Initial Characterisation of a Novel Role of Shugoshin in Ciliated Neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

Across eukaryotic species, Shugoshin proteins perform several critical functions in meiotic and mitotic cells that ensures faithful chromosome segregation and the preservation of genomic stability. In the centromere, they function as adaptor proteins, mediating spindle attachment and cohesin phosphorylation to promote sister chromatid association and delay anaphase entry. In centrosomes, Shugoshin maintains centriole cohesion and regulates centrosome maturation in preparation for spindle nucleation. These functions implicate Shugoshin in regulating transient microtubule-related structures in the cell. Here I introduce a new function of Shugoshin in yet another tubulin-derived structure, the cilium. Using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model, I investigated the possible localization of SGO-1 in sensory cilia of adult neurons and in the embryonic primordia of sensory organs. Finally, I identified TAC-1, a member of a conserved microtubule regulator protein family, as an SGO-1 interacting protein. Together, these results suggest the involvement of a similar genetic toolkit in the regulation of diverse cellular functions and reveal the first evidence of Shugoshin activity in a fully differentiated cell type.