Figure 1. The qilin homolog, DYF-3, is an essential component of the IFT machinery that builds sensory cilia. The
dyf-3 (
m185) mutant has truncated chemosensory cilia and displays no detectable IFT. (A) Wild-type axonemes are 7.5 μm long, containing a 1 μm long basal body, the transition zone, a 4 μm middle segment, and a 2.5 μm distal segment. Arrowheads show the middle-distal segment junctions. Fluorescence micrographs show the distribution of IFT particles (OSM-6::GFP) along the wild-type sensory cilia. (B) The
dyf-3 mutant loses its distal segments and has only a truncated middle segment and, moreover, no IFT can be detected in the remaining middle segment. (C) Motility of DYF-3::GFP within sensory cilia. Left panel shows fluorescence micrograph of sensory cilia. Right panels are kymographs with corresponding cartoons showing the lines representing selected DYF-3 particle trajectories along the middle segments (M, M') and the distal segment (D, D'). Kymographs show that motility along the distal segment is faster than along middle segments. Bar = 5 μm.