The dynamics of protein localisation to restricted zones within Drosophila mechanosensory cilia

Abstract

The Drosophila chordotonal neuron cilium is the site of mechanosensory transduction. The cilium has a 9+0 axoneme structure and is highly sub-compartmentalised, with proximal and distal zones harbouring different TRP channels and the proximal zone axoneme also being decorated with axonemal dynein motor complexes. The activity of the dynein complexes is essential for mechanotransduction. We investigate the localisation of TRP channels and dynein motor complexes during ciliogenesis. Differences in timing of TRP channel localisation correlate with order of construction of the two ciliary zones. Dynein motor complexes are initially not confined to their target proximal zone, but complexes beyond the proximal zone are later cleared, perhaps by retrograde transport. Differences in transient distal localisation of ODAs and IDAs are consistent with previous suggestions from unicellular eukaryotes of differences in processivity during intraflagellar transport. Stable localisation depends on the targeting of their docking proteins in the proximal zone. For outer dynein arm (ODA) complexes, we characterise an ODA docking complex (ODA-DC) that is targeted directly to the proximal zone. Interestingly, the subunit composition of the ODA-DC in chordotonal neuron cilia appears to be different from the predicted ODA-DC in Drosophila sperm.