Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful model to study the molecular basis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). ADPKD is caused by mutations in the polycystic kidney disease (PKD)1 or PKD2 gene, encoding polycystin (PC)-1 or PC-2, respectively. The C. elegans polycystins LOV-1 and PKD-2 are required for male mating behaviors and are localized to sensory cilia. The function of the evolutionarily conserved polycystin/lipoxygenase/alpha-toxin (PLAT) domain found in all PC-1 family members remains an enigma. Here, we report that ATP-2, the beta subunit of the ATP synthase, physically associates with the LOV-1 PLAT domain and that this interaction is evolutionarily conserved. In addition to the expected mitochondria localization, ATP-2 and other ATP synthase components colocalize with LOV-1 and PKD-2 in cilia. Disrupting the function of the ATP synthase or overexpression of atp-2 results in a male mating behavior defect. We further show that atp-2, lov-1, and pkd-2 act in the same molecular pathway. We propose that the ciliary localized ATP synthase may play a previously unsuspected role in polycystin signaling.