Transition fibre protein FBF1 is required for the ciliary entry of assembled intraflagellar transport complexes

Sensory organelle cilia play critical roles in mammalian embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery is required for the assembly and maintenance of cilia. Yet how this large complex passes through the size-dependent barrier at the ciliary base remains enigmatic. Here we report that FBF1, a highly conserved transition fibre protein, is required for the ciliary import of assembled IFT particles at the cilia base. We cloned dyf-19, the C. elegans homolog of human FBF1, in a whole-genome screen for ciliogenesis mutants. DYF-19 localizes specifically to transition fibres and interacts directly with the IFT-B component DYF-11/IFT54. Although not a structural component of transition fibres, DYF-19 is essential for the transit of assembled IFT particles through the ciliary base. Furthermore, we found that human FBF1 shares conserved localization and function with its worm counterpart. We conclude that FBF1 is a key functional transition fibre component that facilitates the ciliary entry of assembled IFT machinery.