A coiled-coil- and C2-domain-containing protein is required for FAZ assembly and cell morphology in Trypanosoma brucei

作者：Zhou Qing; Liu Binghai; Sun Ying; He Cynthia Y^*

来源：Journal of Cell Science, 2011, 124(22): 3848-3858.

DOI：10.1242/jcs.087676

• Trypanosoma brucei
• Flagellum attachment zone (FAZ)
• Bi-lobed structure
• Flagellum
• Basal bodies
• Cell morphology

Trypanosoma brucei, a flagellated protozoan parasite causing human sleeping sickness, relies on a subpellicular microtubule array for maintenance of cell morphology. The flagellum is attached to the cell body through a poorly understood flagellum attachment zone (FAZ), and regulates cell morphogenesis using an unknown mechanism. Here we identified a new FAZ component, CC2D, which contains coiled-coil motifs followed by a C-terminal C2 domain. T. brucei CC2D is present on the FAZ filament, FAZ-juxtaposed ER membrane and the basal bodies. Depletion of CC2D inhibits the assembly of a new FAZ filament, forming a FAZ stub with a relatively fixed size at the base of a detached, but otherwise normal, flagellum. Inhibition of new FAZ formation perturbs subpellicular microtubule organization and generates short daughter cells. The cell length shows a strong linear correlation with FAZ length, in both control cells and in cells with inhibited FAZ assembly. Together, our data support a direct function of FAZ assembly in determining new daughter cell length by regulating subpellicular microtubule synthesis.

• 出版日期2011-11-15