Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 25, 2026

Reactivation of Demembranated Cell Models in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Published on: May 6, 2022
The intraflagellar transport machinery of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
1Department of Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, 83844-3052, USA. dcole@uidaho.edu
Abstract:
First discovered in the green alga, Chlamydomonas, intraflagellar transport (IFT) is the bidirectional movement of protein particles along the length of eukaryotic cilia and flagella. Composed of approximately 16 different proteins, IFT particles are moved out to the distal tip of the organelle by kinesin-II and are brought back to the cell body by cytoplasmic dynein 1b. Mutant analysis of the IFT motor and particle proteins using diverse organisms has revealed a conserved and essential role for IFT in the assembly and maintenance of cilia and flagella. IFT is thought to mediate this assembly through the delivery of axonemal precursors out to the distal tip of the growing organelle. Consistent with this model, the IFT particle proteins are rich in protein-protein binding motifs, suggesting that the particles may act as scaffolds for the binding of multiple cargoes. With most of the IFT proteins now identified at the level of the gene, this review will briefly examine both the structure and function of the IFT machinery of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.
Related Concept Videos
Protein Transport to the Inner Chloroplast Membrane
Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins
Protein Transport to the Stroma
Protein complexes called the translocon of the outer chloroplast membrane or TOC complex, and the translocon of the inner chloroplast membrane or TIC complex mediate the...
Protein Transport to the Outer Chloroplast Membrane
Two models describe the mechanism of precursor recognition and entry across the outer membrane through the TOC complex. Model 1 suggests the newly synthesized precursor binds to the TOC receptor 159 and forms a complex.
Microtubules in Cell Motility
The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles

