp2/3 complex-dependent endocytosis. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:ar26. [PMID: 36753380 PMCID: PMC10092651 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-06-0219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ciliary length is highly regulated, but can be disrupted by lithium, which causes ciliary elongation across cell types and organisms. We used the algal system Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to investigate the mechanism behind lithium-induced ciliary elongation. Protein synthesis is not required for lengthening, and the target of lithium, GSK3, has substrates that can influence membrane dynamics. Further, ciliary assembly requires a supply of ciliary membrane as well as protein. Lithium-treated cilia elongate normally with brefeldin treatment, but dynasore treatment produced defective lengthening suggesting a source of membrane from the cell surface rather than the Golgi. Genetic or chemical perturbation of the Arp2/3 complex or dynamin, required for endocytosis, blocks lithium-induced ciliary lengthening. Finally, we found an increase in Arp2/3 complex- and endocytosis-dependent actin filaments near the ciliary base upon lithium treatment. Our results identify a mechanism for lithium-mediated cilium lengthening and demonstrate the endocytic pathway for cilium membrane supply in algae is likely a conserved mechanism given lithium's conserved effects across organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brae M Bigge
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755
| | - Larissa L Dougherty
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755
| | - Prachee Avasthi
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755
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4
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Marshall WF. The flagellar length control system: exploring the physical biology of organelle size. Phys Biol 2023; 20:10.1088/1478-3975/acb18d. [PMID: 36623317 PMCID: PMC9877179 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/acb18d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
How cells build and maintain dynamic structures of defined size is currently an important unsolved problem in quantitative cell biology. The flagella of the unicellular green algaChlamydomonasprovide a highly tractable model system to investigate this general question, but while the powerful genetics of this organism have revealed numerous genes required for proper flagellar length, in most cases we do not understand their mechanistic role in length control. Flagellar length can be viewed as the steady state solution of a dynamical system involving assembly and disassembly of axonemal microtubules, with assembly depending on an active transport process known as intraflagellar transport (IFT). The inherent length dependence of IFT gives rise to a family of simple models for length regulation that can account for many previously described phenomena such as the ability of flagella to maintain equal lengths. But these models requires that the cell has a way to measure flagellar length in order to adjust IFT rates accordingly. Several models for length sensing have been modeled theoretically and evaluated experimentally, allowing them to be ruled out. Current data support a model in which the diffusive return of the kinesin motor driving IFT provides a length dependence that ultimately is the basis for length regulation. By combining models of length sensing with a more detailed representation of cargo transport and availability, it is now becoming possible to formulate concrete hypotheses to explain length altering mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wallace F Marshall
- Department Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
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Global asymptotic stability of the active disassembly model of flagellar length control. J Math Biol 2021; 84:8. [PMID: 34970717 PMCID: PMC8802998 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-021-01709-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Organelle size control is a fundamental question in biology that demonstrates the fascinating ability of cells to maintain homeostasis within their highly variable environments. Theoretical models describing cellular dynamics have the potential to help elucidate the principles underlying size control. Here, we perform a detailed study of the active disassembly model proposed in Fai et al. (elife 8:e42599, 2019). We construct a hybrid system which is shown to be well-behaved throughout the domain. We rule out the possibility of oscillations arising in the model and prove global asymptotic stability in the case of two flagella by the construction of a suitable Lyapunov function. Finally, we generalize the model to the case of arbitrary flagellar number in order to study olfactory sensory neurons, which have up to twenty cilia per cell. We show that our theoretical results may be extended to this case and explore the implications of this universal mechanism of size control.
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6
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Insertional mutagenesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: An effective strategy for the identification of new genes involved in the DNA damage response. Eur J Protistol 2021; 82:125855. [PMID: 34954500 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2021.125855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The formation of double-strand breaks in DNA represents a serious stress for all types of organisms and requires a precisely regulated and organized DNA damage response (DDR) to maintain genetic information and genome integrity. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii possesses the characteristics of both plants and animals and is therefore suitable for the identification of novel genes connected to a wide spectrum of metabolic pathways, including DDR. One very effective tool for the detection and subsequent characterization of new mutants in C. reinhardtii is insertional mutagenesis. We isolated several insertion mutants sensitive to DNA-damaging agents that had disrupted or completely deleted genes with putative functions in the DDR. In most of the analysed mutants, we identified various changes at both ends and even inside the inserted cassette. Using recent information from databases, we were also able to supplement the characteristics of the previously described mutant with a pleiotropic phenotype. In addition, we confirmed the effectiveness of hairpin-PCR as a strategy for the identification of insertion flanking sites and as a tool for the detection of changes at the site of insertion, thus enabling a better understanding of insertion events.
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Maurya AK, Sengupta P. xbx-4, a homolog of the Joubert syndrome gene FAM149B1, acts via the CCRK and RCK kinase cascade to regulate cilia morphology. Curr Biol 2021; 31:5642-5649.e5. [PMID: 34731674 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Primary cilia are microtubule (MT)-based organelles that mediate sensory functions in multiple cell types. Disruption of cilia structure or function leads to a diverse collection of diseases termed ciliopathies.1-3 The highly conserved CCRK and RCK kinases (ICK/MOK/MAK) negatively regulate cilia length and structure in Chlamydomonas, C. elegans, and mammalian cells.4-10 How the activity of this kinase cascade is tuned to precisely regulate cilia architecture is unclear. Mutations in the Domain of Unknown Function 3719 (DUF3719)-containing protein FAM149B1 have recently been shown to elongate cilia via unknown mechanisms and result in the ciliopathy Joubert syndrome.11 Here we identify XBX-4, a DUF3719-containing protein related to human FAM149B1, as a regulator of the DYF-18 CCRK and DYF-5 MAK kinase pathway in C. elegans. As in dyf-18 and dyf-5 mutants,10 sensory neuron cilia are elongated in xbx-4 mutants and exhibit stabilized axonemal MTs. XBX-4 promotes DYF-18 CCRK function to regulate localization and function of DYF-5 MAK. We find that Joubert syndrome-associated mutations in the XBX-4 DUF3719 domain also elongate cilia in C. elegans. Our results identify a new metazoan-specific regulator of this highly conserved kinase pathway and suggest that FAM149B1 may similarly act via the CCRK/RCK kinase pathway to regulate ciliary homeostasis in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish K Maurya
- Department of Biology, MS008, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
| | - Piali Sengupta
- Department of Biology, MS008, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
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8
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Molecular and FISH analysis of 45S rDNA on BAC molecule of Saccharina japonica. AQUACULTURE AND FISHERIES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aaf.2021.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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9
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Bansal R, Engle SE, Kamba TK, Brewer KM, Lewis WR, Berbari NF. Artificial Intelligence Approaches to Assessing Primary Cilia. J Vis Exp 2021:10.3791/62521. [PMID: 33999029 PMCID: PMC8791558 DOI: 10.3791/62521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cilia are microtubule based cellular appendages that function as signaling centers for a diversity of signaling pathways in many mammalian cell types. Cilia length is highly conserved, tightly regulated, and varies between different cell types and tissues and has been implicated in directly impacting their signaling capacity. For example, cilia have been shown to alter their lengths in response to activation of ciliary G protein-coupled receptors. However, accurately and reproducibly measuring the lengths of numerous cilia is a time-consuming and labor-intensive procedure. Current approaches are also error and bias prone. Artificial intelligence (Ai) programs can be utilized to overcome many of these challenges due to capabilities that permit assimilation, manipulation, and optimization of extensive data sets. Here, we demonstrate that an Ai module can be trained to recognize cilia in images from both in vivo and in vitro samples. After using the trained Ai to identify cilia, we are able to design and rapidly utilize applications that analyze hundreds of cilia in a single sample for length, fluorescence intensity and co-localization. This unbiased approach increased our confidence and rigor when comparing samples from different primary neuronal preps in vitro as well as across different brain regions within an animal and between animals. Moreover, this technique can be used to reliably analyze cilia dynamics from any cell type and tissue in a high-throughput manner across multiple samples and treatment groups. Ultimately, Ai-based approaches will likely become standard as most fields move toward less biased and more reproducible approaches for image acquisition and analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruchi Bansal
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
| | - Staci E Engle
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
| | - Tisianna K Kamba
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
| | - Kathryn M Brewer
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
| | | | - Nicolas F Berbari
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University; Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Indiana University School of Medicine;
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10
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Bauer D, Ishikawa H, Wemmer KA, Hendel NL, Kondev J, Marshall WF. Analysis of biological noise in the flagellar length control system. iScience 2021; 24:102354. [PMID: 33898946 PMCID: PMC8059064 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Any proposed mechanism for organelle size control should be able to account not only for average size but also for the variation in size. We analyzed cell-to-cell variation and within-cell variation of length for the two flagella in Chlamydomonas, finding that cell-to-cell variation is dominated by cell size, whereas within-cell variation results from dynamic fluctuations. Fluctuation analysis suggests tubulin assembly is not directly coupled with intraflagellar transport (IFT) and that the observed length fluctuations reflect tubulin assembly and disassembly events involving large numbers of tubulin dimers. Length variation is increased in long-flagella mutants, an effect consistent with theoretical models for flagellar length regulation. Cells with unequal flagellar lengths show impaired swimming but improved gliding, raising the possibility that cells have evolved mechanisms to tune biological noise in flagellar length. Analysis of noise at the level of organelle size provides a way to probe the mechanisms determining cell geometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bauer
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Hiroaki Ishikawa
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kimberly A. Wemmer
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nathan L. Hendel
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jane Kondev
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Abelson-Bass-Yalem Building, 97-301, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Wallace F. Marshall
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St., San Francisco, CA, USA
- Center for Cellular Construction, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St., San Francisco, CA, USA
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11
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Wemmer K, Ludington W, Marshall WF. Testing the role of intraflagellar transport in flagellar length control using length-altering mutants of Chlamydomonas. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 375:20190159. [PMID: 31884913 PMCID: PMC7017341 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cilia and flagella are ideal model organelles in which to study the general question of organelle size control. Flagellar microtubules are steady-state structures whose size is set by the balance of assembly and disassembly. Assembly requires intraflagellar transport (IFT), and measurements of IFT have shown that the rate of entry of IFT particles into the flagellum is a decreasing function of length. It has been proposed that this length dependence of IFT may be the basis for flagellar length control. Here, we test this idea by showing that three different long-flagella mutations in Chlamydomonas all cause increased IFT injection, thus confirming that IFT can influence length control. However, quantitative comparisons with mathematical models suggest that the increase in injection is not sufficient to explain the full increase in length seen in these mutants; hence, some other mechanism may be at work. One alternative mechanism that has been proposed is length-regulated binding of tubulin to the IFT particles. However, we find that the apparent length dependence of tubulin loading that has previously been reported may actually reflect length-dependent organization of IFT trains. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ‘Unity and diversity of cilia in locomotion and transport’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Wemmer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - William Ludington
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Wallace F Marshall
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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12
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Wang Y, Ren Y, Pan J. Regulation of flagellar assembly and length in
Chlamydomonas
by LF4, a MAPK‐related kinase. FASEB J 2019; 33:6431-6441. [DOI: 10.1096/fj.201802375rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yingrui Wang
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Protein ScienceTsinghua‐Peking Center for Life SciencesSchool of Life SciencesTsinghua University Beijing China
| | - Yahui Ren
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Protein ScienceTsinghua‐Peking Center for Life SciencesSchool of Life SciencesTsinghua University Beijing China
| | - Junmin Pan
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Protein ScienceTsinghua‐Peking Center for Life SciencesSchool of Life SciencesTsinghua University Beijing China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and BiotechnologyQingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology Qingdao China
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13
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Stochastic Dynamics of Eukaryotic Flagellar Growth. Bull Math Biol 2018; 81:2849-2872. [PMID: 29644519 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-018-0427-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
We study the dynamics of flagellar growth in eukaryotes where intraflagellar transporters (IFT) play a crucial role. First we investigate a stochastic version of the original balance point model where a constant number of IFT particles move up and down the flagellum. The detailed model is a discrete event vector-valued Markov process occurring in continuous time. First the detailed stochastic model is compared and contrasted with a simple scalar ordinary differential equation (ODE) model of flagellar growth. Numerical simulations reveal that the steady-state mean value of the stochastic model is well approximated by the ODE model. Then we derive a scalar stochastic differential equation (SDE) as a first approximation and obtain a "small noise" approximation showing flagellar length to be Gaussian with mean and variance governed by simple ODEs. The accuracy of the small noise model is compared favorably with the numerical simulation results of the detailed model. Secondly, we derive a revised SDE for flagellar length following the revised balance point model proposed in 2009 in which IFT particles move in trains instead of in isolation. Small noise approximation of the revised SDE yields the same approximate Gaussian distribution for the flagellar length as the SDE corresponding to the original balance point model.
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14
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Chien A, Shih SM, Bower R, Tritschler D, Porter ME, Yildiz A. Dynamics of the IFT machinery at the ciliary tip. eLife 2017; 6:28606. [PMID: 28930071 PMCID: PMC5662288 DOI: 10.7554/elife.28606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is essential for the elongation and maintenance of eukaryotic cilia and flagella. Due to the traffic jam of multiple trains at the ciliary tip, how IFT trains are remodeled in these turnaround zones cannot be determined by conventional imaging. Using PhotoGate, we visualized the full range of movement of single IFT trains and motors in Chlamydomonas flagella. Anterograde trains split apart and IFT complexes mix with each other at the tip to assemble retrograde trains. Dynein-1b is carried to the tip by kinesin-II as inactive cargo on anterograde trains. Unlike dynein-1b, kinesin-II detaches from IFT trains at the tip and diffuses in flagella. As the flagellum grows longer, diffusion delays return of kinesin-II to the basal body, depleting kinesin-II available for anterograde transport. Our results suggest that dissociation of kinesin-II from IFT trains serves as a negative feedback mechanism that facilitates flagellar length control in Chlamydomonas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Chien
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Sheng Min Shih
- Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Raqual Bower
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| | - Douglas Tritschler
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| | - Mary E Porter
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| | - Ahmet Yildiz
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
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15
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Sequeira MP, Sinha S, Motiwalla MJ, Rao VG, D'Souza JS. Defects in the ratio of the dynein isoform, DHC11 in the long-flagella mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 482:610-614. [PMID: 27865833 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.11.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The long-flagella mutants (lf1, lf2, lf3 and lf4) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii are defective in proteins that are required for the assembly of normal flagella, their phenotype being long flagella. In a previous study, we biophysically characterized these mutants for their waveform patterns, swimming speeds, beat frequencies and correlated these parameters with their flagellar lengths. We found an anomaly in this correlation and set out to explore the underlying molecular significance, if any. The diverse inner dynein isoforms are the flagellar motors that convert the chemical energy of ATP into the mechanical energy of motility; we probed the presence of one of these isoforms (DHC11, which might help in bend initiation) in the lf mutants and compared it with the wild-type. Our studies show that the ratio of DHC11 is defective in the long-flagella mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn P Sequeira
- UM-DAE Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Kalina Campus, Santacruz (E), Mumbai, India
| | - Sapna Sinha
- UM-DAE Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Kalina Campus, Santacruz (E), Mumbai, India
| | - Mustafa J Motiwalla
- UM-DAE Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Kalina Campus, Santacruz (E), Mumbai, India
| | - Venkatramanan G Rao
- UM-DAE Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Kalina Campus, Santacruz (E), Mumbai, India
| | - Jacinta S D'Souza
- UM-DAE Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Kalina Campus, Santacruz (E), Mumbai, India.
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16
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Kurniasih SD, Yamasaki T, Kong F, Okada S, Widyaningrum D, Ohama T. UV-mediated Chlamydomonas mutants with enhanced nuclear transgene expression by disruption of DNA methylation-dependent and independent silencing systems. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 92:629-641. [PMID: 27761764 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-016-0529-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In this investigation, we succeeded to generate Chlamydomonas mutants that bear dramatically enhanced ability for transgene expression. To yield these mutants, we utilized DNA methyltransferase deficient strain. These mutants must be useful as a plant cell factory. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (hereafter Chlamydomonas) is a green freshwater microalga. It is a promising cell factory for the production of recombinant proteins because it rapidly grows in simple salt-based media. However, expression of transgenes integrated into the nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas is very poor, probably because of severe transcriptional silencing irrespective of the genomic position. In this study, we generated Chlamydomonas mutants by ultraviolet (UV)-mediated mutagenesis of maintenance-type DNA methyltransferase gene (MET1)-null mutants to overcome this disadvantage. We obtained several mutants with an enhanced ability to overexpress various transgenes irrespective of their integrated genomic positions. In addition, transformation efficiencies were significantly elevated. Our findings indicate that in addition to mechanisms involving MET1, transgene expression is regulated by a DNA methylation-independent transgene silencing system in Chlamydomonas. This is in agreement with the fact that DNA methylation occurs rarely in this organism. The generated mutants may be useful for the low-cost production of therapeutic proteins and eukaryotic enzymes based on their rapid growth in simple salt-based media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sari Dewi Kurniasih
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Tosayamada, Kochi, 782-8502, Japan
| | - Tomohito Yamasaki
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Tosayamada, Kochi, 782-8502, Japan
| | - Fantao Kong
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Tosayamada, Kochi, 782-8502, Japan
| | - Sigeru Okada
- Laboratory of Aquatic Natural Products Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural & Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Dwiyantari Widyaningrum
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Tosayamada, Kochi, 782-8502, Japan
| | - Takeshi Ohama
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Tosayamada, Kochi, 782-8502, Japan.
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17
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Li X, Zhang R, Patena W, Gang SS, Blum SR, Ivanova N, Yue R, Robertson JM, Lefebvre PA, Fitz-Gibbon ST, Grossman AR, Jonikas MC. An Indexed, Mapped Mutant Library Enables Reverse Genetics Studies of Biological Processes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. THE PLANT CELL 2016; 28:367-87. [PMID: 26764374 PMCID: PMC4790863 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.15.00465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 236] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a leading unicellular model for dissecting biological processes in photosynthetic eukaryotes. However, its usefulness has been limited by difficulties in obtaining mutants in specific genes of interest. To allow generation of large numbers of mapped mutants, we developed high-throughput methods that (1) enable easy maintenance of tens of thousands of Chlamydomonas strains by propagation on agar media and by cryogenic storage, (2) identify mutagenic insertion sites and physical coordinates in these collections, and (3) validate the insertion sites in pools of mutants by obtaining >500 bp of flanking genomic sequences. We used these approaches to construct a stably maintained library of 1935 mapped mutants, representing disruptions in 1562 genes. We further characterized randomly selected mutants and found that 33 out of 44 insertion sites (75%) could be confirmed by PCR, and 17 out of 23 mutants (74%) contained a single insertion. To demonstrate the power of this library for elucidating biological processes, we analyzed the lipid content of mutants disrupted in genes encoding proteins of the algal lipid droplet proteome. This study revealed a central role of the long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase LCS2 in the production of triacylglycerol from de novo-synthesized fatty acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobo Li
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Ru Zhang
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Weronika Patena
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Spencer S Gang
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Sean R Blum
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Nina Ivanova
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Rebecca Yue
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Jacob M Robertson
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Paul A Lefebvre
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108
| | - Sorel T Fitz-Gibbon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Arthur R Grossman
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Martin C Jonikas
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305
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18
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Abstract
Neuroscientists have been captivated by cilia ever since these slender, microtubule-based projections on the cell body were found to play critical roles in neuronal specification, maintenance, and function. In mammals, the most common cilia marker, acetylated α-tubulin, is extremely difficult to detect in neuronal cilia. Here, we describe methods to detect neuronal cilia in culture, in fixed sections, and in vivo, taking advantage of transgenic mice carrying fluorescently tagged cilia proteins.
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Jinkerson RE, Jonikas MC. Molecular techniques to interrogate and edit the Chlamydomonas nuclear genome. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 82:393-412. [PMID: 25704665 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Revised: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The success of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model organism is to a large extent due to the wide range of molecular techniques that are available for its characterization. Here, we review some of the techniques currently used to modify and interrogate the C. reinhardtii nuclear genome and explore several technologies under development. Nuclear mutants can be generated with ultraviolet (UV) light and chemical mutagens, or by insertional mutagenesis. Nuclear transformation methods include biolistic delivery, agitation with glass beads, and electroporation. Transforming DNA integrates into the genome at random sites, and multiple strategies exist for mapping insertion sites. A limited number of studies have demonstrated targeted modification of the nuclear genome by approaches such as zinc-finger nucleases and homologous recombination. RNA interference is widely used to knock down expression levels of nuclear genes. A wide assortment of transgenes has been successfully expressed in the Chlamydomonas nuclear genome, including transformation markers, fluorescent proteins, reporter genes, epitope tagged proteins, and even therapeutic proteins. Optimized expression constructs and strains help transgene expression. Emerging technologies such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system, high-throughput mutant identification, and a whole-genome knockout library are being developed for this organism. We discuss how these advances will propel future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Jinkerson
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Martin C Jonikas
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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20
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Dutcher SK. The awesome power of dikaryons for studying flagella and basal bodies in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 2013; 71:79-94. [PMID: 24272949 DOI: 10.1002/cm.21157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Accepted: 11/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Cilia/flagella and basal bodies/centrioles play key roles in human health and homeostasis. Among the organisms used to study these microtubule-based organelles, the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has several advantages. One is the existence of a temporary phase of the life cycle, termed the dikaryon. These cells are formed during mating when the cells fuse and the behavior of flagella from two genetically distinguishable parents can be observed. During this stage, the cytoplasms mix allowing for a defect in the flagella of one parent to be rescued by proteins from the other parent. This offers the unique advantage of adding back wild-type gene product or labeled protein at endogenous levels that can used to monitor various flagellar and basal body phenotypes. Mutants that show rescue and ones that fail to show rescue are both informative about the nature of the flagella and basal body defects. When rescue occurs, it can be used to determine the mutant gene product and to follow the temporal and spatial patterns of flagellar assembly. This review describes many examples of insights into basal body and flagellar proteins' function and assembly that have been discovered using dikaryons and discusses the potential for further analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan K Dutcher
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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21
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Liu B, Benning C. Lipid metabolism in microalgae distinguishes itself. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2013; 24:300-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2012.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2012] [Revised: 08/17/2012] [Accepted: 08/21/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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22
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Tam LW, Ranum PT, Lefebvre PA. CDKL5 regulates flagellar length and localizes to the base of the flagella in Chlamydomonas. Mol Biol Cell 2013; 24:588-600. [PMID: 23283985 PMCID: PMC3583663 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e12-10-0718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Two mutations in LF5, which encodes a protein kinase orthologous to human CDKL5, cause abnormally long flagella in Chlamydomonas. The localization of LF5p to the very proximal region of flagella in WT cells is regulated by three other LF gene products, which make up the cytoplasmic length regulatory complex. The length of Chlamydomonas flagella is tightly regulated. Mutations in four genes—LF1, LF2, LF3, and LF4—cause cells to assemble flagella up to three times wild-type length. LF2 and LF4 encode protein kinases. Here we describe a new gene, LF5, in which null mutations cause cells to assemble flagella of excess length. The LF5 gene encodes a protein kinase very similar in sequence to the protein kinase CDKL5. In humans, mutations in this kinase cause a severe form of juvenile epilepsy. The LF5 protein localizes to a unique location: the proximal 1 μm of the flagella. The proximal localization of the LF5 protein is lost when genes that make up the proteins in the cytoplasmic length regulatory complex (LRC)—LF1, LF2, and LF3—are mutated. In these mutants LF5p becomes localized either at the distal tip of the flagella or along the flagellar length, indicating that length regulation involves, at least in part, control of LF5p localization by the LRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lai-Wa Tam
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
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23
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Broekhuis JR, Leong WY, Jansen G. Regulation of cilium length and intraflagellar transport. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2013; 303:101-38. [PMID: 23445809 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-407697-6.00003-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Primary cilia are highly conserved sensory organelles that extend from the surface of almost all vertebrate cells. The importance of cilia is evident from their involvement in many diseases, called ciliopathies. Primary cilia contain a microtubular axoneme that is used as a railway for transport of both structural components and signaling proteins. This transport machinery is called intraflagellar transport (IFT). Cilia are dynamic organelles whose presence on the cell surface, morphology, length and function are highly regulated. It is clear that the IFT machinery plays an important role in this regulation. However, it is not clear how, for example environmental cues or cell fate decisions are relayed to modulate IFT and cilium morphology or function. This chapter presents an overview of molecules that have been shown to regulate cilium length and IFT. Several examples where signaling modulates IFT and cilium function are used to discuss the importance of these systems for the cell and for understanding of the etiology of ciliopathies.
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24
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Anomalies in the motion dynamics of long-flagella mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. J Biol Phys 2012; 39:1-14. [PMID: 23860831 DOI: 10.1007/s10867-012-9282-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Accepted: 08/06/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has long been used as a model organism in studies of cell motility and flagellar dynamics. The motility of the well-conserved '9+2' axoneme in its flagella remains a subject of immense curiosity. Using high-speed videography and morphological analyses, we have characterized long-flagella mutants (lf1, lf2-1, lf2-5, lf3-2, and lf4) of C. reinhardtii for biophysical parameters such as swimming velocities, waveforms, beat frequencies, and swimming trajectories. These mutants are aberrant in proteins involved in the regulation of flagellar length and bring about a phenotypic increase in this length. Our results reveal that the flagellar beat frequency and swimming velocity are negatively correlated with the length of the flagella. When compared to the wild-type, any increase in the flagellar length reduces both the swimming velocities (by 26-57%) and beat frequencies (by 8-16%). We demonstrate that with no apparent aberrations/ultrastructural deformities in the mutant axonemes, it is this increased length that has a critical role to play in the motion dynamics of C. reinhardtii cells, and, provided there are no significant changes in their flagellar proteome, any increase in this length compromises the swimming velocity either by reduction of the beat frequency or by an alteration in the waveform of the flagella.
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25
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Avasthi P, Marley A, Lin H, Gregori-Puigjane E, Shoichet BK, von Zastrow M, Marshall WF. A chemical screen identifies class a g-protein coupled receptors as regulators of cilia. ACS Chem Biol 2012; 7:911-9. [PMID: 22375814 DOI: 10.1021/cb200349v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Normal cilia length and motility are critical for proper cellular function. Prior studies of the regulation of ciliary structure and length have primarily focused on the intraflagellar transport machinery and motor proteins required for ciliary assembly and disassembly. However, several mutants with abnormal length flagella highlight the importance of signaling proteins as well. In this study, an unbiased chemical screen was performed to uncover signaling pathways that are critical for ciliogenesis and length regulation using flagella of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model. The annotated Sigma LOPAC1280 chemical library was screened for effects on flagellar length, motility, and severing as well as cell viability. Assay data were clustered to identify pathways regulating flagella. The most frequent target found to be involved in flagellar length regulation was the family of dopamine binding G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). In mammalian cells, cilium length could indeed be altered with expression of the dopamine D1 receptor. Our screen thus reveals signaling pathways that are potentially critical for ciliary formation, resorption, and length maintenance, which represent candidate targets for therapeutic intervention of disorders involving ciliary malformation and malfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prachee Avasthi
- Departments of †Biochemistry & Biophysics, ‡Psychiatry, and §Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Aaron Marley
- Departments of †Biochemistry & Biophysics, ‡Psychiatry, and §Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Henry Lin
- Departments of †Biochemistry & Biophysics, ‡Psychiatry, and §Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Elisabet Gregori-Puigjane
- Departments of †Biochemistry & Biophysics, ‡Psychiatry, and §Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Brian K. Shoichet
- Departments of †Biochemistry & Biophysics, ‡Psychiatry, and §Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Mark von Zastrow
- Departments of †Biochemistry & Biophysics, ‡Psychiatry, and §Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Wallace F. Marshall
- Departments of †Biochemistry & Biophysics, ‡Psychiatry, and §Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
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26
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Abstract
Mutations at the APM1 and APM2 loci in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii confer resistance to phosphorothioamidate and dinitroaniline herbicides. Genetic interactions between apm1 and apm2 mutations suggest an interaction between the gene products. We identified the APM1 and APM2 genes using a map-based cloning strategy. Genomic DNA fragments containing only the DNJ1 gene encoding a type I Hsp40 protein rescue apm1 mutant phenotypes, conferring sensitivity to the herbicides and rescuing a temperature-sensitive growth defect. Lesions at five apm1 alleles include missense mutations and nucleotide insertions and deletions that result in altered proteins or very low levels of gene expression. The HSP70A gene, encoding a cytosolic Hsp70 protein known to interact with Hsp40 proteins, maps near the APM2 locus. Missense mutations found in three apm2 alleles predict altered Hsp70 proteins. Genomic fragments containing the HSP70A gene rescue apm2 mutant phenotypes. The results suggest that a client of the Hsp70-Hsp40 chaperone complex may function to increase microtubule dynamics in Chlamydomonas cells. Failure of the chaperone system to recognize or fold the client protein(s) results in increased microtubule stability and resistance to the microtubule-destabilizing effect of the herbicides. The lack of redundancy of genes encoding cytosolic Hsp70 and Hsp40 type I proteins in Chlamydomonas makes it a uniquely valuable system for genetic analysis of the function of the Hsp70 chaperone complex.
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27
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Yaguchi S, Yaguchi J, Wei Z, Shiba K, Angerer LM, Inaba K. ankAT-1 is a novel gene mediating the apical tuft formation in the sea urchin embryo. Dev Biol 2010; 348:67-75. [PMID: 20875818 PMCID: PMC2976814 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2010] [Revised: 09/16/2010] [Accepted: 09/16/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In sea urchin embryos, the apical tuft forms within the neurogenic animal plate. When FoxQ2, one of the earliest factors expressed specifically in the animal plate by early blastula stage, is knocked down, the structure of the apical tuft is altered. To determine the basis of this phenotype, we identified FoxQ2-dependent genes using microarray analysis. The most strongly down-regulated gene in FoxQ2 morphants encodes a protein with ankyrin repeats region in its N-terminal domain. We named this gene ankAT-1, Ankyrin-containing gene specific for Apical Tuft. Initially its expression in the animal pole region of very early blastula stage embryos is FoxQ2-independent but becomes FoxQ2-dependent beginning at mesenchyme blastula stage and continuing in the animal plate of 3-day larvae. Furthermore, like FoxQ2, this gene is expressed throughout the expanded apical tuft region that forms in embryos lacking nuclear β-catenin. When AnkAT-1 is knocked-down by injecting a morpholino, the cilia at the animal plate in the resulting embryos are much shorter and their motility is less than that of motile cilia in other ectoderm cells, and remains similar to that of long apical tuft cilia. We conclude that AnkAT-1 is involved in regulating the length of apical tuft cilia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunsuke Yaguchi
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 5-10-1 Shimoda, Shizuoka, Japan.
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28
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Lechtreck KF, Johnson EC, Sakai T, Cochran D, Ballif BA, Rush J, Pazour GJ, Ikebe M, Witman GB. The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii BBSome is an IFT cargo required for export of specific signaling proteins from flagella. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 187:1117-32. [PMID: 20038682 PMCID: PMC2806276 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200909183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The Bardet-Biedl syndrome protein complex (BBSome) is a cargo adapter rather than an essential part of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery. In humans, seven evolutionarily conserved genes that cause the cilia-related disorder Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) encode proteins that form a complex termed the BBSome. The function of the BBSome in the cilium is not well understood. We purified a BBSome-like complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii flagella and found that it contains at least BBS1, -4, -5, -7, and -8 and undergoes intraflagellar transport (IFT) in association with a subset of IFT particles. C. reinhardtii insertional mutants defective in BBS1, -4, and -7 assemble motile, full-length flagella but lack the ability to phototax. In the bbs4 mutant, the assembly and transport of IFT particles are unaffected, but the flagella abnormally accumulate several signaling proteins that may disrupt phototaxis. We conclude that the BBSome is carried by IFT but is an adapter rather than an integral component of the IFT machinery. C. reinhardtii BBS4 may be required for the export of signaling proteins from the flagellum via IFT.
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29
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Cao M, Li G, Pan J. Regulation of cilia assembly, disassembly, and length by protein phosphorylation. Methods Cell Biol 2009; 94:333-46. [PMID: 20362099 DOI: 10.1016/s0091-679x(08)94017-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The exact mechanism by which cells are able to assemble, regulate, and disassemble cilia or flagella is not yet completely understood. Recent studies in several model systems, including Chlamydomonas, Tetrahymena, Leishmania, Caenorhabditis elegans, and mammals, provide increasing biochemical and genetic evidence that phosphorylation of multiple protein kinases plays a key role in cilia assembly, disassembly, and length regulation. Members of several protein kinase families--including aurora kinases, never in mitosis A (NIMA)-related protein kinases, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, and a novel cyclin-dependent protein kinase--are involved in the ciliary regulation process. Among the newly identified protein kinase substrates are Chlamydomonas kinesin-13 (CrKinesin13), a microtubule depolymerizer, and histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), a microtubule deacetylase. Chlamydomonas aurora/Ipl1p-like protein kinase (CALK) and CrKinesin13 are two proteins that undergo phosphorylation changes correlated with flagellar assembly or disassembly. CALK becomes phosphorylated when flagella are lost, whereas CrKinesin13 is phosphorylated when new flagella are assembled. Conversely, suppressing CrKinesin13 expression results in cells with shorter flagella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muqing Cao
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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30
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DiBella LM, Park A, Sun Z. Zebrafish Tsc1 reveals functional interactions between the cilium and the TOR pathway. Hum Mol Genet 2008; 18:595-606. [PMID: 19008302 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddn384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell surface organelle called the cilium is essential for preventing kidney cyst formation and for establishing left-right asymmetry of the vertebrate body plan. Recent advances suggest that the cilium functions as a sensory organelle in vertebrate cells for multiple signaling pathways such as the hedgehog and the Wnt pathways. Prompted by kidney cyst formation in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) patients and rodent models, we investigated the role of the cilium in the TSC-target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway using zebrafish. TSC1 and TSC2 genes are causal for TSC, and their protein products form a complex in the TOR pathway that integrates environmental signals to regulate cell growth, proliferation and survival. Two TSC1 homologs were identified in zebrafish, which we refer to as tsc1a and tsc1b. Morpholino knockdown of tsc1a led to a ciliary phenotype including kidney cyst formation and left-right asymmetry defects. Tsc1a was observed to localize to the Golgi, but morpholinos against it, nonetheless, acted synthetically with ciliary genes in producing kidney cysts. Consistent with a role of the cilium in the same pathway as Tsc genes, the TOR pathway is aberrantly activated in ciliary mutants, resembling the effect of tsc1a knockdown. Moreover, kidney cyst formation in ciliary mutants was blocked by the Tor inhibitor, rapamycin. Surprisingly, we observed elongation of cilia in tsc1a knockdown animals. Together, these data suggest a signaling network between the cilium and the TOR pathway in that ciliary signals can feed into the TOR pathway and that Tsc1a regulates the length of the cilium itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda M DiBella
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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31
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Wilson NF, Iyer JK, Buchheim JA, Meek W. Regulation of flagellar length in Chlamydomonas. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2008; 19:494-501. [PMID: 18692148 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2008.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2008] [Accepted: 07/16/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has two apically localized flagella that are maintained at an equal and appropriate length. Assembly and maintenance of flagella requires a microtubule-based transport system known as intraflagellar transport (IFT). During IFT, proteins destined for incorporation into or removal from a flagellum are carried along doublet microtubules via IFT particles. Regulation of IFT activity therefore is pivotal in determining the length of a flagellum. Reviewed is our current understanding of the role of IFT and signal transduction pathways in the regulation of flagellar length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nedra F Wilson
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK 74107, United States.
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32
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Dentler W. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) during assembly and disassembly of Chlamydomonas flagella. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 170:649-59. [PMID: 16103230 PMCID: PMC2171492 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200412021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Intraflagellar transport (IFT) of particles along flagellar microtubules is required for the assembly and maintenance of eukaryotic flagella and cilia. In Chlamydomonas, anterograde and retrograde particles viewed by light microscopy average 0.12-microm and 0.06-microm diameter, respectively. Examination of IFT particle structure in growing flagella by electron microscopy revealed similar size aggregates composed of small particles linked to each other and to the membrane and microtubules. To determine the relationship between the number of particles and flagellar length, the rate and frequency of IFT particle movement was measured in nongrowing, growing, and shortening flagella. In all flagella, anterograde and retrograde IFT averaged 1.9 microm/s and 2.7 microm/s, respectively, but retrograde IFT was significantly slower in flagella shorter than 4 mum. The number of flagellar IFT particles was not fixed, but depended on flagellar length. Pauses in IFT particle entry into flagella suggest the presence of a periodic "gate" that permits up to 4 particles/s to enter a flagellum.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Dentler
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66049, USA.
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33
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Periz G, Dharia D, Miller SH, Keller LR. Flagellar elongation and gene expression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2007; 6:1411-20. [PMID: 17573545 PMCID: PMC1951131 DOI: 10.1128/ec.00167-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Lithium (Li(+)) affects the physiology of cells from a broad range of organisms including plants and both vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Although its effects result presumably from changes in gene expression elicited by its interaction with intracellular signal transduction pathways, the molecular mechanisms of Li(+) action are not well understood. The biflagellate green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is an ideal genetic model for the integration of the effects on Li(+) on signal transduction, gene expression, and aspects of flagellar biogenesis. Li(+) causes C. reinhardtii flagella to elongate to approximately 1.4 times their normal length and blocks flagellar motility (S. Nakamura, H. Tabino, and M. K. Kojima, Cell Struct. Funct. 12:369-374, 1987). We report here that Li(+) treatment increases the abundance of several flagellar mRNAs, including alpha- and beta-tubulin and pcf3-21. Li(+)-induced flagellar gene expression occurs in cells pretreated with cycloheximide, suggesting that the abundance change is a response that does not require new protein synthesis. Deletion analysis of the flagellar alpha1-tubulin gene promoter showed that sequences necessary for Li(+)-induced expression differed from those for acid shock induction and contain a consensus binding site for CREB/ATF and AP-1 transcription factors. These studies suggest potential promoter elements, candidate factors, and signal transduction pathways that may coordinate the C. reinhardtii cellular response to Li(+).
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Affiliation(s)
- Goran Periz
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4370, USA
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Tam LW, Wilson NF, Lefebvre PA. A CDK-related kinase regulates the length and assembly of flagella in Chlamydomonas. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 176:819-29. [PMID: 17353359 PMCID: PMC2064056 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200610022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about how cells regulate the size of their organelles. In this study, we find that proper flagellar length control in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii requires the activity of a new member of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) family, which is encoded by the LF2 (long flagella 2) gene. This novel CDK contains all of the important residues that are essential for kinase activity but lacks the cyclin-binding motif PSTAIRE. Analysis of genetic lesions in a series of lf2 mutant alleles and site-directed mutagenesis of LF2p reveals that improper flagellar length and defective flagellar assembly correlate with the extent of disruption of conserved kinase structures or residues by mutations. LF2p appears to interact with both LF1p and LF3p in the cytoplasm, as indicated by immunofluorescence localization, sucrose density gradients, cell fractionation, and yeast two-hybrid experiments. We propose that LF2p is the catalytic subunit of a regulatory kinase complex that controls flagellar length and flagellar assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lai-Wa Tam
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
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Burghoorn J, Dekkers MPJ, Rademakers S, de Jong T, Willemsen R, Jansen G. Mutation of the MAP kinase DYF-5 affects docking and undocking of kinesin-2 motors and reduces their speed in the cilia of Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:7157-62. [PMID: 17420466 PMCID: PMC1855366 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0606974104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the cilia of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, anterograde intraflagellar transport (IFT) is mediated by two kinesin-2 complexes, kinesin II and OSM-3 kinesin. These complexes function together in the cilia middle segments, whereas OSM-3 alone mediates transport in the distal segments. Not much is known about the mechanisms that compartmentalize the kinesin-2 complexes or how transport by both kinesins is coordinated. Here, we identify DYF-5, a conserved MAP kinase that plays a role in these processes. Fluorescence microscopy and EM revealed that the cilia of dyf-5 loss-of-function (lf) animals are elongated and are not properly aligned into the amphid channel. Some cilia do enter the amphid channel, but the distal ends of these cilia show accumulation of proteins. Consistent with these observations, we found that six IFT proteins accumulate in the cilia of dyf-5(lf) mutants. In addition, using genetic analyses and live imaging to measure the motility of IFT proteins, we show that dyf-5 is required to restrict kinesin II to the cilia middle segments. Finally, we show that, in dyf-5(lf) mutants, OSM-3 moves at a reduced speed and is not attached to IFT particles. We propose that DYF-5 plays a role in the undocking of kinesin II from IFT particles and in the docking of OSM-3 onto IFT particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Burghoorn
- *Department of Cell Biology and Genetics and Center for Biomedical Genetics and
| | | | - Suzanne Rademakers
- *Department of Cell Biology and Genetics and Center for Biomedical Genetics and
| | | | - Rob Willemsen
- Clinical Genetics, Erasmus Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gert Jansen
- *Department of Cell Biology and Genetics and Center for Biomedical Genetics and
- To whom correspondence should be addressed at:
Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Erasmus Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail:
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Wemmer KA, Marshall WF. Flagellar length control in chlamydomonas--paradigm for organelle size regulation. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 2007; 260:175-212. [PMID: 17482906 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(06)60004-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental unsolved question in cell biology is how the cell controls the size of its organelles. Cilia and flagella are an ideal test case to study the mechanism of organelle size control, because their size is easily measured and can be represented by a single number-length. Moreover, the involvement of cilia in many developmental and physiological processes suggests an understanding of their size control system is critical for understanding ciliary diseases, many of which (e.g., autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease) are known to involve abnormally short cilia. The flagella of the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii provide the best genetic and cell-biological system to study length control of cilia. Studies in this organism using genetics, biochemistry, imaging, and mathematical modeling have revealed many genes involved in length control of cilia and flagella, and have suggested several testable models for length regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly A Wemmer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
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Pan J, Snell WJ. Chlamydomonas shortens its flagella by activating axonemal disassembly, stimulating IFT particle trafficking, and blocking anterograde cargo loading. Dev Cell 2005; 9:431-8. [PMID: 16139231 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2005.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2005] [Revised: 06/23/2005] [Accepted: 07/27/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Almost all eukaryotic cells form cilia/flagella, maintain them at their genetically specified lengths, and shorten them. Here, we define the cellular mechanisms that bring about shortening of flagella prior to meiotic cell division and in response to environmental cues in the biflagellated green alga Chlamydomonas. We show that the flagellar shortening pathway is distinct from the one that enforces transient shortening essential for length control. During flagellar shortening, disassembly of the axoneme is stimulated over the basal rate, and the rate of entry into flagella of intraflagellar transport (IFT) particles is increased. Moreover, the particles entering the disassembling flagella lack cargo. Thus, flagellar shortening depends on the interplay between dynamic properties of the axoneme and the IFT machinery; a cell triggered to shorten its flagellum activates disassembly of the axoneme and stimulates entry into the flagellum of IFT particles possessing empty cargo binding sites available to retrieve the disassembled components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junmin Pan
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, 75390, USA
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Yang C, Yang P. The flagellar motility of Chlamydomonas pf25 mutant lacking an AKAP-binding protein is overtly sensitive to medium conditions. Mol Biol Cell 2005; 17:227-38. [PMID: 16267272 PMCID: PMC1345661 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e05-07-0630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Radial spokes are a conserved axonemal structural complex postulated to regulate the motility of 9 + 2 cilia and flagella via a network of phosphoenzymes and regulatory proteins. Consistently, a Chlamydomonas radial spoke protein, RSP3, has been identified by RII overlays as an A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP) that localizes the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) holoenzyme by binding to the RIIa domain of PKA RII subunit. However, the highly conserved docking domain of PKA is also found in the N termini of several AKAP-binding proteins unrelated to PKA as well as a 24-kDa novel spoke protein, RSP11. Here, we report that RSP11 binds to RSP3 directly in vitro and colocalizes with RSP3 toward the spoke base near outer doublets and dynein motors in axonemes. Importantly, RSP11 mutant pf25 displays a spectrum of motility, from paralysis with flaccid or twitching flagella as other spoke mutants to wildtype-like swimming. The wide range of motility changes reversibly depending on the condition of liquid media without replacing defective proteins. We postulate that radial spokes use the RIIa/AKAP module to regulate ciliary and flagellar beating; absence of the spoke RIIa protein exposes a medium-sensitive regulatory mechanism that is not obvious in wild-type Chlamydomonas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee WI 53233, USA
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Bradley BA, Quarmby LM. A NIMA-related kinase, Cnk2p, regulates both flagellar length and cell size in Chlamydomonas. J Cell Sci 2005; 118:3317-26. [PMID: 16030138 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.02455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The cycle of ciliogenesis and ciliary disassembly is coordinated with cell division. In the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas, the two flagella are maintained at constant and equal length during interphase, and are reabsorbed prior to mitosis. We report that the NIMA-related kinase, Cnk2p, is an axonemal protein that affects flagellar length via effects on disassembly rate and also plays a role in the cellular assessment of size prior to committing to mitosis. This is the second NIMA-related kinase shown to affect ciliary function and cell cycle progression in Chlamydomonas. We speculate that members of the NIMA family have evolved nuanced roles to coordinate cilia/cell cycle regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Bradley
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
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Abstract
Biologists have long known that humans experience their environment through cilia. Light, odorant, and sound perception depend on these microtubule-filled, complex organelles present on cells in primary sensory tissues. Recently, discoveries on the mechanism of assembly of cilia (flagella) in the lowly, biflagellated, eucaryotic green alga Chlamydomonas have triggered a renaissance of interest in the organelles along with a recognition of their key sensory roles in nonsensory tissues. Chlamydomonas researchers uncovered an entirely new set of cellular machinery essential for transporting the protein components of cilia and flagella in all ciliated/flagellated eukaryotic cells between their site of synthesis in the cell body and their site of assembly at the tip of the flagellum (intraflagellar transport: IFT). Prompted by the surprising observations that disruption of IFT genes in mice led to polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and that PKD proteins are present on the sensory cilia of Caenorhabditis elegans, researchers have made a direct connection between PKD and cilia. At least five (and possibly all) of the seven identified human genes disrupted in PKD and a related disorder nephronophthisis encode proteins expressed in the primary cilia that project into the lumen from the epithelial cells that line renal tubules. Moreover, the renal cilia are flow sensors and at least two of the PKD genes encode ciliary transmembrane proteins essential for mechanosensation. Although their roles have not yet been as clearly identified, cilia also are at the center of a rare human disorder, Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), in which patients exhibit phenotypes of common human diseases, including obesity and increased incidence of hypertension and diabetes. Five of the eight known BBS genes encode basal body or cilia proteins in mice or humans, and homologues of two of the remaining genes are present in basal bodies/cilia of model organisms. Here we briefly describe the biology of cilia and flagella, we outline how studies on model organisms have led to our current understanding of the roles of these organelles and their proteins in health and disease, and we highlight the notion that the primary cilia present on cells throughout the body, even those on brain neurons, may be essential for as yet undiscovered cilium-generated signaling functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junmin Pan
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX 75390-9036, USA
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