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A SAS-6-like protein suggests that the Toxoplasma conoid complex evolved from flagellar components

de Leon, Jessica, Cruz; Scheumann, Nicole; Beatty, Wandy; Beck, Josh R.; Tran, Johnson Q.; Yau, Candace; Bradley, Peter J.; Gull, Keith; Wickstead, Bill; Morrissette, Naomi S.

A SAS-6-like protein suggests that the Toxoplasma conoid complex evolved from flagellar components Thumbnail


Authors

Jessica, Cruz de Leon

Nicole Scheumann

Wandy Beatty

Josh R. Beck

Johnson Q. Tran

Candace Yau

Peter J. Bradley

Keith Gull

Naomi S. Morrissette



Abstract

SAS-6 is required for centriole biogenesis in diverse eukaryotes. Here, we describe a novel family of SAS-6-like (SAS6L) proteins that share an N-terminal domain with SAS-6 but lack coiled-coil tails. SAS6L proteins are found in a subset of eukaryotes that contain SAS-6, including diverse protozoa and green algae. In the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, SAS-6 localizes to the centriole but SAS6L is found above the conoid, an enigmatic tubulin-containing structure found at the apex of a subset of alveolate organisms. Loss of SAS6L causes reduced fitness in Toxoplasma. The Trypanosoma brucei homolog of SAS6L localizes to the basal-plate region, the site in the axoneme where the central-pair microtubules are nucleated. When endogenous SAS6L is overexpressed in Toxoplasma tachyzoites or Trypanosoma trypomastigotes, it forms prominent filaments that extend through the cell cytoplasm, indicating that it retains a capacity to form higher-order structures despite lacking a coiled-coil domain. We conclude that although SAS6L proteins share a conserved domain with SAS-6, they are a functionally distinct family that predates the last common ancestor of eukaryotes. Moreover, the distinct localization of the SAS6L protein in Trypanosoma and Toxoplasma adds weight to the hypothesis that the conoid complex evolved from flagellar components.

Citation

de Leon, J. C., Scheumann, N., Beatty, W., Beck, J. R., Tran, J. Q., Yau, C., …Morrissette, N. S. (2013). A SAS-6-like protein suggests that the Toxoplasma conoid complex evolved from flagellar components. Eukaryotic Cell, 12(7), https://doi.org/10.1128/EC.00096-13

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jul 1, 2013
Deposit Date May 6, 2014
Publicly Available Date May 6, 2014
Journal Eukaryotic Cell
Print ISSN 1535-9778
Electronic ISSN 1535-9786
Publisher American Society for Microbiology
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 12
Issue 7
DOI https://doi.org/10.1128/EC.00096-13
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1001871
Publisher URL http://ec.asm.org/content/12/7/1009.full#content-block

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