scholarly journals Proteomic analysis of microtubule inner proteins (MIPs) in Rib72 null Tetrahymena cells reveals functional MIPs

2021 ◽  
pp. mbc.E20-12-0786
Author(s):  
Amy S. Fabritius ◽  
Brian A. Bayless ◽  
Sam Li ◽  
Daniel Stoddard ◽  
Westley Heydeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Proteomic Analysis ◽  
Tetrahymena Thermophila ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Ciliary Beating ◽  
Ciliary Function ◽  
Luminal Side ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Motile Cilia ◽  
Cilia And Flagella

The core structure of motile cilia and flagella, the axoneme, is built from a stable population of doublet microtubules. This unique stability is brought about, at least in part, by a network of Microtubule Inner Proteins (MIPs) that are bound to the luminal side of the microtubule walls. Rib72A and Rib72B were identified as MIPs in the motile cilia of the protist Tetrahymena thermophila. Loss of these proteins leads to ciliary defects and loss of additional MIPs. We performed mass spectrometry coupled with proteomic analysis and bioinformatics to identify the MIPs lost in RIB72A/B knockout Tetrahymena axonemes. We identified a number of candidate MIPs and pursued one, Fap115, for functional characterization. We find that loss of Fap115 results in disrupted cell swimming and aberrant ciliary beating. Cryo-electron tomography reveals that Fap115 localizes to MIP6a in the A-tubule of the doublet microtubules. Overall, our results highlight the complex relationship between MIPs, ciliary structure, and ciliary function.

Proteomic analysis of microtubule inner proteins (MIPs) in Rib72 null Tetrahymena cells reveals functional MIPs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy S. Fabritius ◽  
Brian A. Bayless ◽  
Sam Li ◽  
Daniel Stoddard ◽  
Westley Heydeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Proteomic Analysis ◽  
Tetrahymena Thermophila ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Ciliary Beating ◽  
Ciliary Function ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Motile Cilia ◽  
Cilia And Flagella ◽  
Stable Populations

AbstractMotile cilia and flagella are built from stable populations of doublet microtubules that comprise their axonemes. Their unique stability is brought about, at least in part, by a network of Microtubule Inner Proteins (MIPs) found in the lumen of their doublet microtubules. Rib72A and Rib72B were identified as microtubule inner proteins (MIPs) in the motile cilia of Tetrahymena thermophila. Loss of these proteins leads to ciliary defects and loss of multiple MIPs. We performed mass spectrometry coupled with proteomic analysis and bioinformatics to identify the MIPs lost in RIB72A/B knockout (KO) Tetrahymena cells. From this analysis we identified a number of candidate MIPs and pursued one, Fap115, for functional characterization. We find that loss of Fap115 results in disrupted cell swimming and aberrant ciliary beating. Cryo-electron tomography reveals that Fap115 localizes to MIP6a in the A-tubule of the doublet microtubules. Overall, our results highlight the complex relationship between MIPs, ciliary structure, and ciliary function.

scholarly journals PACRG and FAP20 form the inner junction of axonemal doublet microtubules and regulate ciliary motility

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (15) ◽  
pp. 1805-1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. Dymek ◽  
Jianfeng Lin ◽  
Gang Fu ◽  
Mary E. Porter ◽  
Daniela Nicastro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Motility ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Structural Studies ◽  
Ciliary Beating ◽  
Ciliary Motility ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Motile Cilia

We previously demonstrated that PACRG plays a role in regulating dynein-driven microtubule sliding in motile cilia. To expand our understanding of the role of PACRG in ciliary assembly and motility, we used a combination of functional and structural studies, including newly identified Chlamydomonas pacrg mutants. Using cryo-electron tomography we show that PACRG and FAP20 form the inner junction between the A- and B-tubule along the length of all nine ciliary doublet microtubules. The lack of PACRG and FAP20 also results in reduced assembly of inner-arm dynein IDA b and the beak-MIP structures. In addition, our functional studies reveal that loss of PACRG and/or FAP20 causes severe cell motility defects and reduced in vitro microtubule sliding velocities. Interestingly, the addition of exogenous PACRG and/or FAP20 protein to isolated mutant axonemes restores microtubule sliding velocities, but not ciliary beating. Taken together, these studies show that PACRG and FAP20 comprise the inner junction bridge that serves as a hub for both directly modulating dynein-driven microtubule sliding, as well as for the assembly of additional ciliary components that play essential roles in generating coordinated ciliary beating.

scholarly journals Tubulin glycylation controls axonemal dynein activity, flagellar beat, and male fertility

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 371 (6525) ◽  
pp. eabd4914
Author(s):  
Sudarshan Gadadhar ◽  
Gonzalo Alvarez Viar ◽  
Jan Niklas Hansen ◽  
An Gong ◽  
Aleksandr Kostarev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttranslational Modifications ◽  
Male Fertility ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Flagellar Beat ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Axonemal Dynein ◽  
Dynein Arms ◽  
Cilia And Flagella

Posttranslational modifications of the microtubule cytoskeleton have emerged as key regulators of cellular functions, and their perturbations have been linked to a growing number of human pathologies. Tubulin glycylation modifies microtubules specifically in cilia and flagella, but its functional and mechanistic roles remain unclear. In this study, we generated a mouse model entirely lacking tubulin glycylation. Male mice were subfertile owing to aberrant beat patterns of their sperm flagella, which impeded the straight swimming of sperm cells. Using cryo–electron tomography, we showed that lack of glycylation caused abnormal conformations of the dynein arms within sperm axonemes, providing the structural basis for the observed dysfunction. Our findings reveal the importance of microtubule glycylation for controlled flagellar beating, directional sperm swimming, and male fertility.

scholarly journals The CSC connects three major axonemal complexes involved in dynein regulation

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (16) ◽  
pp. 3143-3155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Heuser ◽  
Erin E. Dymek ◽  
Jianfeng Lin ◽  
Elizabeth F. Smith ◽  
Daniela Nicastro
Keyword(s):  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Structural Heterogeneity ◽  
Flagellar Motility ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Localization Model ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Radial Spokes ◽  
Regulatory Complex ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
Cilia And Flagella

Motile cilia and flagella are highly conserved organelles that play important roles in human health and development. We recently discovered a calmodulin- and spoke-associ­ated complex (CSC) that is required for wild-type motility and for the stable assembly of a subset of radial spokes. Using cryo–electron tomography, we present the first structure-based localization model of the CSC. Chlamydomonas flagella have two full-length radial spokes, RS1 and RS2, and a shorter RS3 homologue, the RS3 stand-in (RS3S). Using newly developed techniques for analyzing samples with structural heterogeneity, we demonstrate that the CSC connects three major axonemal complexes involved in dynein regulation: RS2, the nexin–dynein regulatory complex (N-DRC), and RS3S. These results provide insights into how signals from the radial spokes may be transmitted to the N-DRC and ultimately to the dynein motors. Our results also indicate that although structurally very similar, RS1 and RS2 likely serve different functions in regulating flagellar motility.

scholarly journals Targeted dynein inhibition generates flagellar beating

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianfeng Lin ◽  
Daniela Nicastro
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanism ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Asymmetric Distribution ◽  
Conformational Switching ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Cilia And Flagella ◽  
Biochemical Analyses ◽  
Sea Urchin Sperm

Motile cilia and flagella are highly conserved organelles that are essential for the normal development and health of many eukaryotes including humans. To reveal the molecular mechanism of motility, we used cryo-electron tomography of active sea urchin sperm flagella to directly visualize the macromolecular complexes and their structural changes during flagellar beating. We resolved distinct conformations of dynein motors and regulators, and showed that many of them are distributed in bend-direction-dependent fashion in active flagella. Our results provide direct evidence for the conformational switching predicted by the ‘switch-point-hypothesis’. However, they also reveal a fundamentally different mechanism of generating motility by inhibiting dyneins, rather than activating them, causing an asymmetric distribution of force and thus bending. Our high-resolution structural and biochemical analyses provide a new understanding of the distinct roles played by various dyneins and regulators in ciliary motility and suggest a molecular mechanism for robust beating in an all-or-none manner.

scholarly journals Scaffold subunits support associated subunit assembly in the Chlamydomonas ciliary nexin-dynein regulatory complex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Gui ◽  
Kangkang Song ◽  
Douglas Tristchler ◽  
Raqual Bower ◽  
Yan Si ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Core Complex ◽  
Ciliary Motility ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Large N ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
N Terminus ◽  
Regulatory Complex ◽  
Cilia And Flagella ◽  
Linker Domain

ABSTRACTThe nexin-dynein regulatory complex (N-DRC) in motile cilia and flagella functions as a linker between neighboring doublet microtubules, acts to stabilize the axonemal core structure, and serves as a central hub for the regulation of ciliary motility. Although the N-DRC has been studied extensively using genetic, biochemical, and structural approaches, the precise arrangement of the eleven (or more) N-DRC subunits remains unknown. Here, using cryo-electron tomography, we have compared the structure of Chlamydomonas wild-type flagella to that of strains with specific DRC subunit deletions or rescued strains with tagged DRC subunits. Our results show that DRC7 is a central linker subunit that helps connect the N-DRC to the outer dynein arms. DRC11 is required for the assembly of DRC8, and DRC8/11 form a sub-complex in the proximal lobe of the linker domain that is required to form stable contacts to the neighboring B-tubule. Gold labeling of tagged subunits determines the precise locations of the previously ambiguous N-terminus of DRC4 which is now shown to contribute to the core scaffold of the N-DRC and C-terminus of DRC5. Our results reveal the overall architecture of N-DRC, with the three subunits, DRC1/2/4 forming a core complex that serves as the scaffold for the assembly of the “functional subunits” associate, namely DRC3/5-8/11. These findings shed light on N-DRC assembly and its role in regulating flagellar beating.Significance StatementCilia and flagella are small hair-like appendages in eukaryotic cells that play essential roles in cell sensing, signaling, and motility. The highly conserved nexin-dynein regulatory complex (N-DRC) is one of the key regulators for ciliary motility. At least 11 proteins (DRC1–11) have been assigned to the N-DRC, but their precise arrangement within the large N-DRC structure is not yet known. Here, using cryo-electron tomography combined with genetic approaches, we have localized DRC7, the sub-complex DRC8/DRC11, the N-terminus of DRC4, and the C-terminus of DRC5. Our results provide insights into the N-DRC structure, its function in the regulation of dynein activity, and the mechanism by which n-drc mutations can lead to defects in ciliary motility that cause disease.

scholarly journals Systematic studies of all PIH proteins in zebrafish reveal their distinct roles in axonemal dynein assembly

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Yamaguchi ◽  
Toshiyuki Oda ◽  
Masahide Kikkawa ◽  
Hiroyuki Takeda
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Motility ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Protein Family ◽  
Abnormal Sperm ◽  
Kupffer’S Vesicle ◽  
Kupffer's Vesicle ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Organ Specific ◽  
Axonemal Dynein ◽  
Motile Cilia

AbstractConstruction of motile cilia/flagella requires cytoplasmic preassembly of axonemal dyneins before transport into cilia. Axonemal dyneins have various subtypes, but the roles of each dynein subtype and their assembly processes remain elusive in vertebrates. The PIH protein family, consisting of four members, has been implicated in the assembly of different dynein subtypes, although evidence for this idea is sparse. Here, we established zebrafish mutants of all four PIH-protein genes: pih1d1, pih1d2, ktu, and twister, and analyzed the structures of axonemal dyneins in mutant spermatozoa by cryo-electron tomography. Mutations caused the loss of specific dynein subtypes, which was correlated with abnormal sperm motility. We also found organ-specific compositions of dynein subtypes, which could explain the severe motility defects of mutant Kupffer’s vesicle cilia. Our data demonstrate that all vertebrate PIH proteins are differently required for cilia/flagella motions and the assembly of axonemal dyneins, assigning specific dynein subtypes to each PIH protein.

scholarly journals The molecular structure of primary cilia revealed by cryo-electron tomography

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Kiesel ◽  
Gonzalo Alvarez Viar ◽  
Nikolai Tsoy ◽  
Riccardo Maraspini ◽  
Alf Honigmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Structure ◽  
Primary Cilium ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Primary Cilia ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Molecular Composition ◽  
Structural Investigations ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Motile Cilia

AbstractPrimary cilia are microtubule-based organelles involved in key signaling and sensing processes in eukaryotic cells. Unlike motile cilia, which have been thoroughly studied, the structure and the composition of primary cilia remain largely unexplored despite their fundamental role in development and homeostasis. They have for long been falsely regarded as simplified versions of motile cilia because they lack distinctive elements such as dynein arms, radial spokes, and central pair complex. However, revealing the detailed molecular composition and 3D structure of primary cilia is necessary in order to understand the mechanisms that govern their functions. Such structural investigations are so far being precluded by the challenging preparation of primary cilia for cryo-electron microscopy. Here, we developed an enabling method for investigating the structure of primary cilia at molecular resolution by cryo-electron tomography. We show that the well-known “9+0” arrangement of microtubule doublets is present only at the base of the primary cilium. A few microns away from the base the ciliary architecture changes into an unstructured bundle of EB1-decorated microtubule singlets and some actin filaments. Our results suggest the existence of a previously unobserved crosstalk between actin filaments and microtubules in the primary cilium. Our work provides unprecedented insights into the molecular structure of primary cilia and a general framework for uncovering their molecular composition and function in health and disease. This opens up new possibilities to study aspects of this important organelle that have so far been out of reach.

Cryo-Electron Tomography Reveals Novel Features of Cilia and Flagella

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (S2) ◽  
pp. 554-555
Author(s):  
D. Nicastro ◽  
T. Heuser ◽  
J. Lin ◽  
C.F. Barber
Keyword(s):  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Cilia And Flagella

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

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