title: TGF-β Signaling Regulates the Differentiation of Motile Cilia.
abstract: The cilium is a small cellular organelle with motility- and/or sensory-related functions that plays a crucial role during developmental and homeostatic processes. Although many molecules or signal transduction pathways that control cilia assembly have been reported, the mechanisms of ciliary length control have remained enigmatic. Here, we report that Smad2-dependent transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling impacts the length of motile cilia at the Xenopus left-right (LR) organizer, the gastrocoel roof plate (GRP), as well as at the neural tube and the epidermis. Blocking TGF-β signaling resulted in the absence of the transition zone protein B9D1/MSKR-1 from cilia in multi-ciliated cells (MCCs) of the epidermis. Interestingly, this TGF-β activity is not mediated by Mcidas, Foxj1, and RFX2, the known major regulators of ciliogenesis. These data indicate that TGF-β signaling is crucial for the function of the transition zone, which in turn may affect the regulation of cilia length.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrtraβe 30, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Janos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tözser
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4300, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Earwood
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4300, USA.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4300, USA.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4300, USA.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4300, USA.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Didier
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4300, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Megraw
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrtraβe 30, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany. Electronic address: martin.blum@uni-hohenheim.de.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4300, USA. Electronic address: yoichi.kato@med.fsu.edu.
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002923:Cilia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D051899:Smad2 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D014981:Xenopus / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D051899:Smad2 Protein; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta