Distinct architecture and composition of mouse axonemal radial spoke head revealed by cryo-EM
Wei Zheng, Fan Li, Zhanyu Ding, Hao Liu, Lei Zhu, Cong Xu, Jiawei Li, Qi Gao, Yanxing Wang, Zhenglin Fu, Chao Peng, Xiumin Yan, Xueliang Zhu, Yao Cong
Abstract
Our reconstituted murine RS head core complex consists of Rsph1, Rsph3b, Rsph4a, and Rsph9, lacking Rsph6a and Rsph10b, whose orthologs exist in the protozoan RS head. We resolve its cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure at 3.2-Å resolution. Our atomic model further reveals a twofold symmetric brake pad-shaped structure, in which Rsph4a and Rsph9 form a compact body extended laterally with two long arms of twisted Rsph1 β-sheets and potentially connected dorsally via Rsph3b to the RS stalk. Furthermore, our modeling suggests that the core complex contacts the periodic CP projections either rigidly through its tooth-shaped Rsph4a regions or elastically through both arms for optimized RS-CP interactions and mechanosignal transduction.