Affinage

IFT20

Intraflagellar transport protein 20 homolog · UniProt Q8IY31

Length
132 aa
Mass
15.3 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
43 papers in source corpus 33 papers cited in narrative 33 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 7/7 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

IFT20 is the smallest subunit of the intraflagellar transport (IFT)-B particle and the only one that cycles through the Golgi complex, where it functions as a cargo-sorting adaptor that links Golgi-derived vesicular traffic to the primary cilium and, in non-ciliated cells, to other polarized membrane destinations (PMID:12821668, PMID:16775004). Within the IFT machinery it bridges kinesin II (via KIF3B) to the IFT particle (via IFT57) and co-sediments with IFT88, IFT57, and IFT52 (PMID:12821668), and it is recruited to the Golgi by the golgin GMAP210/TRIP11, whose loss strips IFT20 from the Golgi and shortens cilia (PMID:19112494). From this Golgi platform IFT20 sorts ciliary membrane cargo: it is required to deliver polycystin-2 (PMID:16775004), binds rhodopsin/opsin directly and moves it from the Golgi to the ciliary base while IFT140 carries it through the connecting cilium (PMID:21307337, PMID:24619649). Loss of IFT20 abolishes ciliogenesis and causes cystic kidney disease with mitotic spindle misorientation and elevated Wnt signaling (PMID:18981227), and it underlies planar-cell-polarity defects through trafficking of Vangl2 (PMID:25605782). IFT20 also stabilizes and localizes other IFT subunits, controlling IFT88 and IFT140 protein levels and their basal-body/axonemal targeting (PMID:40192002), and it couples to E3-ligase activity at the cilium, sustaining c-Cbl/Cbl-b to drive feedback ubiquitination and internalization of PDGFRα (PMID:29237719). Beyond cilia, IFT20 directs polarized vesicular traffic in non-ciliated cells: it delivers the LAT adaptor and shapes the immune synapse in T cells (PMID:26715756, PMID:28154159), couples recycling CI-MPR to dynein for lysosome biogenesis and acid-hydrolase targeting (PMID:31142807), recruits ATG16L1 to Rab5+ endosomes for autophagosome biogenesis (PMID:33829015), and mediates integrin and VE-cadherin recycling out of Rab5+ early endosomes for polarized migration and junction integrity (PMID:32520638). In male germ cells IFT20 is essential for spermiogenesis, manchette/flagellar protein incorporation, and fertility (PMID:27682589).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 12 steps
  1. 2003 High

    Established IFT20's place in the transport machinery by showing how it physically connects the motor to the IFT particle, answering how kinesin II engages cargo.

    Evidence Yeast two-hybrid and reciprocal Co-IP across mouse testis, kidney, retina with sucrose-gradient co-sedimentation

    PMID:12821668

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not define the structural interface or stoichiometry within IFT-B
    • Did not address Golgi-specific functions
  2. 2006 High

    Revealed IFT20's unique Golgi-to-cilium shuttling and tied it functionally to delivery of ciliary membrane proteins, distinguishing it from purely axonemal IFT subunits.

    Evidence Live-cell FRAP/trafficking imaging plus siRNA knockdown with polycystin-2 ciliary readout

    PMID:16775004

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not identify the Golgi anchor
    • Mechanism of cargo selection unresolved
  3. 2008 High

    Identified GMAP210/TRIP11 as the Golgi anchor for IFT20 and showed in vivo that IFT20 loss prevents ciliogenesis and causes cystic kidney disease with spindle/centrosome and Wnt defects.

    Evidence GMAP210-null and collecting-duct-specific Ift20 conditional knockout mice with localization, cilium-length, spindle-orientation and Wnt readouts

    PMID:18981227 PMID:19112494

    Open questions at the time
    • How GMAP210-IFT20 selects cargo at the Golgi not defined
    • Causal chain from cilia loss to Wnt activation not fully resolved
  4. 2011 High

    Demonstrated direct cargo binding by showing IFT20 binds opsin and is required to move it out of the Golgi, separating IFT20's Golgi-exit role from intraflagellar transport along the cilium.

    Evidence Cone- and rod-specific conditional knockouts with Co-IP and opsin localization analysis; later acute Ift20 vs Ift140 deletions

    PMID:21307337 PMID:24619649

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct vs adaptor-mediated nature of opsin binding not structurally defined
    • Generalization of cargo-binding mode to other membrane proteins untested here
  5. 2015 High

    Extended IFT20's trafficking role to planar cell polarity and to non-ciliated immune cells, showing it delivers Vangl2 and the LAT adaptor for synapse assembly.

    Evidence Conditional knockouts with Co-IP and PCP/immune-synapse imaging; T-cell-specific KO with proliferation and colitis readouts

    PMID:25605782 PMID:26715756

    Open questions at the time
    • Vangl2 interaction shown by single-lab Co-IP only
    • Whether Golgi vs endosomal routing handles LAT not resolved
  6. 2017 Medium

    Connected IFT20 to receptor ubiquitination control and mapped a broader non-ciliary interactome, showing it sustains c-Cbl/Cbl-b for PDGFRα downregulation and partners with IFT54, ARPC3, ERGIC-53 for synaptic traffic.

    Evidence siRNA, Co-IP, ubiquitination and signaling assays for PDGFRα; quantitative MS interactome in Jurkat cells with pulldown validation and functional depletions

    PMID:28127051 PMID:28154159 PMID:28417161 PMID:29237719

    Open questions at the time
    • Interactome largely single-lab and cell-type specific
    • How IFT20 stabilizes the Cbl ligases mechanistically unclear
  7. 2019 High

    Defined IFT20's role in endolysosomal homeostasis, showing it couples recycling CI-MPR to dynein for retrograde transport and lysosome biogenesis.

    Evidence T-cell conditional knockout with CI-MPR trafficking, dynein Co-IP, lysosomal enzyme targeting and TFEB transcriptional readouts

    PMID:31142807

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct vs indirect dynein coupling not structurally resolved
    • Relationship to Golgi-anchored IFT20 pool unclear
  8. 2020 High

    Showed cilia-independent endosomal recycling functions, with IFT20 required to move β1 integrins out of Rab5+ endosomes for focal-adhesion turnover and migration.

    Evidence Keratinocyte and hair-follicle stem cell conditional knockouts with live FA imaging, Rab5 endosome and integrin recycling assays, lineage tracing

    PMID:32520638

    Open questions at the time
    • Molecular machinery linking IFT20 to integrin sorting unknown
    • Whether same machinery handles other recycled cargo untested
  9. 2021 Medium

    Placed IFT20 in autophagosome and TGN-export pathways, identifying ATG16L1 (via WD40-Y/E/F/I motif) and Rab5 recruitment for autophagy and INPP5E/phosphoinositide control, plus TGN-to-membrane transport of migration regulators.

    Evidence Co-IP, domain/motif mutagenesis, phosphoinositide and LC3/ATG16L1 imaging; BioID and Strep-Tactin pulldown with CRISPR KO in cancer cells

    PMID:33748116 PMID:33829015 PMID:33910006

    Open questions at the time
    • Each mechanism shown in a single lab/cell context
    • Whether Golgi and endosomal ATG16L1 pools represent one pathway unresolved
  10. 2022 Medium

    Identified germ-cell-specific recruitment of IFT20 to the manchette via MEIG1 and a metabolic signaling role through the TGF-β-Smad2/3-Glut1 axis in stem-cell lineage choice.

    Evidence Meig1 KO with Co-IP and sucrose-gradient complex analysis; MSC conditional KO with ChIP, glucose-uptake and metabolic-flux assays

    PMID:35257720 PMID:35751983

    Open questions at the time
    • How IFT20 influences Smad2/3 activity mechanistically unclear
    • MEIG1-IFT20-IFT88 complex architecture not defined
  11. 2024 Medium

    Refined the Golgi cargo-sorting model by placing IFT20 downstream of DLG1/SDCCAG3 for polycystin-2 ciliary targeting, with an AlphaFold-supported SDCCAG3-IFT20 complex.

    Evidence Dlg1 conditional knockout, proximity-labeling proteomics, biochemical co-precipitation and AlphaFold modeling

    PMID:38849673

    Open questions at the time
    • DLG1-IFT20 association is indirect and not structurally validated
    • Generalization beyond PC2 cargo untested
  12. 2025 Medium

    Generalized the MPR/TFEB axis to cytotoxic lymphocytes (lytic-granule biogenesis) and confirmed IFT20 stabilizes IFT88 and IFT140 protein levels and ciliary localization.

    Evidence CTL-specific conditional KO with MPR/granzyme-B localization and cytotoxicity assays; CRISPR-Cas9 KO with immunoblot, immunofluorescence and MS of IFT interactors

    PMID:40192002 PMID:40389449

    Open questions at the time
    • Mechanism by which IFT20 stabilizes IFT88/IFT140 not defined
    • Whether lytic-granule and lysosome pathways are mechanistically identical unresolved

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • It remains unresolved how a single small adaptor selects such diverse cargo (opsins, polycystin-2, integrins, VE-cadherin, LAT, CI-MPR) and how its Golgi, endosomal, and ciliary functional pools are molecularly partitioned.
  • No structural model of IFT20 cargo-binding interfaces
  • No unifying rule distinguishing ciliary vs non-ciliary IFT20 functions
  • Cargo-specificity determinants undefined

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0060090 molecular adaptor activity 5 GO:0140096 catalytic activity, acting on a protein 1
Localization
GO:0005768 endosome 4 GO:0005794 Golgi apparatus 4 GO:0005929 cilium 4 GO:0005815 microtubule organizing center 3 GO:0005856 cytoskeleton 2
Pathway
R-HSA-168256 Immune System 4 R-HSA-5653656 Vesicle-mediated transport 4 R-HSA-9609507 Protein localization 4 R-HSA-162582 Signal Transduction 3 R-HSA-1852241 Organelle biogenesis and maintenance 3 R-HSA-9612973 Autophagy 2
Partners
ATG16L1COPS5GMAP210/TRIP11IFT54/TRAF3IP1IFT57KIF3BMEIG1TSG101
Complex memberships
IFT-B particle

Evidence

Reading pass · 33 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
2003 IFT20 physically interacts with IFT57/Hippi and the kinesin II subunit KIF3B as determined by yeast two-hybrid, and all four IFT proteins (IFT88, IFT57, IFT52, IFT20) co-immunoprecipitate from mouse testis, kidney, and retina lysates, co-fractionating at ~17S. IFT20 appears to bridge kinesin II with the IFT complex. Yeast two-hybrid, co-immunoprecipitation, sucrose gradient sedimentation The Journal of biological chemistry High 12821668
2006 IFT20 localizes to the Golgi complex, basal body, and cilia. In living cells, fluorescently tagged IFT20 is highly dynamic and moves between the Golgi complex and the cilium as well as along ciliary microtubules. Strong knockdown of IFT20 blocks ciliary assembly; moderate knockdown reduces polycystin-2 localization to cilia without blocking assembly, suggesting IFT20 functions in delivery of ciliary membrane proteins from the Golgi to the cilium. Live-cell fluorescence imaging (FRAP and trafficking), siRNA knockdown, immunofluorescence microscopy Molecular biology of the cell High 16775004
2008 GMAP210/TRIP11 anchors IFT20 to the Golgi complex; cells lacking GMAP210 have normal Golgi structure but IFT20 is no longer localized to the Golgi. Cilia on GMAP210 mutant cells are shorter and have reduced polycystin-2, indicating GMAP210 and IFT20 function together at the Golgi in sorting/transport of proteins destined for the ciliary membrane. Genetic knockout (GMAP210 null mice), immunofluorescence, Western blot, cilium length measurement PLoS genetics High 19112494
2008 Kidney-specific deletion of IFT20 prevents cilia formation and causes cystic kidney disease. Dividing collecting duct cells lacking IFT20 fail to orient their mitotic spindles along the tubule, and non-dividing cells misposition their centrosomes. Later-stage cysts show increased canonical Wnt signaling and increased cell proliferation, coupling IFT20 loss to altered Wnt pathway output. Conditional knockout (Cre-lox, collecting duct-specific), immunofluorescence for spindle orientation, Wnt signaling assay The Journal of cell biology High 18981227
2009 SPEF2 interacts with IFT20 in the testis, as demonstrated by yeast two-hybrid assay and co-immunoprecipitation. The two proteins co-localize in differentiating male germ cells at the Golgi complex, manchette, basal body, and midpiece of the sperm tail. Yeast two-hybrid, co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence co-localization Biology of reproduction Medium 19889948
2011 IFT20 is required for opsin trafficking from the Golgi to the connecting cilium in photoreceptors. Deletion of IFT20 in cones causes opsin accumulation in the inner segment, and deletion in rods causes rapid rhodopsin accumulation at the Golgi complex. IFT20, acting both as part of the IFT particle and independently, binds to rhodopsin and RG-opsin. Conditional knockout (cone-specific and tamoxifen-inducible Cre), co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence Molecular biology of the cell High 21307337
2014 IFT20 and IFT140 play distinct roles in opsin transport: acute deletion of IFT20 causes opsin to accumulate at the Golgi complex, whereas acute deletion of IFT140 causes opsin to accumulate in the plasma membrane of inner segments (not Golgi). This supports a model where IFT20 moves opsin from the Golgi to the base of the cilium, and IFT140 carries it through the connecting cilium. Conditional knockout (acute tamoxifen-inducible deletion of Ift20 and Ift140), immunofluorescence for opsin localization Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.) High 24619649
2015 IFT20 interacts with the core PCP molecule Vangl2 by co-immunoprecipitation, and deletion of IFT20 results in disruption of asymmetric accumulation of Vangl2 in cochlear cells, causing mis-oriented hair cell stereociliary bundles. IFT20 also localizes to filamentous actin in addition to microtubules, implicating it in selective trafficking of membrane proteins upstream of cytoskeletal reorganization. Conditional knockout, co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence for PCP marker asymmetry and bundle orientation Development (Cambridge, England) Medium 25605782
2015 In primary CD4+ T cells, IFT20 is required for TCR-mediated signaling and recruitment of the signaling adaptor LAT to the immune synapse. Loss of IFT20 leaves centrosome polarization unaffected but impairs LAT delivery, reducing CD4+ T-cell activation, proliferation, and in vivo antigen-specific T-cell responses and colitis induction. Conditional knockout (T-cell-specific), confocal imaging of immune synapse, adoptive transfer experiments Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America High 26715756
2016 Deletion of IFT20 in male germ cells causes infertility with reduced sperm counts and motility, abnormally shaped spermatid heads, disrupted axonemes, and failure to incorporate sperm flagella proteins ODF2 and SPAG16L into sperm tails. ODF2 and SPAG16L form complexes of lighter density in the absence of IFT20. IFT20 is also involved in removing excess cytoplasmic components, possibly through association with autophagy protein ATG16. Conditional knockout (germ cell-specific Cre), electron microscopy, sucrose gradient fractionation, immunofluorescence, Western blot Molecular biology of the cell High 27682589
2016 A mutation in VPS15 (PIK3R4) impairs IFT20 release from the cis-Golgi; in patient fibroblasts bearing the VPS15-R998Q mutation, IFT20 is restricted to the Golgi and not present in vesicles trafficking to the cilium. VPS15 interacts with golgin GM130 at the Golgi, and this complex facilitates IFT20-dependent sorting and transport of membrane proteins from the cis-Golgi to the primary cilium. Patient fibroblast analysis, immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation of VPS15 with GM130, humanized yeast complementation Nature communications Medium 27882921
2017 Ror2 receptor tyrosine kinase signaling upregulates IFT20 in tumor cells lacking primary cilia. IFT20 mediates Ror2-induced tumor invasiveness by regulating nucleation of Golgi-derived microtubules through the GM130-AKAP450 complex, promoting Golgi ribbon formation for polarized secretion, and enhancing transport efficiency through the Golgi complex. Knockdown/overexpression in cancer cells, Golgi morphology analysis, invadopodia assay, microtubule nucleation assay Scientific reports Medium 28127051
2017 IFT20 interacts with E3 ubiquitin ligases c-Cbl and Cbl-b and is required for Cbl-mediated ubiquitination and internalization of PDGFRα for feedback inhibition of receptor signaling at the primary cilium. In IFT20-depleted cells, PDGFRα localizes aberrantly to the plasma membrane and is overactivated after PDGF-AA stimulation because c-Cbl and Cbl-b are destabilized and degraded. siRNA knockdown, co-immunoprecipitation, ubiquitination assays, confocal imaging of PDGFRα localization, receptor signaling assays The Journal of cell biology High 29237719
2017 Quantitative mass spectrometry of the IFT20 interactome in Jurkat T cells identified IFT57, IFT88, IFT54/TRAF3IP1, GMAP-210/TRIP11, ARPC3, COP9 signalosome subunit-1 (CSN1/GPS1), and ERGIC-53/LMAN1 as binding partners. Direct interactions between IFT20 and IFT54 and between IFT20 and GMAP-210 were confirmed by pulldown assays. Depletion of IFT54, ARPC3, or ERGIC-53 impaired TCR accumulation and phosphotyrosine signaling at the immune synapse. Quantitative mass spectrometry (interactome), pulldown assays, RNA interference, confocal imaging of immune synapse Journal of cell science Medium 28154159
2017 IFT54's C-terminal coiled-coil (CC) domain binds IFT20, and loss of the CC domain or complete loss of IFT54 destabilizes IFT20 protein. The CC domain of IFT54 is required for IFT54 recruitment to the basal body and incorporation into IFT complexes. Domain deletion mutants in Chlamydomonas, immunofluorescence, Western blot to assess IFT20 stability Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS Medium 28417161
2019 IFT20 is required for lysosome biogenesis and function in T cells by controlling lysosomal targeting of acid hydrolases. This function involves IFT20 regulating retrograde traffic of the cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) to the trans-Golgi network by coupling recycling CI-MPRs to the microtubule motor dynein. Loss of IFT20 results in autophagic clearance defect, lipid droplet accumulation, and upregulation of TFEB-dependent lysosomal gene network. Conditional knockout (T cell-specific), lysosomal enzyme targeting assays, CI-MPR trafficking analysis, dynein co-immunoprecipitation, TFEB transcriptional assays Cell death and differentiation High 31142807
2019 GMAP210 is essential for acrosome biogenesis, normal mitochondrial sheath formation, and male fertility in mice. Loss of GMAP210 in spermatocytes/spermatids significantly reduces IFT20 expression and disrupts its acrosomal localization, confirming GMAP210 as an upstream determinant of IFT20 levels and localization in male germ cells. Conditional knockout (Stra8-iCre), immunofluorescence, Western blot, electron microscopy American journal of physiology. Cell physiology Medium 31577511
2020 COPS5 (COP9 signalosome subunit 5) is a major binding partner of IFT20 in the testis. Loss of COPS5 in male germ cells leads to dramatic reduction of IFT20 expression and its absence from the acrosome (but retention in Golgi of spermatocytes). Conversely, loss of IFT20 does not change COPS5 localization, establishing a one-directional dependency. Co-immunoprecipitation, conditional knockout, immunofluorescence, Western blot Biology of reproduction Medium 31373619
2020 Genetic ablation of IFT20 in keratinocytes slows wound healing migration. This is independent of primary cilia and is caused by defective integrin recycling: loss of IFT20 prevents β1 integrins from being transferred out of Rab5+ early endosomes after endocytosis during focal adhesion disassembly, blocking their recycling to the cell surface and impairing focal adhesion reformation. In vivo, IFT20 loss in hair follicle stem cells impairs their migration during wound healing. Conditional knockout (keratinocyte and hair follicle stem cell-specific), live-cell imaging of FA dynamics, Rab5 endosome trafficking assays, integrin recycling assays, lineage tracing Molecular biology of the cell High 32520638
2020 SPATA1 is an IFT20 binding protein in the testis identified by yeast two-hybrid screening, confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization. SPATA1 localizes to the acrosome of developing spermatids. In conditional Ift20 knockout mice, SPATA1 expression level and acrosomal localization are unchanged, indicating SPATA1 is not downstream of IFT20 for its own targeting. Yeast two-hybrid, co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, conditional Ift20 KO Developmental dynamics Medium 31816150
2021 IFT20 interacts with ATG16L1 via the WD40 domain of ATG16L1 and a Y-E-F-I motif in IFT20, and they are co-transported to the primary cilium during ciliogenesis. Perturbation of the ATG16L1/IFT20 complex alters INPP5E trafficking to the primary cilium, causing aberrant ciliary phosphoinositide composition (accumulation of PI4,5P2, loss of PI4P). ATG16L1 also interacts with INPP5E. Co-immunoprecipitation, domain mutagenesis (WD40, Y-E-F-I motif), confocal imaging, phosphoinositide staining Cell reports Medium 33910006
2021 IFT20 promotes autophagosome biogenesis in T cells by recruiting ATG16L1 to early endosomes tagged by the BECLIN1/VPS34/Rab5 complex, resulting in local LC3 accumulation. IFT20's CC domain is essential for its pro-autophagic activity. IFT20 also interacts with GMAP210 at the Golgi and Rab5 at early endosomes to mediate ATG16L1 localization; GMAP210 depletion disperses ATG16L1 from Golgi but does not affect basal autophagy. siRNA knockdown, co-immunoprecipitation, confocal imaging of ATG16L1 and LC3 localization, domain mutagenesis (CC domain) Frontiers in cell and developmental biology Medium 33829015
2021 IFT20 localizes at the trans-Golgi and TGN in breast cancer cells lacking primary cilia and mediates vesicular transport of cell migration regulators (Numb and Ctnnal1) from the TGN to the plasma membrane via Rab8a-positive vesicles. IFT20 directly interacts with Ctnnal1 and Numb as shown by Strep-Tactin pulldown. Loss of IFT20 promotes EMT, lamellipodia formation, and cell migration. BioID proximity labeling, Strep-Tactin pulldown, confocal colocalization, CRISPR knockout Frontiers in cell and developmental biology Medium 33748116
2022 MEIG1 is required for IFT20 and IFT88 localization to the manchette in elongating spermatids. In Meig1 knockout mice, IFT20 and IFT88 are absent from the manchette despite normal localization in spermatocytes and round spermatids. MEIG1, IFT20, and IFT88 form a complex as shown by co-immunoprecipitation from mouse testis extracts. Loss of MEIG1 also shifts IFT20 and IFT88 to lighter density fractions in sucrose gradient and significantly reduces their mRNA and protein levels. Conditional and conventional knockout (Meig1 KO), co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, sucrose gradient sedimentation, Western blot Developmental biology Medium 35257720
2022 IFT20 controls mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) lineage allocation by regulating glucose metabolism through the TGF-β-Smad2/3-Glut1 signaling axis. Loss of IFT20 in MSCs decreases TGF-β-Smad2/3 activity and reduces Smad2/3 binding to the Glut1 promoter, thereby downregulating Glut1 expression, suppressing glucose uptake and ATP/lactate production, and promoting adipocyte over osteoblast formation. Conditional knockout (MSC-specific), ChIP for Smad2/3 binding to Glut1 promoter, glucose uptake assay, metabolic flux assay, signaling pathway analysis Redox biology Medium 35751983
2023 IFT20 interacts with TSG101 (a protein involved in ubiquitinated TCR endocytosis), and this IFT20-TSG101 interaction promotes SMAC formation at the immune synapse, amplifying AKT-mTOR signaling in CD4+ T cells. IFT20-deficient CD4+ T cells show SMAC malformation, reduced proliferation, impaired aerobic glycolysis, and diminished cellular respiration. Mice with T-cell-specific IFT20 deficiency have reduced allergen-induced airway inflammation. Co-immunoprecipitation (IFT20-TSG101), conditional knockout, immune synapse imaging, AKT-mTOR signaling assays, metabolic assays, in vivo allergy model Cellular & molecular immunology Medium 37029318
2023 IFT20 drives paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer cells by triggering β-arrestin-1 to bind ASK1, promoting ASK1 ubiquitination and degradation, thereby attenuating ASK1-JNK signaling and allowing cells to escape apoptosis. IFT20 knockdown enhances paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. Co-immunoprecipitation (IFT20 with β-arrestin-1), ubiquitination assay for ASK1, knockdown/overexpression, apoptosis assays Molecular cancer research : MCR Medium 36573960
2024 IFT20 interacts with TGF-β receptor type II (TβRII) and enhances TβRII stability by blocking c-Cbl-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of TβRII in osteoblasts. Loss of both IFT20 and WWTR1 synergistically inhibits osteogenesis and promotes adipogenesis. Co-immunoprecipitation, ubiquitination assay, conditional double KO in osteoblasts Research square (preprint)preprint Low 38562782
2024 DLG1 functions upstream of SDCCAG3 and IFT20 to control ciliary targeting of polycystin-2 (PC2) in kidney epithelial cells. Loss of DLG1 reduces SDCCAG3, IFT20, and PC2 in cilia. Biochemical approaches and AlphaFold modeling indicate SDCCAG3 and IFT20 form a complex that associates indirectly with DLG1. Conditional knockout (Dlg1), proximity labeling proteomics, immunofluorescence, biochemical co-precipitation, AlphaFold modeling EMBO reports Medium 38849673
2025 IFT20 is required for MPR recycling to the trans-Golgi network, proper granzyme B (GZMB) localization to lytic granules (LGs), and CTL killing capability. IFT20 deficiency impairs LG biogenesis and activates compensatory upregulation of lysosomal and LG genes via TFEB. Modulation of TFEB alters LG-related gene expression and CTL-mediated cytotoxicity. Conditional knockout (CTL-specific), immunofluorescence for MPR and GZMB localization, cytotoxicity assays, TFEB modulation, gene expression analysis Cell death & disease Medium 40389449
2025 IFT20 loss in lymphatic endothelial cells causes accumulation of VE-cadherin in Rab5+ early endosomes and impairs its recycling to adherens junctions, leading to discontinuous junctions, enhanced and sustained VEGFR-3 signaling after VEGF-C treatment, excessive lymphangiogenesis, and impaired lymph drainage in mice. IFT20 knockdown/KO (lymphatic-specific), immunofluorescence for VE-cadherin and Rab5 localization, VEGFR-3 signaling assays, in vivo lymphangiogenesis models bioRxivpreprint Low bio_10.1101_2025.01.15.631989
2025 IFT20 depletion in RPE cells impairs photoreceptor outer segment phagocytosis by reducing outer segment binding and altering apical membrane morphology, and causes mitochondrial metabolic alterations. Loss of IFT88 produces a similar phenotype whereas loss of Bbs6 does not, placing IFT20 and IFT88 in a specific phagocytosis-enabling pathway. Conditional KO/siRNA depletion in RPE-J cells, phagocytosis binding assays, proteomics, mitochondrial metabolism assays bioRxivpreprint Low bio_10.1101_2025.10.16.682843
2025 IFT20 knockout reduces the protein levels of both IFT88 and IFT140 and abrogates IFT88 localization at the basal body and ciliary axoneme; IFT140 localization at the ciliary axoneme is also impaired but its basal body localization is unaffected. IFT20 does not affect CP110 removal from the mother centriole or MKS3 recruitment to the transition zone. Mass spectrometry of IFT20 interactors confirms IFT components as the main binding partners. CRISPR-Cas9 knockout, immunofluorescence, immunoblotting, mass spectrometry Journal of clinical laboratory analysis Medium 40192002

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 43 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2017 Ror2 signaling regulates Golgi structure and transport through IFT20 for tumor invasiveness. Scientific reports 6932 28127051
2006 The intraflagellar transport protein IFT20 is associated with the Golgi complex and is required for cilia assembly. Molecular biology of the cell 406 16775004
2008 Deletion of IFT20 in the mouse kidney causes misorientation of the mitotic spindle and cystic kidney disease. The Journal of cell biology 221 18981227
2008 The Golgin GMAP210/TRIP11 anchors IFT20 to the Golgi complex. PLoS genetics 158 19112494
2003 IFT20 links kinesin II with a mammalian intraflagellar transport complex that is conserved in motile flagella and sensory cilia. The Journal of biological chemistry 117 12821668
2011 IFT20 is required for opsin trafficking and photoreceptor outer segment development. Molecular biology of the cell 112 21307337
2016 Intraflagellar transport protein IFT20 is essential for male fertility and spermiogenesis in mice. Molecular biology of the cell 88 27682589
2009 Expression of SPEF2 during mouse spermatogenesis and identification of IFT20 as an interacting protein. Biology of reproduction 76 19889948
2015 Ciliary proteins Bbs8 and Ift20 promote planar cell polarity in the cochlea. Development (Cambridge, England) 61 25605782
2017 IFT20 modulates ciliary PDGFRα signaling by regulating the stability of Cbl E3 ubiquitin ligases. The Journal of cell biology 53 29237719
2016 A mutation in VPS15 (PIK3R4) causes a ciliopathy and affects IFT20 release from the cis-Golgi. Nature communications 53 27882921
2015 IFT20 controls LAT recruitment to the immune synapse and T-cell activation in vivo. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 51 26715756
2014 Distinct functions for IFT140 and IFT20 in opsin transport. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.) 51 24619649
2018 Constitutively-active FGFR3 disrupts primary cilium length and IFT20 trafficking in various chondrocyte models of achondroplasia. Human molecular genetics 35 29040558
2017 IFT54 regulates IFT20 stability but is not essential for tubulin transport during ciliogenesis. Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS 35 28417161
2019 The intraflagellar transport protein IFT20 controls lysosome biogenesis by regulating the post-Golgi transport of acid hydrolases. Cell death and differentiation 27 31142807
2017 The T cell IFT20 interactome reveals new players in immune synapse assembly. Journal of cell science 24 28154159
2021 The autophagy protein ATG16L1 cooperates with IFT20 and INPP5E to regulate the turnover of phosphoinositides at the primary cilium. Cell reports 23 33910006
2019 Abnormal fertility, acrosome formation, IFT20 expression and localization in conditional Gmap210 knockout mice. American journal of physiology. Cell physiology 21 31577511
2014 Deletion of IFT20 in early stage T lymphocyte differentiation inhibits the development of collagen-induced arthritis. Bone research 20 26097753
2018 IFT20 is required for the maintenance of cartilaginous matrix in condylar cartilage. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 19 30587338
2020 IFT20 is critical for collagen biosynthesis in craniofacial bone formation. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 17 32988591
2014 Primary cilia in rat mature Müller glia: downregulation of IFT20 expression reduces sonic hedgehog-mediated proliferation and dedifferentiation potential of Müller glia primary cultures. Cellular and molecular neurobiology 17 25504432
2022 IFT20 governs mesenchymal stem cell fate through positively regulating TGF-β-Smad2/3-Glut1 signaling mediated glucose metabolism. Redox biology 16 35751983
2020 COP9 signalosome complex subunit 5, an IFT20 binding partner, is essential to maintain male germ cell survival and acrosome biogenesis†. Biology of reproduction 16 31373619
2021 The Intraflagellar Transport Protein IFT20 Recruits ATG16L1 to Early Endosomes to Promote Autophagosome Formation in T Cells. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology 14 33829015
2021 IFT20 Mediates the Transport of Cell Migration Regulators From the Trans-Golgi Network to the Plasma Membrane in Breast Cancer Cells. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology 13 33748116
2022 MEIG1 determines the manchette localization of IFT20 and IFT88, two intraflagellar transport components in male germ cells. Developmental biology 11 35257720
2020 Mouse spermatogenesis-associated protein 1 (SPATA1), an IFT20 binding partner, is an acrosomal protein. Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists 11 31816150
2023 Deletion of IFT20 exclusively in the RPE ablates primary cilia and leads to retinal degeneration. PLoS biology 9 38048369
2021 Loss of Primary Cilia Protein IFT20 Dysregulates Lymphatic Vessel Patterning in Development and Inflammation. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology 9 34055805
2024 DLG1 functions upstream of SDCCAG3 and IFT20 to control ciliary targeting of polycystin-2. EMBO reports 8 38849673
2021 When the autophagy protein ATG16L1 met the ciliary protein IFT20. Autophagy 8 34057021
2020 An IFT20 mechanotrafficking axis is required for integrin recycling, focal adhesion dynamics, and polarized cell migration. Molecular biology of the cell 7 32520638
2023 Regulation of c-SMAC formation and AKT-mTOR signaling by the TSG101-IFT20 axis in CD4+ T cells. Cellular & molecular immunology 6 37029318
2022 IFT20: An Eclectic Regulator of Cellular Processes beyond Intraflagellar Transport. International journal of molecular sciences 6 36292997
2023 IFT20 Confers Paclitaxel Resistance by Triggering β-arrestin-1 to Modulate ASK1 Signaling in Breast Cancer. Molecular cancer research : MCR 3 36573960
2024 IFT20 and WWTR1 govern bone homeostasis via synchronously regulating the expression and stability of TβRII in osteoblast lineage cells. Research square 1 38562782
2025 Alteration of primary cilia and intraflagellar transport 20 (IFT20) expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines. PeerJ 0 40017656
2025 Coordination of IFT20 With Other IFT Components Is Required for Ciliogenesis. Journal of clinical laboratory analysis 0 40192002
2025 IFT20 regulates TFEB-dependent lytic granule biogenesis in cytotoxic T lymphocytes by orchestrating the MPR-dependent transport of granzyme B. Cell death & disease 0 40389449
2024 DLG1 functions upstream of SDCCAG3 and IFT20 to control ciliary targeting of polycystin-2. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 0 37987012
2003 Cloning and characterization of the human IFT20 gene. Molecular biology reports 0 14672413

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