Meta-Biol

• Pathways

Cilium biogenesis is initiated by the docking of basal bodies, a centriole-derived organelle, to the plasma membrane (reviewed in Reiter et al, 2012). The centriole consists of a multiprotein core surrounded by a ring of nine microtubule triplets; the mother centriole additionally has 'distal' and 'subdistal appendages' that are critical for ciliogenesis (reviewed in Kim and Dynlacht, 2013; Firat-Karalar and Stearns, 2014; Bettencourt-Dias et al, 2011). Basal bodies initiate and anchor the extension of the axonemal microtubules and also associate with secretory vesicles which are thought to provide membrane components for the extension of the ciliary membrane (Sorokin, 1962; Sorokin, 1968; Bachmann-Gagescu et al, 2011; Tanos et al, 2013; reviewed in Ishikawa et al, 2011; Reiter et al, 2012). Basal bodies are attached to the plasma membrane through a proteinaceous network of transition fibers that form part of the 'transition zone' at the ciliary base. The transition zone acts as a selective barrier or ciliary pore, excluding vesicles and limiting the diffusion of proteins and lipids from the cytosol or plasma membrane (Deane et al, 2001; Craige et al, 2010; Garcia-Gonzalo et al, 2011; Ye et al, 2014; Joo et al, 2013; reviewed in Nachury et al, 2010; Hsiao et al, 2012; Reiter et al, 2012). In addition to the transition fibres, the transition zone also consists of the ciliary necklace (a row of protein particles at the ciliary membrane at the base of the cilium) and the Y-links (that connect the axonemal microtubules to the membrane at the ciliary necklace) (Williams et al, 2011; reviewed in Hsiao et al, 2012; Reiter et al, 2012).

Cilia are membrane covered organelles that extend from the surface of eukaryotic cells. Cilia may be motile, such as respiratory cilia) or non-motile (such as the primary cilium) and are distinguished by the structure of their microtubule-based axonemes. The axoneme consists of nine peripheral doublet microtubules, and in the case of many motile cilia, may also contain a pair of central single microtubules. These are referred to as 9+0 or 9+2 axonemes, respectively. Relative to their non-motile counterparts, motile cilia also contain additional structures that contribute to motion, including inner and outer dynein arms, radial spokes and nexin links. Four main types of cilia have been identified in humans: 9+2 motile (such as respiratory cilia), 9+0 motile (nodal cilia), 9+2 non-motile (kinocilium of hair cells) and 9+0 non-motile (primary cilium and photoreceptor cells) (reviewed in Fliegauf et al, 2007). This pathway describes cilia formation, with an emphasis on the primary cilium. The primary cilium is a sensory organelle that is required for the transduction of numerous external signals such as growth factors, hormones and morphogens, and an intact primary cilium is needed for signaling pathways mediated by Hh, WNT, calcium, G-protein coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases, among others (reviewed in Goetz and Anderson, 2010; Berbari et al, 2009; Nachury, 2014). Unlike the motile cilia, which are generally present in large numbers on epithelial cells and are responsible for sensory function as well as wave-like beating motions, the primary cilium is a non-motile sensory organelle that is present in a single copy at the apical surface of most quiescent cells (reviewed in Hsiao et al, 2012). Cilium biogenesis involves the anchoring of the basal body, a centriole-derived organelle, near the plasma membrane and the subsequent polymerization of the microtubule-based axoneme and extension of the plasma membrane (reviewed in Ishikawa and Marshall, 2011; Reiter et al, 2012). Although the ciliary membrane is continuous with the plasma membrane, the protein and lipid content of the cilium and the ciliary membrane are distinct from those of the bulk cytoplasm and plasma membrane (reviewed in Emmer et al, 2010; Rohatgi and Snell, 2010). This specialized compartment is established and maintained during cilium biogenesis by the formation of a ciliary transition zone, a proteinaceous structure that, with the transition fibres, anchors the basal body to the plasma membrane and acts as a ciliary pore to limit free diffusion from the cytosol to the cilium (reviewed in Nachury et al, 2010; Reiter et al, 2012). Ciliary components are targeted from the secretory system to the ciliary base and subsequently transported to the ciliary tip, where extension of the axoneme occurs, by a motor-driven process called intraflagellar transport (IFT). Anterograde transport of cargo from the ciliary base to the tip of the cilium requires kinesin-2 type motors, while the dynein-2 motor is required for retrograde transport back to the ciliary base. In addition, both anterograde and retrograde transport depend on the IFT complex, a multiprotein assembly consisting of two subcomplexes, IFT A and IFT B. The primary cilium is a dynamic structure that undergoes continuous steady-state turnover of tubulin at the tip; as a consequence, the IFT machinery is required for cilium maintenance as well as biogenesis (reviewed in Bhogaraju et al, 2013; Hsiao et al, 2012; Li et al, 2012; Taschner et al, 2012; Sung and Leroux, 2013). The importance of the cilium in signaling and cell biology is highlighted by the wide range of defects and disorders, collectively known as ciliopathies, that arise as the result of mutations in genes encoding components of the ciliary machinery (reviewed in Goetz and Anderson, 2010; Madhivanan and Aguilar, 2014).

This module describes the biogenesis of organelles. Organelles are subcellular structures of distinctive morphology and function. The organelles of human cells include: mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, vacuoles, nucleus, (auto)phagosome, centriole, lysosome, melanosome, myofibril, nucleolus, peroxisome, cilia (in some cell types), proteasome, ribsome, and transport vesicles.