CFAP157 is a murine downstream effector of FOXJ1 that is specifically required for flagellum morphogenesis and sperm motility.

Motile cilia move extracellular fluids or mediate cellular motility. Their function is essential for embryonic development, adult tissue homeostasis and reproduction throughout vertebrates. FOXJ1 is a key transcription factor for the formation of motile cilia but its downstream genetic programme is only partially understood. Here, we characterise a novel FOXJ1 target, Cfap157, that is specifically expressed in motile ciliated tissues in mouse and Xenopus in a FOXJ1-dependent manner. CFAP157 protein localises to basal bodies and interacts with tubulin and the centrosomal protein CEP350. Cfap157 knockout mice appear normal but homozygous males are infertile. Spermatozoa display impaired motility and a novel phenotype: Cfap157-deficient sperm exhibit axonemal loops, supernumerary axonemal profiles with ectopic accessory structures, excess cytoplasm and clustered mitochondria in the midpiece regions, and defective axonemes along the flagella. Our study thus demonstrates an essential sperm-specific function for CFAP157 and suggests that this novel FOXJ1 effector is part of a mechanism that acts during spermiogenesis to suppress the formation of supernumerary axonemes and ensures a correct ultrastructure.

Identification of FOXJ1 effectors during ciliogenesis in the foetal respiratory epithelium and embryonic left-right organiser of the mouse.

Formation of motile cilia in vertebrate embryos is essential for proper development and tissue function. Key regulators of motile ciliogenesis are the transcription factors FOXJ1 and NOTO, which are conserved throughout vertebrates. Downstream target genes of FOXJ1 have been identified in a variety of species, organs and cultured cell lines; in murine embryonic and foetal tissues, however, FOXJ1 and NOTO effectors have not been comprehensively analysed and our knowledge of the downstream genetic programme driving motile ciliogenesis in the mammalian lung and ventral node is fragmentary. We compared genome-wide expression profiles of undifferentiated E14.5 vs. abundantly ciliated E18.5 micro-dissected airway epithelia as well as Foxj1+ vs. Foxj1-deficient foetal (E16.5) lungs of the mouse using microarray hybridisation. 326 genes deregulated in both screens are candidates for FOXJ1-dependent, ciliogenesis-associated factors at the endogenous onset of motile ciliogenesis in the lung, including 123 genes that have not been linked to ciliogenesis before; 46% of these novel factors lack known homologues outside mammals. Microarray screening of Noto+ vs. Noto null early headfold embryos (E7.75) identified 59 of the lung candidates as NOTO/FOXJ1-dependent factors in the embryonic left-right organiser that carries a different subtype of motile cilia. For several uncharacterised factors from this small overlap - including 1700012B09Rik, 1700026L06Rik and Fam183b - we provide extended experimental evidence for a ciliary function.

1700012B09Rik, a FOXJ1 effector gene active in ciliated tissues of the mouse but not essential for motile ciliogenesis.

In humans and mice, motile cilia occur on the surface of the embryonic ventral node, on respiratory and ependymal epithelia and in reproductive organs where they ensure normal left-right asymmetry of the organism, mucociliary clearance of airways, homeostasis of the cerebrospinal fluid and fertility. The genetic programme for the formation of motile cilia, thus critical for normal development and health, is switched on by the key transcription factor FOXJ1. In previous microarray screens for murine FOXJ1 effectors, we identified candidates for novel factors involved in motile ciliogenesis, including both genes that are well conserved throughout metazoa and beyond, like FOXJ1 itself, and genes without overt homologues outside higher vertebrates. Here we examine one of the novel murine FOXJ1 effectors, the uncharacterised 1700012B09Rik whose homologues appear to be restricted to higher vertebrates. In mouse embryos and adults, 1700012B09Rik is predominantly expressed in motile ciliated tissues in a FOXJ1-dependent manner. 1700012B09RIK protein localises to basal bodies of cilia in cultured cells. Detailed analysis of 1700012B09RiklacZ knock-out mice reveals no impaired function of motile cilia or non-motile cilia. In conclusion, this novel FOXJ1 effector is associated mainly with motile cilia but - in contrast to other known FOXJ1 targets - its putative ciliary function is not essential for development or health in the mouse, consistent with a late emergence during evolution of motile ciliogenesis.

An in vitro urinary tract catheter system to investigate biofilm development in catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Biofilm development in urinary tract catheters is an often underestimated problem. However, this form of infection leads to high mortality rates and causes significant costs in health care. Therefore, it is important to analyze these biofilms and establish avoiding strategies. In this study a continuous flow-through system for the cultivation of biofilms under catheter-associated urinary tract infection conditions was established and validated. The in vitro urinary tract catheter system implies the composition of urine (artificial urine medium), the mean volume of urine of adults (1 mL min(-1)), the frequently used silicone catheter (foley silicon catheter) as well as the infection with uropathogenic microorganisms like Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Three clinical isolates from urine of catheterized patients were chosen due to their ability to form biofilms, their mobility and their cell surface hydrophobicity. As reference strain P. aeruginosa PA14 has been used. Characteristic parameters as biofilm thickness, specific biofilm growth rate and substrate consumption were observed. Biofilm thicknesses varied from 105±16 µm up to 246±67 µm for the different isolates. The specific biofilm growth rate could be determined with a non invasive optical biomass sensor. This sensor allows online monitoring of the biofilm growth in the progress of the cultivation.