Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2025
07:53
Application of High-speed Super-resolution SPEED Microscopy in Live Primary Cilium
Published on: January 16, 2018
8.3K
Evolutionary trajectory for nuclear functions of ciliary transport complex proteins
Alexander Ewerling1, Helen Louise May-Simera1
1Faculty of Biology, Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR
|July 12, 2024
Summary
Cilia and the nucleus evolved from a common ancestor. This review explores how proteins in these organelles may have acquired dual functions, offering insights into early eukaryotic evolution and ciliopathies.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Cell biology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Cilia and the nucleus are defining features of the last eukaryotic common ancestor.
- These organelles evolved from a common membrane-coating ancestor, the protocoatomer.
- Proteins involved in ciliary transport and nuclear pore complexes share similarities, suggesting a common origin.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evolutionary history of cilia and the nucleus.
- To integrate current knowledge into theories of early eukaryotic evolution.
- To explain how ciliary proteins and nucleoporins acquired dual functions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of evolutionary history and protein functions.
- Integration of current knowledge into evolutionary models.
- Postulation of a co-evolutionary scenario for cilia and nucleus.
Main Results:
- The protocoatomer diversified to form components of both cilia and the nuclear envelope.
- Ciliary transport proteins and nucleoporins share a common evolutionary origin.
- Evidence suggests a co-evolutionary path for these essential eukaryotic compartments.
Conclusions:
- Cilia and the nucleus likely co-evolved from a shared ancestral structure.
- Understanding shared protein functions is key to deciphering early eukaryotic evolution.
- This evolutionary perspective aids in understanding ciliopathies and related diseases.
Related Concept Videos
01:05Mechanism of Ciliary Motion
3.6K
The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are responsible for cell movement, while in higher organisms, these appendages help in the movement of the extracellular fluids within the body cavities.
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
3.6K
01:34Nuclear Protein Sorting
4.6K
Nuclear protein sorting is the selective trafficking of histones, polymerases, gene regulatory proteins into the nucleus and exporting RNAs and ribosomes to the cytosol. It is a tightly controlled process that regulates gene expression within a cell.
Proteins targeted to the nucleus carry nuclear localization signals or NLS recognized by import receptors in the cytosol. Similarly, proteins with nuclear export signals are recognized by export receptors. Import and export receptors are...
Proteins targeted to the nucleus carry nuclear localization signals or NLS recognized by import receptors in the cytosol. Similarly, proteins with nuclear export signals are recognized by export receptors. Import and export receptors are...
4.6K
01:43The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles
4.4K
In eukaryotic cells, cytoskeletal filaments such as actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments form a mesh-like cytoskeletal network. These filaments serve as tracks for transporting cellular cargo. Specialized motor proteins use the chemical energy stored in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for this transport. During interphase, microtubules are polarized, with the plus-end towards the cell periphery and the minus-end towards the cell center. Two microtubule-associated motor proteins,...
4.4K
01:24Microtubules in Cell Motility
3.2K
Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
3.2K
01:32Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins
7.9K
Eukaryotic cells have different motor proteins for transporting various cargo within the cell. These motor proteins differ based on the filament they associate with, the direction they move within the cell, and the type of cargo they transport. Motor proteins that associate with microtubules are known as microtubule-associated motor proteins. There are two families of microtubule-associated motor proteins —Kinesins and Dyneins. Both these proteins assist in the transport of cellular...
7.9K
01:45Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
2.4K
Nuclear protein sorting regulates nucleus composition and gene expression, crucial for determining the fate of a eukaryotic cell. Hence, the entry and exit of molecules across the nuclear envelope is a tightly controlled process. Nuclear protein sorting can be inhibited by one of the following ways: 1) masking cargo signal sequences, 2) modifying the nuclear receptor's affinity for cargo, 3) controlling the nuclear pore size, 4) retaining the cargo during its transit to the cytosol or the...
2.4K