Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 9, 2026
08:00
Observation of the Ciliary Movement of Choroid Plexus Epithelial Cells Ex Vivo
Published on: July 13, 2015
12.6K
JHY enables the transition from switchable to fixed ciliary waveforms in metazoan evolution
Qingxia Chen1, Shuxiang Ma2, Hao Liu3
1Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Institute of Early Life Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 200092, Shanghai, China.
EMBO Reports
|December 10, 2025
Summary
WDR47 coordinates JHY and SPEF1 to stabilize central pair microtubules (CP-MTs) in motile cilia. This discovery reveals a novel mechanism for maintaining ciliary function and waveform, crucial for cellular homeostasis.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Structural Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Motile cilia are essential for movement and homeostasis.
- Central pair microtubules (CP-MTs) drive ciliary beating.
- The stabilization mechanism for CP-MTs is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanism stabilizing mammalian central pair microtubules (CP-MTs).
- To identify proteins involved in CP-MT stabilization.
- To understand the evolutionary role of these proteins in ciliary function.
Main Methods:
- Proximity interactome analysis of WDR47.
- Identification and characterization of CP-MT-associated proteins.
- Generation and analysis of Jhy-deficient mice.
- Phylogenetic analyses.
Main Results:
- WDR47, JHY, and SPEF1 form a complex that stabilizes CP-MTs.
- WDR47 recruits JHY and SPEF1 to nascent cilia.
- SPEF1 directly interacts with WDR47 and JHY to anchor them to CP-MTs.
- Jhy deficiency disrupts distal CP-MTs and causes abnormal ciliary beating.
- Conserved functions of WDR47 and SPEF1 across species, with JHY emerging in animals.
Conclusions:
- WDR47, JHY, and SPEF1 are crucial for mammalian CP-MT stability.
- This mechanism is vital for maintaining ciliary motility and waveform.
- The evolution of JHY likely enabled more complex ciliary functions in metazoans.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:05Mechanism of Ciliary Motion
4.8K
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...
4.8K
01:22Hair Cells
44.2K
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
44.2K
02:15M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis
6.2K
Checkpoints throughout the cell cycle serve as safeguards and gatekeepers, allowing the cell cycle to progress in favorable conditions and slow or halt it in problematic ones. This regulation is known as the cell cycle control system.
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
6.2K
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
5.4K
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
5.4K
01:22Microtubules in Signaling
2.1K
The primary cilium, made up of microtubules, acts as antennae on the cell surfaces for relaying external stimuli into the cells. These fine hair-like structures are present, generally one per cell. These are non-motile cilia in a 9+0 microtubules arrangement, where the central pair of microtubules are absent. The primary cilia arise from the basal body embedded in the cell membrane. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) carries requisite proteins from the cytoplasm to the cilium because the primary...
2.1K
01:16Cell Motility through Blebbing
2.4K
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
2.4K