Centrosome Protein CCDC81 Promotes Ciliogenesis

In animal cells, centrosomes function as the microtubule-organizing centers; their presence is essential for mitosis and for assembling various cilia-both primary and motile. Here, we identified coiled-coil domain containing 81 (CCDC81) located at the centrosome through its 301-505 aa. Using bioinformatics approaches, we constructed a Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree. We also analyzed the conservation of the CCDC81 protein sequence. The results reveal a high degree of conservation in mammals, implying a potentially vital biological role for CCDC81. Silencing of CCDC81 resulted in a decrease in both the frequency and length of primary cilia, yet it exerted no significant impact on centriole number. Examining CCDC81 tissue distribution in mice revealed markedly elevated Ccdc81 mRNA levels in testis, lung, trachea, and fallopian tubes-tissues characterized by abundant motile cilia. Ccdc81 knockout mice were generated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Over a six-week period, body weight measurements of knockout mice showed no significant abnormalities. Our research results suggest that CCDC81 is indispensable for the formation of primary cilia and plays a role in the function of motile cilia.