Expression, purification and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the cryptic polo-box domain of Caenorhabditis elegans ZYG-1.

ZYG-1 is a polo-like kinase essential for centriole assembly in Caenorhabditis elegans. The targeting of ZYG-1 to nascent centrioles is via its central cryptic polo-box (CPB) domain. To shed light on the molecular basis of ZYG-1 recruitment, it is necessary to obtain structural knowledge of the ZYG-1 CPB.

Assembly mechanism of Trypanosoma brucei BILBO1, a multidomain cytoskeletal protein.

Trypanosoma brucei BILBO1 (TbBILBO1) is an essential component of the flagellar pocket collar of trypanosomes. We recently reported the high resolution structure of the N-terminal domain of TbBILBO1. Here, we provide further structural dissections of its other three constituent domains: EF-hand, coiled coil, and leucine zipper.

Structure of the C. elegans ZYG-1 cryptic polo box suggests a conserved mechanism for centriolar docking of Plk4 kinases.

Plk4 family kinases control centriole assembly. Plk4s target mother centrioles through an interaction between their cryptic polo box (CPB) and acidic regions in the centriolar receptors SPD-2/Cep192 and/or Asterless/Cep152. Here, we report a crystal structure for the CPB of C.

The SAS-5 N-terminal domain is a tetramer, with implications for centriole assembly in C. elegans.

The centriole is a conserved microtubule-based organelle essential for both centrosome formation and cilium biogenesis. It has a unique 9-fold symmetry and its assembly is governed by at least five component proteins (SPD-2, ZYG-1, SAS-5, SAS-6 and SAS-4), which are recruited in a hierarchical order. Recently published structural studies of the SAS-6 N-terminal domain have greatly advanced our understanding of the mechanisms of centriole assembly.