Ift88, but not Kif3a, is required for establishment of the periciliary membrane compartment

The primary cilium is a sensory organelle at the cell surface with integral functions in cell signaling. It contains a microtubular axoneme that is rooted in the basal body (BB) and serves as a scaffold for the movement of intraflagellar transport (IFT) particles by Kinesin-2 along the cilium. Ift88, a member of the anterograde moving IFT-B1 complex, as well as the Kinesin-2 subunit Kif3a are required for cilia formation. To facilitate signaling, the cilium restricts the access of molecules to its membrane ("ciliary gate"). This is thought to be mediated by cytoskeletal barriers ("subciliary domains") originating from the BB subdistal/distal appendages, the periciliary membrane compartment (PCMC) as well as the transition fibers and zone (TF/TZ). The PCMC is a poorly characterized membrane domain surrounding the ciliary base with exclusion of certain apical membrane proteins. Here we describe that Ift88, but not Kinesin-2, is required for the establishment of the PCMC in MDCK cells. Likewise, in C. elegans mutants of the Ift88 ortholog osm-5 fail to establish the PCMC, while Kinesin-2 deficient osm-3 mutants form PCMCs normally. Furthermore, disruption of IFT-B1 into two subcomplexes, while disrupting ciliogenesis, does not interfere with PCMC formation. Our findings suggest that cilia are not a prerequisite for the formation of the PCMC, and that separate machineries with partially overlapping functions are required for the establishment of each.