The Kinesin-4 Protein KIF7 Regulates Mammalian Hedgehog Signaling by Organizing the Cilia Tip Compartment

Mammalian Hedgehog (Hh) signal transduction requires the primary cilium, a microtubule-based organelle, and the Gli/Sufu complexes that mediate Hh signaling are enriched at cilia tips. KIF7, a kinesin-4 family protein, is a conserved regulator of the Hh signaling pathway and a human ciliopathy protein. Here we show that KIF7 localizes to cilia tips, the site of microtubule plus-ends, where it limits cilia length and controls cilia structure. Purified recombinant KIF7 binds the plus-ends of growing microtubules in vitro, where it reduces the rate of microtubule growth and increases the frequency of microtubule catastrophe. KIF7 is not required for normal intraflagellar transport or for trafficking of Hh pathway proteins into cilia. Instead, a central function of KIF7 in the mammalian Hh pathway is to control cilia architecture and to create a single cilia tip compartment where Gli/Sufu activation can be correctly regulated.