The <i>Drosophila</i> pericentrin-like protein is essential for cilia/flagella function, but appears to be dispensable for mitosis

TLDR

Centrosomes consist of centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material, and proteins with a PACT domain, such as Drosophila pericentrin-like protein, are implicated in recruiting PCM components. D‑PLP is required for efficient recruitment of all tested PCM components and for functional cilia and flagella, yet its loss does not severely disrupt mitosis, as PCM components eventually localize to centrosomes and cell division proceeds normally.

Abstract

Centrosomes consist of a pair of centrioles surrounded by an amorphous pericentriolar material (PCM). Proteins that contain a Pericentrin/AKAP450 centrosomal targeting (PACT) domain have been implicated in recruiting several proteins to the PCM. We show that the only PACT domain protein in Drosophila (the Drosophila pericentrin-like protein [D-PLP]) is associated with both the centrioles and the PCM, and is essential for the efficient centrosomal recruitment of all six PCM components that we tested. Surprisingly, however, all six PCM components are eventually recruited to centrosomes during mitosis in d-plp mutant cells, and mitosis is not dramatically perturbed. Although viable, d-plp mutant flies are severely uncoordinated, a phenotype usually associated with defects in mechanosensory neuron function. We show that the sensory cilia of these neurons are malformed and the neurons are nonfunctional in d-plp mutants. Moreover, the flagella in mutant sperm are nonmotile. Thus, D-PLP is essential for the formation of functional cilia and flagella in flies.