title: Drosophila pericentrin requires interaction with calmodulin for its function at centrosomes and neuronal basal bodies but not at sperm basal bodies.
abstract: Pericentrin is a critical centrosomal protein required for organizing pericentriolar material (PCM) in mitosis. Mutations in pericentrin cause the human genetic disorder Majewski/microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II, making a detailed understanding of its regulation extremely important. Germaine to pericentrin's function in organizing PCM is its ability to localize to the centrosome through the conserved C-terminal PACT domain. Here we use Drosophila pericentrin-like-protein (PLP) to understand how the PACT domain is regulated. We show that the interaction of PLP with calmodulin (CaM) at two highly conserved CaM-binding sites in the PACT domain controls the proper targeting of PLP to the centrosome. Disrupting the PLP-CaM interaction with single point mutations renders PLP inefficient in localizing to centrioles in cultured S2 cells and Drosophila neuroblasts. Although levels of PCM are unaffected, it is highly disorganized. We also demonstrate that basal body formation in the male testes and the production of functional sperm does not rely on the PLP-CaM interaction, whereas production of functional mechanosensory neurons does.
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Galletta
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Rodrigo X
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Guillen
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Carey J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fagerstrom
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724.
authors.forename: Chris W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Brownlee
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Dorothy A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lerit
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL 32304.
authors.forename: Timothy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Megraw
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724.
authors.forename: Gregory C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 Nasser@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Nasser M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Rusan
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D064652:Basal Bodies / Q000378:metabolism*; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D002502:Centrioles / Q000502:physiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D008297:Male; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D021381:Protein Transport; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002147:Calmodulin; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C483309:Plp protein, Drosophila