scholarly journals Chlamydomonas Basal Bodies as Flagella Organizing Centers

Cells ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna Wingfield ◽  
Karl-Ferdinand Lechtreck

During ciliogenesis, centrioles convert to membrane-docked basal bodies, which initiate the formation of cilia/flagella and template the nine doublet microtubules of the flagellar axoneme. The discovery that many human diseases and developmental disorders result from defects in flagella has fueled a strong interest in the analysis of flagellar assembly. Here, we will review the structure, function, and development of basal bodies in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a widely used model for the analysis of basal bodies and flagella. Intraflagellar transport (IFT), a flagella-specific protein shuttle critical for ciliogenesis, was first described in C. reinhardtii. A focus of this review will be on the role of the basal bodies in organizing the IFT machinery.

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 2696-2706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen-Chuan Fan ◽  
Robert H. Behal ◽  
Stefan Geimer ◽  
Zhaohui Wang ◽  
Shana M. Williamson ◽  
...  

DYF-1 is a highly conserved protein essential for ciliogenesis in several model organisms. In Caenorhabditis elegans, DYF-1 serves as an essential activator for an anterograde motor OSM-3 of intraflagellar transport (IFT), the ciliogenesis-required motility that mediates the transport of flagellar precursors and removal of turnover products. In zebrafish and Tetrahymena DYF-1 influences the cilia tubulin posttranslational modification and may have more ubiquitous function in ciliogenesis than OSM-3. Here we address how DYF-1 biochemically interacts with the IFT machinery by using the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, in which the anterograde IFT does not depend on OSM-3. Our results show that this protein is a stoichiometric component of the IFT particle complex B and interacts directly with complex B subunit IFT46. In concurrence with the established IFT protein nomenclature, DYF-1 is also named IFT70 after the apparent size of the protein. IFT70/CrDYF-1 is essential for the function of IFT in building the flagellum because the flagella of IFT70/CrDYF-1–depleted cells were greatly shortened. Together, these results demonstrate that IFT70/CrDYF-1 is a canonical subunit of IFT particle complex B and strongly support the hypothesis that the IFT machinery has species- and tissue-specific variations with functional ramifications.


2012 ◽  
Vol 199 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin D. Engel ◽  
Hiroaki Ishikawa ◽  
Kimberly A. Wemmer ◽  
Stefan Geimer ◽  
Ken-ichi Wakabayashi ◽  
...  

The maintenance of flagellar length is believed to require both anterograde and retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT). However, it is difficult to uncouple the functions of retrograde transport from anterograde, as null mutants in dynein heavy chain 1b (DHC1b) have stumpy flagella, demonstrating solely that retrograde IFT is required for flagellar assembly. We isolated a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant (dhc1b-3) with a temperature-sensitive defect in DHC1b, enabling inducible inhibition of retrograde IFT in full-length flagella. Although dhc1b-3 flagella at the nonpermissive temperature (34°C) showed a dramatic reduction of retrograde IFT, they remained nearly full-length for many hours. However, dhc1b-3 cells at 34°C had strong defects in flagellar assembly after cell division or pH shock. Furthermore, dhc1b-3 cells displayed altered phototaxis and flagellar beat. Thus, robust retrograde IFT is required for flagellar assembly and function but is dispensable for the maintenance of flagellar length. Proteomic analysis of dhc1b-3 flagella revealed distinct classes of proteins that change in abundance when retrograde IFT is inhibited.


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 262-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian P. Piasecki ◽  
Matthew LaVoie ◽  
Lai-Wa Tam ◽  
Paul A. Lefebvre ◽  
Carolyn D. Silflow

Mutations in the UNI2 locus in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii result in a “uniflagellar” phenotype in which flagellar assembly occurs preferentially from the older basal body and ultrastructural defects reside in the transition zones. The UNI2 gene encodes a protein of 134 kDa that shares 20.5% homology with a human protein. Immunofluorescence microscopy localized the protein on both basal bodies and probasal bodies. The protein is present as at least two molecular-weight variants that can be converted to a single form with phosphatase treatment. Synthesis of Uni2 protein is induced during cell division cycles; accumulation of the phosphorylated form coincides with assembly of transition zones and flagella at the end of the division cycle. Using the Uni2 protein as a cell cycle marker of basal bodies, we observed migration of basal bodies before flagellar resorption in some cells, indicating that flagellar resorption is not required for mitotic progression. We observed the sequential assembly of new probasal bodies beginning at prophase. The uni2 mutants may be defective in the pathways leading to flagellar assembly and to basal body maturation.


2004 ◽  
Vol 164 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongmin Qin ◽  
Dennis R. Diener ◽  
Stefan Geimer ◽  
Douglas G. Cole ◽  
Joel L. Rosenbaum

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is the bidirectional movement of multisubunit protein particles along axonemal microtubules and is required for assembly and maintenance of eukaryotic flagella and cilia. One posited role of IFT is to transport flagellar precursors to the flagellar tip for assembly. Here, we examine radial spokes, axonemal subunits consisting of 22 polypeptides, as potential cargo for IFT. Radial spokes were found to be partially assembled in the cell body, before being transported to the flagellar tip by anterograde IFT. Fully assembled radial spokes, detached from axonemal microtubules during flagellar breakdown or turnover, are removed from flagella by retrograde IFT. Interactions between IFT particles, motors, radial spokes, and other axonemal proteins were verified by coimmunoprecipitation of these proteins from the soluble fraction of Chlamydomonas flagella. These studies indicate that one of the main roles of IFT in flagellar assembly and maintenance is to transport axonemal proteins in and out of the flagellum.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (21) ◽  
pp. 2553-2565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Dai ◽  
Francesco Barbieri ◽  
David R. Mitchell ◽  
Karl F. Lechtreck

Outer dynein arms (ODAs) are multiprotein complexes that drive flagellar beating. Based on genetic and biochemical analyses, ODAs preassemble in the cell body and then move into the flagellum by intraflagellar transport (IFT). To study ODA transport in vivo, we expressed the essential intermediate chain 2 tagged with mNeonGreen (IC2-NG) to rescue the corresponding Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant oda6. IC2-NG moved by IFT; the transport was of low processivity and increased in frequency during flagellar growth. As expected, IFT of IC2-NG was diminished in oda16, lacking an ODA-specific IFT adapter, and in ift46 IFT46ΔN lacking the ODA16-interacting portion of IFT46. IFT loading appears to involve ODA16-dependent recruitment of ODAs to basal bodies followed by handover to IFT. Upon unloading from IFT, ODAs rapidly docked to the axoneme. Transient docking still occurred in the docking complex mutant oda3 indicating that the docking complex stabilizes rather than initiates ODA–microtubule interactions. In full-length flagella, ODAs continued to enter and move inside cilia by short-term bidirectional IFT and diffusion and the newly imported complexes frequently replaced axoneme-bound ODAs. We propose that the low processivity of ODA-IFT contributes to flagellar maintenance by ensuring the availability of replacement ODAs along the length of flagella.


2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 1460-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Cardol ◽  
Marie Lapaille ◽  
Pierre Minet ◽  
Fabrice Franck ◽  
René F. Matagne ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Made of more than 40 subunits, the rotenone-sensitive NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) is the most intricate membrane-bound enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. In vascular plants, fungi, and animals, at least seven complex I subunits (ND1, -2, -3, -4, -4L, -5, and -6; ND is NADH dehydrogenase) are coded by mitochondrial genes. The role of these highly hydrophobic subunits in the enzyme activity and assembly is still poorly understood. In the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the ND3 and ND4L subunits are encoded in the nuclear genome, and we show here that the corresponding genes, called NUO3 and NUO11, respectively, display features that facilitate their expression and allow the proper import of the corresponding proteins into mitochondria. In particular, both polypeptides show lower hydrophobicity compared to their mitochondrion-encoded counterparts. The expression of the NUO3 and NUO11 genes has been suppressed by RNA interference. We demonstrate that the absence of ND3 or ND4L polypeptides prevents the assembly of the 950-kDa whole complex I and suppresses the enzyme activity. The putative role of hydrophobic ND subunits is discussed in relation to the structure of the complex I enzyme. A model for the assembly pathway of the Chlamydomonas enzyme is proposed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (15) ◽  
pp. 2404-2422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaimee Reck ◽  
Alexandria M. Schauer ◽  
Kristyn VanderWaal Mills ◽  
Raqual Bower ◽  
Douglas Tritschler ◽  
...  

The assembly of cilia and flagella depends on the activity of two microtubule motor complexes, kinesin-2 and dynein-2/1b, but the specific functions of the different subunits are poorly defined. Here we analyze Chlamydomonas strains expressing different amounts of the dynein 1b light intermediate chain (D1bLIC). Disruption of D1bLIC alters the stability of the dynein 1b complex and reduces both the frequency and velocity of retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT), but it does not eliminate retrograde IFT. Flagellar assembly, motility, gliding, and mating are altered in a dose-dependent manner. iTRAQ-based proteomics identifies a small subset of proteins that are significantly reduced or elevated in d1blic flagella. Transformation with D1bLIC-GFP rescues the mutant phenotypes, and D1bLIC-GFP assembles into the dynein 1b complex at wild-type levels. D1bLIC-GFP is transported with anterograde IFT particles to the flagellar tip, dissociates into smaller particles, and begins processive retrograde IFT in <2 s. These studies demonstrate the role of D1bLIC in facilitating the recycling of IFT subunits and other proteins, identify new components potentially involved in the regulation of IFT, flagellar assembly, and flagellar signaling, and provide insight into the role of D1bLIC and retrograde IFT in other organisms.


Open Biology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 170211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huawen Lin ◽  
Zhengyan Zhang ◽  
Carlo Iomini ◽  
Susan K. Dutcher

Intraflagellar transport moves proteins in and out of flagella/cilia and it is essential for the assembly of these organelles. Using whole-genome sequencing, we identified splice site mutations in two IFT genes, IFT81 ( fla9 ) and IFT121 ( ift121-2 ), which lead to flagellar assembly defects in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii . The splicing defects in these ift mutants are partially corrected by mutations in two conserved spliceosome proteins, DGR14 and FRA10. We identified a dgr14 deletion mutant, which suppresses the 3′ splice site mutation in IFT81 , and a frameshift mutant of FRA10 , which suppresses the 5′ splice site mutation in IFT121 . Surprisingly, we found dgr14-1 and fra10 mutations suppress both splice site mutations. We suggest these two proteins are involved in facilitating splice site recognition/interaction; in their absence some splice site mutations are tolerated. Nonsense mutations in SMG1 , which is involved in nonsense-mediated decay, lead to accumulation of aberrant transcripts and partial restoration of flagellar assembly in the ift mutants. The high density of introns and the conservation of noncore splicing factors, together with the ease of scoring the ift mutant phenotype, make Chlamydomonas an attractive organism to identify new proteins involved in splicing through suppressor screening.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany Jack ◽  
David M. Mueller ◽  
Ann C. Fee ◽  
Ashley Tetlow ◽  
Prachee Avasthi

ABSTRACTFlagella of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii are nearly identical to cilia of mammalian cells and provide an excellent model to study ciliogenesis. These biflagellated cells have two actin genes: one encoding a conventional actin (IDA5) and the other encoding a divergent novel actin-like protein (NAP1). Previously, we described a role for actin in the regulation of flagella-building intraflagellar transport machinery. Here, we probe how actin redundancy contributes to this process using a nap1 mutant Chlamydomonas strain. Disruption of a single actin allows normal or slower incorporation but complete flagellar assembly. However, when we disrupt both actins using Latrunculin B (LatB) treatment on the nap1 mutant background, we find flagellar growth from newly synthesized limiting flagellar proteins is actin-dependent. Upon total actin disruption during flagellar assembly, transmission electron microscopy identified an accumulation of Golgi-adjacent vesicles, suggesting impaired vesicular trafficking may be the mechanism by which actin supports flagellar growth from new flagellar proteins. We also find there is a mislocalization of a key transition zone gating and ciliopathy protein, NPHP-4. Extended (2 hour) treatment with LatB, a condition under which NAP1 is upregulated, restores NPHP-4 localization. This suggests NAP1 can perform the functions of conventional actin at the transition zone. Our experiments demonstrate that each stage of flagellar biogenesis requires redundant actin function to varying degrees, with an absolute requirement for these actins in transport of Golgi-adjacent vesicles and flagellar incorporation of newly synthesized proteins.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 1652-1666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuya Nishijima ◽  
Yohei Hagiya ◽  
Tomohiro Kubo ◽  
Ryota Takei ◽  
Yohei Katoh ◽  
...  

Proteins localized to the basal body and the centrosome play crucial roles in ciliary assembly and function. Although RABL2 and CEP19 are conserved in ciliated organisms and have been implicated in ciliary/flagellar functions, their roles are poorly understood. Here we show that RABL2 interacts with CEP19 and is recruited to the mother centriole and basal body in a CEP19-dependent manner and that CEP19 is recruited to the centriole probably via its binding to the centrosomal protein FGFR1OP. Disruption of the RABL2 gene in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii results in the nonflagellated phenotype, suggesting a crucial role of RABL2 in ciliary/flagellar assembly. We also show that RABL2 interacts, in its GTP-bound state, with the intraflagellar transport (IFT)-B complex via the IFT74–IFT81 heterodimer and that the interaction is disrupted by a mutation found in male infertile mice (Mot mice) with a sperm flagella motility defect. Intriguingly, RABL2 binds to CEP19 and the IFT74–IFT81 heterodimer in a mutually exclusive manner. Furthermore, exogenous expression of the GDP-locked or Mot-type RABL2 mutant in human cells results in mild defects in ciliary assembly. These results indicate that RABL2 localized to the basal body plays crucial roles in ciliary/flagellar assembly via its interaction with the IFT-B complex.


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