Vertebrate Dynein-f depends on Wdr78 for axonemal localization and is essential for ciliary beat

Motile cilia and flagella are microtubule-based organelles important for cell locomotion and extracellular liquid flow through beating. Although axonenal dyneins that drive ciliary beat have been extensively studied in unicellular Chlamydomonas, to what extent such knowledge can be applied to vertebrate is poorly known. In Chlamydomonas, Dynein-f controls flagellar waveforms but is dispensable for beating. The flagellar assembly of its heavy chains (HCs) requires its intermediate chain (IC) IC140 but not IC138. Here we show that, unlike its Chlamydomonas counte『part, vertebrate Dynein-f is essential for ciliary beat. We confirmed that Wdr78 is the vertebrate orthologue of IC3 Wdr78 associated with Dynein-f subunits such as Dnah2 (a HC) and Wdr63 (IC140 orthologue). It was expressed as a motile cilium-specific protein in mammalian cells. Depletion of Wdr78 or Dnah2 by RNAi paralyzed mouse ependymal cilia. Zebrafish Wdr78 morphants displayed ciliopathy-related phenotypes, such as curved bodies, hydrocephalus, abnormal otolith, randomized left-right asymmetry, and pronephric cysts, accompanied with paralyzed pronephric cilia. Furthermore, all the HCs and ICs of Dynein-f failed to localize in the Wdr78-depleted mouse ependymal cilia. Therefore, both the functions and subunit dependency of Dynein-fare altered in evolution, probably to comply with ciliary roles in higher organisms.

Production of transgenic mice by random recombination of targeted genes in female germline stem cells

Oocyte production in most mammalian species is believed to cease before birth.However,this idea has been challenged with the finding that postnatal mouse ovaries possess mitotically active germ cells.A recent study showed that female germline stem cells(FGSCs)from adult mice were isolated,cultured long term and produced oocytes and progeny after transplantation into infertile mice.Here,we demonstrate the successful generation of transgenic or gene knock-down mice using FGSCs.The FGSCs from ovaries of 5-day-old and adult mice were isolated and either infected with recombinant viruses carrying green fluorescent protein,Oocyte-G1 or the mouse dynein axonemal intermediate chain 2 gene,or transfected with the Oocyte-G1 specific shRNA expression vector(pRS shOocyte-G1 vector),and then transplanted into infertile mice.Transplanted cells in the ovaries underwent oogenesis and produced heterozygous offspring after mating with wild-type male mice.The offspring were genetically characterized and the biological functions of the transferred or knock-down genes were investigated.Efficiency of genetransfer or gene knock-down was 29%–37%and it took 2 months to produce transgenic offspring.Gene manipulation of FGSCs is a rapid and efficient method of animal transgenesis and may serve as a powerful tool for biomedical science and biotechnology.