| Summary: | In the intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery, the IFT-B and IFT-A complexes mediate anterograde and retrograde ciliary protein trafficking, respectively. Among the 16 subunits of the IFT-B complex, several subunits are essential for ciliogenesis, whereas others, which are associated peripherally with the complex, are dispensable for ciliogenesis but play a role in protein trafficking. IFT22-knockout (KO) cells established in this study demonstrated no defects in ciliogenesis or ciliary protein trafficking. In stark contrast, IFT70A and IFT70B double-knockout cells did not form cilia, even though IFT70 is associated peripherally with the IFT-B complex via the IFT52–IFT88 dimer, and other IFT-B subunits assembled at the ciliary base in the absence of IFT70. Exogenous expression of either IFT70A or IFT70B restored the ciliogenesis defect of IFT70-KO cells, indicating their redundant roles. IFT70 has 15 consecutive tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs) followed by a short helix (α36). Deletion of the first TPR or α36 of IFT70A greatly reduced its ability to interact with the IFT52–IFT88 dimer. Exogenous expression of any of the IFT70A deletion mutants in IFT70-KO cells could not restore ciliogenesis. These results show that IFT70 plays an essential role in ciliogenesis, although it is dispensable for assembly of the residual IFT-B subunits.
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