PUBLICATION

The inner junction protein CFAP20 functions in motile and non-motile cilia and is critical for vision

Authors
Chrystal, P.W., Lambacher, N.J., Doucette, L.P., Bellingham, J., Schiff, E.R., Noel, N.C.L., Li, C., Tsiropoulou, S., Casey, G.A., Zhai, Y., Nadolski, N.J., Majumder, M.H., Tagoe, J., D'Esposito, F., Cordeiro, M.F., Downes, S., Clayton-Smith, J., Ellingford, J., Genomics England Research Consortium, Mahroo, O.A., Hocking, J.C., Cheetham, M.E., Webster, A.R., Jansen, G., Blacque, O.E., Allison, W.T., Au, P.Y.B., MacDonald, I.M., Arno, G., Leroux, M.R.
ID
ZDB-PUB-221105-1
Date
2022
Source
Nature communications   13: 6595 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Allison, Ted
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolism
  • Cilia/metabolism
  • Ciliopathies*/genetics
  • Ciliopathies*/metabolism
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Proteins/metabolism
  • Retinal Dystrophies*
  • Semen/metabolism
  • Zebrafish/genetics
PubMed
36329026 Full text @ Nat. Commun.
Abstract
Motile and non-motile cilia are associated with mutually-exclusive genetic disorders. Motile cilia propel sperm or extracellular fluids, and their dysfunction causes primary ciliary dyskinesia. Non-motile cilia serve as sensory/signalling antennae on most cell types, and their disruption causes single-organ ciliopathies such as retinopathies or multi-system syndromes. CFAP20 is a ciliopathy candidate known to modulate motile cilia in unicellular eukaryotes. We demonstrate that in zebrafish, cfap20 is required for motile cilia function, and in C. elegans, CFAP-20 maintains the structural integrity of non-motile cilia inner junctions, influencing sensory-dependent signalling and development. Human patients and zebrafish with CFAP20 mutations both exhibit retinal dystrophy. Hence, CFAP20 functions within a structural/functional hub centered on the inner junction that is shared between motile and non-motile cilia, and is distinct from other ciliopathy-associated domains or macromolecular complexes. Our findings suggest an uncharacterised pathomechanism for retinal dystrophy, and potentially for motile and non-motile ciliopathies in general.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping