Intraflagellar transport motors in cilia: moving along the cell's antenna

J Cell Biol. 2008 Jan 14;180(1):23-9. doi: 10.1083/jcb.200709133. Epub 2008 Jan 7.

Abstract

Intraflagellar transport (IFT), the motor-dependent movement of IFT particles along the axoneme, is critical for the assembly, maintenance, and function of motile and sensory cilia, and, consequently, this process underlies ciliary motility, cilium-based signaling, and ciliopathies. Here, I present my perspective on IFT as a model system for studying motor-driven cargo transport. I review evidence that kinesin-2 motors physically transport IFT particles as cargo and hypothesize that several accessory kinesins confer cilia-specific functions by augmenting the action of the two core IFT motors, kinesin-2 and dynein 1b, which assemble the cilium foundation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Transport / physiology
  • Chlamydomonas / metabolism
  • Chlamydomonas / ultrastructure
  • Cilia / metabolism*
  • Cilia / ultrastructure
  • Dyneins / physiology
  • Flagella / metabolism*
  • Flagella / ultrastructure
  • Kinesins / physiology
  • Models, Biological

Substances

  • Dyneins
  • Kinesins