Within the FOP family of centrosomal proteins, the conserved FOR20 protein has been implicated in the control of primary cilium assembly in human cells. To ascertain its role in ciliogenesis, we have investigated the function of its ortholog, PtFOR20p, in the multiciliated unicellular organism Paramecium. Using combined functional and cytological analyses, we found that PtFOR20p specifically lo...

[1] Investigations into mechanisms driving surface tectonics commonly search for mantle sources, but few observations constrain flow in the upper mantle and transition zone. Here variations in the upper mantle discontinuities at 410 km and 660 km below the western United States are revealed through mapping depths of compressional-to-shear wave conversions recorded by broadband seismometers. The...

[1] The ice sheet–ice shelf transition zone plays an important role in controlling marine ice sheet dynamics, as it determines the rate at which ice flows out of the grounded part of the ice sheet. Together with accumulation, this outflow is the main control on the mass balance of the grounded sheet. In this paper, we verify the results of a boundary layer theory for ice flux in the transition ...

PURPOSE To identify an optimal customized ablation strategy in the treatment of eyes with secondary irregular astigmatism. METHODS Corneal anterior surface elevation maps of 50 eyes with secondary irregular astigmatism after decentered laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and 50 virgin eyes were used for customized ablation simulations. Two ablation simula...

Nephronophthisis (NPHP) is a hereditary cystic kidney disorder that causes renal failure in children and young adults and can be associated with various extrarenal disorders, including retinitis pigmentosa. Six NPHP genes, whose functions are disrupted by autosomal recessive mutations in patients with NPHP, have been identified. The majority of patients with NPHP carry homozygous deletions of N...

BACKGROUND In most cells, the cilium is formed within a compartment separated from the cytoplasm. Entry into the ciliary compartment is regulated by a specialized gate located at the base of the cilium in a region known as the transition zone. The transition zone is closely associated with multiple structures of the ciliary base, including the centriole, axoneme, and ciliary membrane. However, ...

Amazonia is famous for high biodiversity, and the highlands of the transition zone between the Andes and the lowlands of the Amazon basin show particularly high species diversity. Hypotheses proposed to explain the high levels of diversity in the highlands include repeated parapatric speciation across ecological gradients spanning the transition zone, repeated allopatric speciation across geogr...

Both the basal body and the microtubule-based axoneme it nucleates have evolutionarily conserved subdomains crucial for cilium biogenesis, function and maintenance. Here, we focus on two conspicuous but underappreciated regions of these structures that make membrane connections. One is the basal body distal end, which includes transition fibres of largely undefined composition that link to the ...

The vitelline body in the mature oocyte of the spider Tegenaria parietina is composed of 4 different zones. 1. The central zone contains granular areas, vesicles, and a few lamellae. 2. The lamellar zone consists of numerous concentric lamellae. These sheets, 45 A in thickness, are stacked in groups. The fine structure and the regular arrangement recall those of myelin sheets, retinal rods, and...