Tau-Tubulin Kinase 2 restrains microtubule-depolymerizer KIF2A to support primary cilia growth.
The initiation of assembly of primary cilia, organelles with crucial functions in development and disease, is under the control of Tau-Tubulin Kinase 2 (TTBK2). Recent work has implicated TTBK2 also in the regulation of primary cilia maintenance and function. However, the mechanisms underlying individual functions of TTBK2 in primary cilia are not fully understood. Here, to dissect the role of TTBK2 in primary cilia maintenance in human cells, we examined disease related TTBK2 truncations. We demonstrate that these truncated protein moieties show selective activity towards TTBK2 substrates. This creates a semi-permissive condition where partial TTBK2 activity suffices to support the initiation of ciliogenesis but fails to sustain primary cilia length. Subsequently, we show that the defects in primary cilia growth are linked to aberrant turnover of kinesin KIF2A at basal body. Furthermore, we demonstrate that TTBK2 regulates KIF2A by phosphorylation, which in turn restrains its levels at the ciliary base to promote primary cilia elongation and maintenance. Taken together, our data highlight the regulation of KIF2A by TTBK2 as an important mechanism governing primary cilia in human cells.