The conserved ciliary protein Bug22 controls planar beating of Chlamydomonas flagella.

Eukaryotic flagella and cilia can exhibit planar and non-planar beating, and the mechanism controlling these beating patterns is not well understood. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii flagella beat in approximately the same plane with either an asymmetric ciliary-type or symmetric flagellar-type waveform. Each B-tubule of the number 1, 5 and 6 doublets of the flagellar axoneme possesses a beak-like structure. The number 5 and 6 beak structures are implicated in conversion of ciliary motion into flagellar motion. Here, we show that in a null mutant of Bug22, the asymmetric ciliary waveform is converted into a three-dimensional (non-planar) symmetric flagellar waveform. Bug22 is localized to approximately the proximal half to two-thirds of the flagellum, similar to localization of beak-like structures. However, as shown by immunogold labeling, Bug22 associates with axonemal microtubules without apparent preference for any particular doublets. Interestingly, bug22 mutants lack all beaklike structures. We propose that one function of Bug22 is to regulate the anchoring of the beak-like structures to the doublet microtubules and confine flagellar beating to a plane.