Ciliopathy proteins establish a bipartite signaling compartment in a C. elegans thermosensory neuron

Phuong Anh T. Nguyen, Willisa Liou, David H. Hall, Michel R. Leroux*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

How signaling domains form is an important, yet largely unexplored question. Here, we show that ciliary proteins help establish two contiguous, yet distinct cyclic GMP (cGMP) signaling compartments in Caenorhabditis elegans thermosensory AFD neurons. One compartment, a bona fide cilium, is delineated by proteins associated with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), Meckel syndrome and nephronophthisis at its base, and requires NPHP-2 (known as inversin in mammals) to anchor a cGMP-gated ion channel within the proximal ciliary region. The other, a subcompartment with profuse microvilli and a different lipid environment, is separated from the dendrite by a cellular junction and requires BBS-8 and DAF-25 (known as Ankmy2 in mammals) for correct localization of guanylyl cyclases needed for thermosensation. Consistent with a requirement for a membrane diffusion barrier at the subcompartment base, we reveal the unexpected presence of ciliary transition zone proteins where no canonical transition zone ultrastructure exists. We propose that differential compartmentalization of signal transduction components by ciliary proteins is important for the functions of ciliated sensory neurons.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5317-5330
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Cell Science
Volume127
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2014.

Keywords

  • Compartmentalization
  • Primary cilia
  • Sensory neuron
  • Thermotaxis
  • Transition zone
  • cGMP signaling

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