The molecular architecture of proteins at the base of primary cilia revealed by super-resolution microscopy

摘要

Primary cilia are an important organelle responsible for cell sensing and signaling. At the base of primary cilia, thereare important proteins whose malfunctions result in serious diseases, i.e. ciliopathies. Using two super-resolutionmicroscopy techniques, i.e. stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy and direct stochastic optical reconstructionmicroscopy (dSTORM), we map the molecular architecture of two essential regions, i.e. the transition zone and the distalappendages. Specifically, we find the relative localization of ciliopathy-associated proteins potentially suggesting theiraffinity to either the ciliary membrane or the axoneme. We also find a new structural part of the distal appendages, thedistal appendage matrix, in between adjacent distal appendage blades. The matrix and blades are responsible for differentfunctions for cilia.