Molecular Bases of Disease
Deletion of both centrin 2 (CETN2) and CETN3 destabilizes the distal connecting cilium of mouse photoreceptors
Centrins (CETN1–4) are ubiquitous and conserved EF-hand–family Ca2+-binding proteins associated with the centrosome, basal body, and transition zone. Deletion of CETN1 or CETN2 in mice causes male infertility or dysosmia, respectively, without affecting photoreceptor function. However, it remains unclear to what extent centrins are redundant with each other in photoreceptors. Here, to explore centrin redundancy, we generated Cetn3GT/GT single-knockout and Cetn2−/−;Cetn3GT/GT double-knockout mice.The guanine nucleotide exchange factor Arf-like protein 13b is essential for assembly of the mouse photoreceptor transition zone and outer segment
Arf-like protein 13b (ARL13b) is a small GTPase that functions as a guanosine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for ARL3-GDP. ARL13b is located exclusively in photoreceptor outer segments (OS) presumably anchored to discs by palmitoylation, whereas ARL3 is an inner segment cytoplasmic protein. Hypomorphic mutations affecting the ARL13b G-domain inactivate GEF activity and lead to Joubert syndrome (JS) in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms in ARL13b mutation–induced Joubert syndrome, particularly the function of primary cilia, are still incompletely understood.Arf-like Protein 3 (ARL3) Regulates Protein Trafficking and Ciliogenesis in Mouse Photoreceptors
Arf-like protein 3 (ARL3) is a ubiquitous small GTPase expressed in ciliated cells of plants and animals. Germline deletion of Arl3 in mice causes multiorgan ciliopathy reminiscent of Bardet-Biedl or Joubert syndromes. As photoreceptors are elegantly compartmentalized and have cilia, we probed the function of ARL3 (ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf)-like 3 protein) by generating rod photoreceptor-specific (prefix rod) and retina-specific (prefix ret) Arl3 deletions. In predegenerate rodArl3−/− mice, lipidated phototransduction proteins showed trafficking deficiencies, consistent with the role of ARL3 as a cargo displacement factor for lipid-binding proteins.
