Point mutations in Arl13b disrupt cilia morphology, as well as transcriptional and nontranscriptional Shh signaling. Although cilia themselves are not required for nontranscriptional Shh signaling, restricting Arl13b from cilia interferes with its regulation of Shh-dependent chemotaxis.

Highlights d Chemogenetic and/or optogenetic activation of primary cilia alters axonal behavior d Ciliary activity modulates axonal growth cones and filopodiallamellipodial balance d Arl13b-Inpp5e activity in cilia facilitates axonal tract formation and targeting d Disrupted ciliary signaling contributes to axonal tract malformations in JSRD

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Patients with the ciliopathy Joubert syndrome present with physical anomalies, intellectual disability, and a hindbrain malformation described as the “molar tooth sign” due to its appearance on an MRI. This radiological abnormality results from a combination of hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis and inappropriate targeting of the white matter tracts of the superior cerebellar peduncles. ARL13B is a cilia-enriched regulatory GTPase established to regulate cell fate, cell proliferation and axon guidance through vertebrate Hedgehog signaling. In patients, mutations in ARL13B cause Joubert syndrome. In order to understand the etiology of the molar tooth sign, we used mouse models to investigate the role of ARL13B during cerebellar development. We found ARL13B regulates superior cerebellar peduncle targeting and these fiber tracts require Hedgehog signaling for proper guidance. However, in mouse the Joubert-causing R79Q mutation in ARL13B does not disrupt Hedgehog signaling nor does it impact tract targeting. We found a small cerebellar vermis in mice lacking ARL13B function but no cerebellar vermis hypoplasia in mice expressing the Joubert-causing R79Q mutation. Additionally, mice expressing a cilia-excluded variant of ARL13B that transduces Hedgehog normally, showed normal tract targeting and vermis width. Taken together, our data indicate that ARL13B is critical for control of cerebellar vermis width as well as superior cerebellar peduncle axon guidance, likely via Hedgehog signaling. Thus, our work highlights the complexity of ARL13B in molar tooth sign etiology.

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Patients with the ciliopathy Joubert syndrome present with physical anomalies, intellectual disability, and are diagnosed by the hindbrain “molar tooth sign” malformation. This radiological abnormality results from a combination of hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis and inappropriate targeting of the white matter tracts of the superior cerebellar peduncles, which create a deepened interpeduncular fossa. ARL13B is a cilia-enriched regulatory GTPase established to regulate cell fate, cell proliferation and axon guidance through vertebrate Hedgehog signaling. In patients, point mutations in ARL13B cause Joubert syndrome. In order to understand the etiology of the molar tooth sign, we used mouse models to investigate the role of ARL13B during cerebellar development. We found ARL13B regulates superior cerebellar peduncle targeting and these fiber tracts require Hedgehog signaling for proper guidance. However, in mouse the Joubert-causing R79Q mutation in ARL13B does not disrupt Hedgehog signaling nor does it impact tract targeting. We found a small cerebellar vermis in mice lacking ARL13B function but no cerebellar vermis hypoplasia in mice expressing the Joubert-causing R79Q mutation. Additionally, mice expressing a cilia-excluded variant of ARL13B that transduces Hedgehog normally, showed normal tract targeting and vermis size. Taken together, our data indicate that ARL13B is critical for superior cerebellar peduncle targeting, likely via Hedgehog signaling, as well as control of cerebellar vermis size. Thus, our work highlights the complexity of ARL13B in molar tooth sign etiology.Summary statementJoubert syndrome is diagnosed by the hindbrain “molar tooth sign” malformation. Using mouse models, we show loss of the ciliary GTPase ARL13B, mutations in which lead to Joubert syndrome, result in two features of the molar tooth sign: hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis and inappropriate targeting of the superior cerebellar peduncles. Furthermore, we demonstrate that loss of vertebrate Hedgehog signaling may be the underlying disrupted mechanism as we extend its role in axon guidance to the superior cerebellar peduncles.