DYNAMICS AND MAINTENANCE OF CILIA COMPONENTS

Funder

Organizational Unit

Publications

Methods to Study Centrosomes and Cilia in Drosophila

Publication . Jana, Swadhin Chandra; Mendonça, Susana; Werner, Sascha; Bettencourt-Dias, Monica

Centrioles and cilia are highly conserved eukaryotic organelles. Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful genetic and cell biology model organism, extensively used to discover underlying mechanisms of centrosome and cilia biogenesis and function. Defects in centrosomes and cilia reduce fertility and affect different sensory functions, such as proprioception, olfaction, and hearing. The fly possesses a large diversity of ciliary structures and assembly modes, such as motile, immotile, and intraflagellar transport (IFT)-independent or IFT-dependent assembly. Moreover, all the diverse ciliated cells harbor centrioles at the base of the cilia, called basal bodies, making the fly an attractive model to better understand the biology of this organelle. This chapter describes protocols to visualize centrosomes and cilia by fluorescence and electron microscopy.

2016-08-12Preprint

Open access

Maintaining centrosomes and cilia

Publication . Werner, Sascha; Pimenta-Marques, Ana; Bettencourt-Dias, Mónica

Centrosomes and cilia are present in organisms from all branches of the eukaryotic tree of life. These structures are composed of microtubules and various other proteins, and are required for a plethora of cell processes such as structuring the cytoskeleton, sensing the environment, and motility. Deregulation of centrosome and cilium components leads to a wide range of diseases, some of which are incompatible with life. Centrosomes and cilia are thought to be very stable and can persist over long periods of time. However, these structures can disappear in certain developmental stages and diseases. Moreover, some centrosome and cilia components are quite dynamic. While a large body of knowledge has been produced regarding the biogenesis of these structures, little is known about how they are maintained. In this Review, we propose the existence of specific centrosome and cilia maintenance programs, which are regulated during development and homeostasis, and when deregulated can lead to disease.

2017-11-15Review

Open access

Funding agency

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Funding Award Number

SFRH/BD/52176/2013