Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Critical Function of Cilia Protein Discovered
Scientific Advances

Critical Function of Cilia Protein Discovered

By Will DossJul 8, 2020
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
Jing Zheng, PhD, associate professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, was the corresponding author of the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that a specific protein is essential for proper cilia function, according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.

The study found that calmodulin-regulated spectrin-associated protein3 — CAMSAP3 for short — is required to build some of the scaffolding on which cilia sit; deleting CAMSAP3 resulted in mucus buildup and airway blockages in mouse models.

“We realized the mice were coughing and sneezing,” said Jing Zheng, PhD, associate professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and co-senior author of the study. “Multi-ciliated cell defects can cause huge issues.”

Multi-ciliated cells (MCCs) are cells with small cilia on their surface that beat in a coordinated fashion to generate fluid flow or displace particles and pathogens. Most MCCs have hundreds of cilia and each cilium has microtubules arranged in a “9+2” formation; nine microtubule doublets in a circle with two microtubule singlets in the middle.

MCC dysfunction can cause embryo death, infertility, hearing loss and other issues. Consequently, the proteins that affect cilia are not well-studied because their necessity in basic biological functions can make it difficult to design experiments.

Scanning electron micrograph showing the nasal respiratory epithelium from a mutant mouse expressing low levels of CAMSAP3, a protein associated with microtubules. The carpet of cilia demonstrates shorter cilia compared to normal mice. Mucus, appearing as white strings, accumulates on the respiratory epithelium due to defective mucus clearance.

Initially interested in hearing, Zheng and her colleagues investigated the impact of deleting CAMSAP3 from mouse models, as the gene had been linked to hearing in previous studies.

“The hearing phenotype was inconsistent; some mice lost their hearing early and some later,” Zheng said.

What was more consistent, however, was the mucus buildup. After a technician noticed the mice sneezing, the investigators analyzed defective cilia in the nose and throat.

They found that many MCCs were missing microtubules — the scaffolding upon which the central two microtubule singlets reside, resulting in disorientation and unsynchronized cilia motion. In addition, in cells with normal CAMSAP3, the protein localized to the base of those microtubules, a good indicator for where its function is located within the cell, according to Zheng.

In the future, Zheng and her collaborators plan to examine the impact of CAMSAP3 in non-motile cilia, a different variety of ciliated cell that serve as sensory organs, including in the nose. While it’s a different type of ciliated cell, CASMAP3 could play a role here, too, according to Zheng.

“We want to test if CASMAP3 deletion will also negatively affect olfaction,” Zheng said.

Alan Robinson, PhD, research assistant professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck surgery, was the lead author of the study. Brian Mitchell, PhD, associate professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, was co-senior author of the study.

This study was funded by the Knowles Hearing Center and by National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders grants R56 DC011813, DC000089 and GM089970.

Cell and Developmental Biology Genetics Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Shortage of Mental Health Professionals Linked to Increase in Youth Suicides

Jan 25, 2023

Understanding How Childhood Brain Tumors Develop

Jan 23, 2023

Medical School Establishes New Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience

Jan 19, 2023

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Changes in Medical School Leadership

Jan 26, 2023

Shortage of Mental Health Professionals Linked to Increase in Youth Suicides

Jan 25, 2023

Northwestern Medicine Scholars Program Inspires a New Generation of Physicians and Scientists 

Jan 24, 2023

Understanding How Childhood Brain Tumors Develop

Jan 23, 2023

Medical School Establishes New Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience

Jan 19, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-24
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-16
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-14
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-5
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-6
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-10
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-8
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-18
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-23
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-25
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-26

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.