Transition Fibers Play a Central Role in Import of a Glucose Transporter into the Flagellar Membrane

KHARON is identified as a novel transition-fiber component in Leishmania promastigotes, where it supports GT1 trafficking from the flagellar pocket membrane into the flagellar membrane.

• Why it matters: Flagellar integral membrane proteins must be delivered selectively, but the mechanism for how GT1 reaches the flagellar membrane was unclear.
• What they did: The study mapped KHARON’s location to transition fibers projecting from the basal body and proposed KHARON binds GT1 and hands it to IFT trains associated with TULP.
• The result: IFT trains then move GT1 through the transition zone filter into the flagellar body, providing evidence that transition fibers help transport membrane proteins into flagella.

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