纖毛或真核細(xì)胞的鞭毛是細(xì)胞表面的一種突起結(jié)構(gòu),，主要由細(xì)胞微管組成。除參與細(xì)胞的運(yùn)動外,，纖毛可以接受及傳導(dǎo)外界的信號從而調(diào)控動物的生理及動物的發(fā)育與生殖,。纖毛在組裝上的缺陷可導(dǎo)致多種疾病，如腎囊腫,，內(nèi)臟轉(zhuǎn)位,，不育，失明,，精神遲滯,、肥胖乃至癌癥。研究纖毛長度的調(diào)控可以更加深刻的認(rèn)識纖毛組裝的分子機(jī)理,。目前關(guān)于纖毛長度的模型有“平衡點(diǎn)模型”,，該模型認(rèn)為細(xì)胞不存在一種“感知系統(tǒng)”感知纖毛的長度。還有一種模型認(rèn)為細(xì)胞內(nèi)可能存在一種感知纖毛長度的系統(tǒng)而參與纖毛長度的調(diào)控,，但是,，一直缺乏強(qiáng)有力的實(shí)驗(yàn)證據(jù)支持。生命科學(xué)院潘俊敏教授實(shí)驗(yàn)室研究發(fā)現(xiàn)一種蛋白質(zhì)的激酶CALK的磷酸化狀態(tài)和纖毛的長度相關(guān),。CALK在鞭毛組裝的初期呈現(xiàn)磷酸化狀態(tài)，發(fā)現(xiàn)鞭毛長度達(dá)到一半時(shí)發(fā)生去磷酸化,。這些實(shí)驗(yàn)證據(jù)表明,，細(xì)胞可能確實(shí)存在一種纖毛長度的感知系統(tǒng)。新的研究成果使人們對纖毛長度的調(diào)控具有一個(gè)全新的認(rèn)識,。
該研究成果3月31日在《Current Biology》上在線發(fā)表,。值得一提的是,，潘俊敏教授實(shí)驗(yàn)室自2006年成立以來，2009年在PNAS上發(fā)表關(guān)于鞭毛研究的重要成果,，這次在國際頂尖學(xué)術(shù)期刊《Current Biology》上的研究成果代表了這個(gè)領(lǐng)域最重要的進(jìn)展,。這兩項(xiàng)研究工作都是由博士研究生完成。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Current Biology, 31 March 2011 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.02.046
The Phosphorylation State of an Aurora-Like Kinase Marks the Length of Growing Flagella in Chlamydomonas
Minna Luo, Muqing Cao, Yinan Kan, Guihua Li, William Snell, Junmin Pan
Highlights
Aurora-like protein kinase CALK is dephosphorylated during flagellar assembly
Cells translate flagellar length into a protein posttranslational modification
Chlamydomonas detects absolute, not relative, flagellar length
Summary
Flagella and cilia are structurally polarized organelles whose lengths are precisely defined, and alterations in length are related to several human disorders [1,2]. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) and protein signaling molecules are implicated in specifying flagellar and ciliary length [3,4,5,6], but evidence has been lacking for a flagellum and cilium length sensor that could participate in active length control or establishment of structural polarity. Previously, we showed that the phosphorylation state of the aurora-like protein kinase CALK in Chlamydomonas is a marker of the absence of flagella. Here we show that CALK phosphorylation state is also a marker for flagellar length. CALK is phosphorylated in cells without flagella, and during flagellar assembly it becomes dephosphorylated. Dephosphorylation is not simply a consequence of initiation of flagellar assembly or of time after experimentally induced flagellar loss, but instead requires flagella to be assembled to a threshold length. Analysis of cells with flagella of varying lengths shows that the threshold length for CALK dephosphorylation is 6 m (half length). Studies with short and long flagellar mutants indicate that cells detect absolute rather than relative flagellar length. Our results demonstrate that cells possess a mechanism for translating flagellar length into a posttranslational modification of a known flagellar regulatory protein.
