Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is the bidirectional movement of protein complexes required for cilia and flagella formation. We investigated IFT by analyzing nine conventional IFT genes and five novel putative IFT genes (PIFT) in Trypanosoma brucei that maintain its existing flagellum while assembling a new flagellum. Immunostaining against IFT172 or expression of tagged IFT20 or green fluorescent protein GFP::IFT52 revealed the presence of IFT proteins along the axoneme and at the basal body and probasal body regions of both old and new flagella. IFT particles were detected by electron microscopy and exhibited a strict localization to axonemal microtubules 3-4 and 7-8, suggesting the existence of specific IFT tracks. Rapid (>3 microm/s) bidirectional intraflagellar movement of GFP::IFT52 was observed in old and new flagella. RNA interference silencing demonstrated that all individual IFT and PIFT genes are essential for new flagellum construction but the old flagellum remained present. Inhibition of IFTB proteins completely blocked axoneme construction. Absence of IFTA proteins (IFT122 and IFT140) led to formation of short flagella filled with IFT172, indicative of defects in retrograde transport. Two PIFT proteins turned out to be required for retrograde transport and three for anterograde transport. Finally, flagellum membrane elongation continues despite the absence of axonemal microtubules in all IFT/PIFT mutant.

Human PC4 and the yeast ortholog Sub1 have multiple functions in RNA polymerase II transcription. Genome-wide mapping revealed that Sub1 is present on Pol III-transcribed genes. Sub1 was found to interact with components of the Pol III transcription system and to stimulate the initiation and reinitiation steps in a system reconstituted with all recombinant factors. Sub1 was required for optimal Pol III gene transcription in exponentially growing cells.

Sub1 and Maf1 exert an opposite effect on RNA polymerase III transcription interfering with different steps of the transcription cycle. In this study, we present evidence that Sub1 and Maf1 also exhibit an opposite role on yeast chronological life span. First, cells lacking Sub1 need more time than wild type to exit from resting and this lag in re-proliferation is correlated with a delay in transcriptional reactivation. Second, our data show that the capacity of the cells to properly establish a quiescent state is impaired in the absence of Sub1 resulting in a premature death that is dependent on the Ras/PKA and Tor1/Sch9 signalling pathways. On the other hand, we show that maf1Δ cells are long-lived mutant suggesting a connection between Pol III transcription and yeast longevity.