A G-protein activation cascade from Arl13B to Arl3 and implications for ciliary targeting of lipidated proteins

Abstract

Small G-proteins of the ADP-ribosylation-factor-like (Arl) subfamily have been shown to be crucial to ciliogenesis and cilia maintenance. Active Arl3 is involved in targeting and releasing lipidated cargo proteins from their carriers PDE6δ and UNC119a/b to the cilium. However, the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) which activates Arl3 is unknown. Here we show that the ciliary G-protein Arl13B mutated in Joubert syndrome is the GEF for Arl3, and its function is conserved in evolution. The GEF activity of Arl13B is mediated by the G-domain plus an additional C-terminal helix. The switch regions of Arl13B are involved in the interaction with Arl3. Overexpression of Arl13B in mammalian cell lines leads to an increased Arl3·GTP level, whereas Arl13B Joubert-Syndrome patient mutations impair GEF activity and thus Arl3 activation. We anticipate that through Arl13B’s exclusive ciliary localization, Arl3 activation is spatially restricted and thereby an Arl3·GTP compartment generated where ciliary cargo is specifically released.Most types of cells in humans and other animals have slender, hair-like structures known as cilia that project out of the cell surface. These structures sense and respond to signals from the external environment and are crucial for organisms to develop normally. Defects in cilia can lead to many serious conditions such as Joubert syndrome, which affects the development of the brain and other organs in humans.The Arl family of “G-proteins” play important roles in the formation and operation of cilia. They contain a section called a G-protein domain whose activity can be switched on by interactions with other proteins called guanine nucleotide exchange factors (or GEFs for short). A member of the Arl family called Arl3 is found in higher amounts in cilia than in other parts of the cell. It is involved in the transport of proteins to the cilia from other parts of the cell, but it is not known which GEFs are able to activate it.Here, Gotthardt, Lokaj et al. used several biochemical techniques to show that another member of the Arl family called Arl13B actually acts as a GEF to activate Arl3 in cilia. Arl13B is only found in cilia and the GEF activity relies on its G-protein domain and another element at one end called a C-terminal helix. Previous studies have shown that mutations in the gene that encodes Arl13B can cause Joubert syndrome in humans. Gotthardt, Lokaj et al. found that mutant forms of Arl13B had significantly lower GEF activity than normal Arl13B proteins.Together, Gotthardt, Lokaj et al.’s findings provide an explanation for why Arl3 is only activated in cilia even though it is found throughout the cell. Further work is needed to understand how the activity of Arl13B is regulated.