Tubulin Tyrosine Ligase-Like 1 Deficiency Results in Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Abnormal Development of Spermatid Flagella in Mice

Tubulin tyrosine ligase-like 1 (TTLL1) protein is a member of the tubulin tyrosine ligase superfamily of proteins that are involved in the posttranslational polyglutamylation of tubulin in axonemal microtubules within cilia and flagella. To investigate the physiological role of TTLL1, the authors generated mice with a gene trap mutation in the Ttll1 gene that provide confirmation in a mammalian model that polyglutamylation plays an important role in some ciliary and flagellar functions. For the first time, mice homozygous for the Ttll1 mutation exhibited accumulations of exudates in the nasal passages and sinuses, rhinosinusitis, otitis media, and male infertility. In homozygous mutant male mice, abnormal sperm morphology and function were characterized by shortened or absent flagella and immotility. Although homozygous mutant males were infertile, the females were fertile. These findings are consistent with a diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) resulting from ciliary dysfunction. They indicate that Ttll1 is essential for normal motility of respiratory cilia and the biogenesis and function of sperm flagella but that the defect does not result in the hydrocephalus or laterality defects often seen in other forms of PCD. The absence of early-onset lethal hydrocephalus in Ttll1-mutant mice may enable studies to evaluate the long-term effects of PCD in the respiratory system of mice. Although no mutations in the orthologous gene have been linked with PCD in humans, investigating the role of TTLL1 and polyglutamylation of tubulin in cilia and flagella should advance an understanding of the biogenesis and function of these organelles in mammals and have potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications.