IFT20 Human

Intraflagellar Transport 20 Homolog (IFT20) is a protein that plays a crucial role in the assembly and maintenance of cilia and flagella. These hair-like structures are essential for various cellular processes, including motility, sensory perception, and signaling. IFT20 is a part of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) system, which is responsible for the bidirectional movement of molecular motors and IFT particle proteins along the ciliary axoneme .

The IFT20 gene is located on human chromosome 17 at the position 17q11.2 . It is composed of six exons and encodes a protein that is 152 amino acids long . The protein has a molecular mass of approximately 17.0 kDa and is often produced recombinantly in Escherichia coli (E. coli) for research purposes .

IFT20 is involved in the trafficking of ciliary membrane proteins from the Golgi complex to the cilium . It is expressed in virtually all tissues, indicating its fundamental role in cellular function . The protein is a part of the IFT complex B, which is essential for anterograde transport (movement towards the ciliary tip) within the cilium .

Cilia and flagella are critical for various physiological processes. For instance, motile cilia are involved in the movement of fluids across epithelial surfaces, such as in the respiratory tract. Sensory cilia are crucial for detecting environmental signals, such as light and odor . Defects in IFT20 or other components of the IFT system can lead to a range of ciliopathies, which are disorders caused by dysfunctional cilia. These include conditions like polycystic kidney disease, retinal degeneration, and Bardet-Biedl syndrome .

Human recombinant IFT20 is typically produced in E. coli. The recombinant protein is a single polypeptide chain containing 152 amino acids, with a 20 amino acid His-tag at the N-terminus for purification purposes . The protein is purified using proprietary chromatographic techniques to achieve a purity greater than 95% as determined by SDS-PAGE .

Recombinant IFT20 is used extensively in laboratory research to study ciliary function and related diseases. It is also employed in biochemical assays to understand the protein-protein interactions within the IFT complex and the mechanisms underlying ciliary assembly and maintenance .