Philip L. Beales

Comparative genomics identifies a flagellar and basal body proteome that includes the BBS5 human disease gene.

Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based structures nucleated by modified centrioles termed basal bodies. These biochemically complex organelles have more than 250 and 150 polypeptides, respectively. To identify the proteins involved in ciliary and basal body biogenesis and function, we undertook a comparative genomics approach that subtracted the nonflagellated proteome of Arabidopsis from the shared proteome of the ciliated/flagellated organisms Chlamydomonas and human. We identified 688 genes that are present exclusively in organisms with flagella and basal bodies and validated these data through a series of in silico, in vitro, and in vivo studies. We then applied this resource to the study of human ciliation disorders and have identified BBS5, a novel gene for Bardet-Biedl syndrome. We show that this novel protein localizes to basal bodies in mouse and C. elegans, is under the regulatory control of daf-19, and is necessary for the generation of both cilia and flagella.

Basal body dysfunction is a likely cause of pleiotropic Bardet–Biedl syndrome

Bardet–Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized primarily by retinal dystrophy, obesity, polydactyly, renal malformations and learning disabilities. Although five BBS genes have been cloned, the molecular basis of this syndrome remains elusive. Here we show that BBS is probably caused by a defect at the basal body of ciliated cells. We have cloned a new BBS gene, BBS8, which encodes a protein with a prokaryotic domain, pilF, involved in pilus formation and twitching mobility. In one family, a homozygous null BBS8 mutation leads to BBS with randomization of left–right body axis symmetry, a known defect of the nodal cilium. We have also found that BBS8 localizes specifically to ciliated structures, such as the connecting cilium of the retina and columnar epithelial cells in the lung. In cells, BBS8 localizes to centrosomes and basal bodies and interacts with PCM1, a protein probably involved in ciliogenesis. Finally, we demonstrate that all available Caenorhabditis elegans BBS homologues are expressed exclusively in ciliated neurons, and contain regulatory elements for RFX, a transcription factor that modulates the expression of genes associated with ciliogenesis and intraflagellar transport.

New criteria for improved diagnosis of Bardet-Biedl syndrome: results of a population survey

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an autosomal recessive condition characterised by rod-cone dystrophy, postaxial polydactyly, central obesity, mental retardation, hypogonadism, and renal dysfunction. BBS expression varies both within and between families and diagnosis is often difficult. We sought to define the condition more clearly by studying 109 BBS patients and their families, the largest population surveyed to date. The average age at diagnosis was 9 years, which is late for such a debilitating condition, but the slow development of the clinical features of BBS probably accounts for this. Postaxial polydactyly had been present in 69% of patients at birth, but obesity had only begun to develop at around 2-3 years, and retinal degeneration had not become apparent until a mean age of 8.5 years. Our study identified some novel clinical features, including neurological, speech, and language deficits, behavioural traits, facial dysmorphism, and dental anomalies. In the light of these features we propose a revision of the diagnostic criteria, which may facilitate earlier diagnosis of this disorder. We present evidence for an overlapping phenotype with the Laurence-Moon syndrome and propose a unifying, descriptive label be adopted (polydactyly-obesity-kidney-eye syndrome).  We report an increased prevalence of renal malformations and renal cell carcinoma in the unaffected relatives of BBS patients and suggest that these may be a consequence of heterozygosity for BBS genes. Our findings have important implications for the care of BBS patients and their unaffected relatives.

The Bardet-Biedl protein BBS4 targets cargo to the pericentriolar region and is required for microtubule anchoring and cell cycle progression

BBS4 is one of several proteins that cause Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), a multisystemic disorder of genetic and clinical complexity. Here we show that BBS4 localizes to the centriolar satellites of centrosomes and basal bodies of primary cilia, where it functions as an adaptor of the p150glued subunit of the dynein transport machinery to recruit PCM1 (pericentriolar material 1 protein) and its associated cargo to the satellites. Silencing of BBS4 induces PCM1 mislocalization and concomitant deanchoring of centrosomal microtubules, arrest in cell division and apoptotic cell death. Expression of two truncated forms of BBS4 that are similar to those found in some individuals with BBS had a similar effect on PCM1 and microtubules. Our findings indicate that defective targeting or anchoring of pericentriolar proteins and microtubule disorganization contribute to the BBS phenotype and provide new insights into possible causes of familial obesity, diabetes and retinal degeneration.

Disruption of the basal body compromises proteasomal function and perturbs intracellular Wnt response

Primary cilia and basal bodies are evolutionarily conserved organelles that mediate communication between the intracellular and extracellular environments. Here we show that bbs1, bbs4 and mkks (also known as bbs6), which encode basal body proteins, are required for convergence and extension in zebrafish and interact with wnt11 and wnt5b. Suppression of bbs1, bbs4 and mkks transcripts results in stabilization of β-catenin with concomitant upregulation of T-cell factor (TCF)-dependent transcription in both zebrafish embryos and mammalian ciliated cells, a defect phenocopied by the silencing of the axonemal kinesin subunit KIF3A but not by chemical disruption of the cytoplasmic microtubule network. These observations are attributable partly to defective degradation by the proteasome; suppression of BBS4 leads to perturbed proteasomal targeting and concomitant accumulation of cytoplasmic β-catenin. Cumulatively, our data indicate that the basal body is an important regulator of Wnt signal interpretation through selective proteolysis and suggest that defects in this system may contribute to phenotypes pathognomonic of human ciliopathies.

Ciliopathies: an expanding disease spectrum

Ciliopathies comprise a group of disorders associated with genetic mutations encoding defective proteins, which result in either abnormal formation or function of cilia. As cilia are a component of almost all vertebrate cells, cilia dysfunction can manifest as a constellation of features that include characteristically, retinal degeneration, renal disease and cerebral anomalies. Additional manifestations include congenital fibrocystic diseases of the liver, diabetes, obesity and skeletal dysplasias. Ciliopathic features have been associated with mutations in over 40 genes to date. However, with over 1,000 polypeptides currently identified within the ciliary proteome, several other disorders associated with this constellation of clinical features will likely be ascribed to mutations in other ciliary genes. The mechanisms underlying many of the disease phenotypes associated with ciliary dysfunction have yet to be fully elucidated. Several elegant studies have crucially demonstrated the dynamic ciliary localisation of components of the Hedgehog and Wnt signalling pathways during signal transduction. Given the critical role of the cilium in transducing “outside-in” signals, it is not surprising therefore, that the disease phenotypes consequent to ciliary dysfunction are a manifestation of aberrant signal transduction. Further investigation is now needed to explore the developmental and physiological roles of aberrant signal transduction in the manifestation of ciliopathy phenotypes. Utilisation of conditional and inducible murine models to delete or overexpress individual ciliary genes in a spatiotemporal and organ/cell-specific manner should help clarify some of the functional roles of ciliary proteins in the manifestation of phenotypic features.

Hypomorphic mutations in syndromic encephalocele genes are associated with Bardet-Biedl syndrome

Meckel-Gruber syndrome (MKS) is a genetically heterogeneous, neonatally lethal malformation and the most common form of syndromic neural tube defect (NTD). To date, several MKS-associated genes have been identified whose protein products affect ciliary function. Here we show that mutations in MKS1, MKS3 and CEP290 (also known as NPHP6) either can cause Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) or may have a potential epistatic effect on mutations in known BBS-associated loci. Five of six families with both MKS1 and BBS mutations manifested seizures, a feature that is not a typical component of either syndrome. Functional studies in zebrafish showed that mks1 is necessary for gastrulation movements and that it interacts genetically with known bbs genes. Similarly, we found two families with missense or splice mutations in MKS3, in one of which the affected individual also bears a homozygous nonsense mutation in CEP290 that is likely to truncate the C terminus of the protein. These data extend the genetic stratification of ciliopathies and suggest that BBS and MKS, although distinct clinically, are allelic forms of the same molecular spectrum.

Loss of BBS proteins causes anosmia in humans and defects in olfactory cilia structure and function in the mouse

Defects in cilia are associated with several human disorders, including Kartagener syndrome, polycystic kidney disease, nephronophthisis and hydrocephalus. We proposed that the pleiotropic phenotype of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), which encompasses retinal degeneration, truncal obesity, renal and limb malformations and developmental delay, is due to dysfunction of basal bodies and cilia. Here we show that individuals with BBS have partial or complete anosmia. To test whether this phenotype is caused by ciliary defects of olfactory sensory neurons, we examined mice with deletions of Bbs1 or Bbs4. Loss of function of either BBS protein affected the olfactory, but not the respiratory, epithelium, causing severe reduction of the ciliated border, disorganization of the dendritic microtubule network and trapping of olfactory ciliary proteins in dendrites and cell bodies. Our data indicate that BBS proteins have a role in the microtubule organization of mammalian ciliated cells and that anosmia might be a useful determinant of other pleiotropic disorders with a suspected ciliary involvement.

Mutations in a member of the Ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins causes Bardet-Biedl syndrome

RAB, ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) and ARF-like (ARL) proteins belong to the Ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins and are essential for various membrane-associated intracellular trafficking processes. None of the ∼50 known members of this family are linked to human disease. Using a bioinformatic screen for ciliary genes in combination with mutational analyses, we identified ARL6 as the gene underlying Bardet-Biedl syndrome type 3, a multisystemic disorder characterized by obesity, blindness, polydactyly, renal abnormalities and cognitive impairment. We uncovered four different homozygous substitutions in ARL6 in four unrelated families affected with Bardet-Biedl syndrome, two of which disrupt a threonine residue important for GTP binding and function of several related small GTP-binding proteins. Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans ARL6 homolog indicates that it is specifically expressed in ciliated cells, and that, in addition to the postulated cytoplasmic functions of ARL proteins, it undergoes intraflagellar transport. These findings implicate a small GTP-binding protein in ciliary transport and the pathogenesis of a pleiotropic disorder.

Bardet-Biedl Syndrome

Bardet–Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare autosomal recessive ciliopathy characterised by retinal dystrophy, obesity, post-axial polydactyly, renal dysfunction, learning difficulties and hypogonadism. Many associated minor features can be helpful in making a diagnosis and are important in the clinical management of BBS. The diagnosis is based on clinical findings and can be confirmed by sequencing of known disease-causing genes in 80% of patients. BBS genes encode proteins that localise to the cilia and basal body and are involved in cilia biogenesis and function. Mutations lead to defective cilia accounting in part for the pleiotropic effects observed in BBS. We provide an overview of BBS including the clinical findings, current understanding of cilia biology, and a practical approach to diagnosis, genetic counselling and up-to-date management.