| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Gene name | **che-13**; also described as *Chemotaxis abnormal protein 13* in *C. elegans* literature and UniProt; corresponds to the IFT57 family member in worm (pqac-00000001, pqac-00000009) |
| Protein name | **Intraflagellar transport protein CHE-13 / IFT57**; a non-enzymatic structural/adaptor component of the intraflagellar transport machinery rather than a catalyst or transporter with a discrete small-molecule substrate (pqac-00000001, pqac-00000005) |
| Organism | **Caenorhabditis elegans** (worm), the specific target organism verified from UniProt and supported by the cited cilia literature (pqac-00000001, pqac-00000010) |
| UniProt accession | **Q93833** (user-supplied UniProt record for *C. elegans* CHE-13) |
| Protein family | **IFT57 family**; conserved component of the **IFT-B** machinery required for cilia/flagella assembly and transport, with CHE-13 representing the worm ortholog (pqac-00000009, pqac-00000012) |
| Key domain | Contains an **N-terminal calponin-homology (CH) domain** and a **C-terminal coiled-coil region**; the CH domain mediates interaction with IFT172, whereas the coiled-coil region supports association with IFT38 (pqac-00000005, pqac-00000004, pqac-00000006) |
| Subcellular localization | Localizes to the **ciliary base/basal body region** in *C. elegans* sensory neurons and functions within sensory cilia; CHE-13 has also been observed as an IFT-B component entering residual cilia in mutant backgrounds (pqac-00000011, pqac-00000002) |
| IFT complex membership (IFT-B2) | CHE-13/IFT57 is a member of the **IFT-B2 (peripheral) subcomplex** of IFT-B, together with IFT172, IFT80, IFT54, IFT38, and IFT20; this subcomplex can assemble stably apart from the IFT-B1 core (pqac-00000004, pqac-00000006, pqac-00000007) |
| Direct protein interactions | **IFT172:** bound by the IFT57 CH domain; **IFT38:** forms a stable heterodimer/coiled-coil pair with IFT57; **IFT88/IFT52:** part of the bridging interface linking IFT-B2 to IFT-B1 via IFT57/38 and IFT88/52N; **IFT20:** interacts with IFT57 within IFT-B and has been pulled down with it; **KIF3B/kinesin-2:** vertebrate studies implicate IFT57 and IFT20 in association with KIF3B; **dynein-2/WDR34 and related dynein-2 subunits:** IFT57 contributes to dynein-2–IFT-B interactions important for effective IFT (pqac-00000004, pqac-00000018, pqac-00000021, pqac-00000026, pqac-00000025, pqac-00000017) |
| Biological function | CHE-13 is a **structural/adaptor component of anterograde intraflagellar transport** needed for **sensory cilium assembly and maintenance**. Its main role is to help organize the IFT-B train architecture, connect IFT-B2 to IFT-B1, and support transport of ciliary cargoes rather than directly binding tubulin as the main cargo receptor. In *C. elegans*, complex B defects including CHE-13 loss cause severe shortening of cilia and impaired forward IFT (pqac-00000001, pqac-00000005, pqac-00000008) |
| Mutant phenotype in *C. elegans* | **che-13 mutants** show **severe ultrastructural defects in ciliated sensory endings**, markedly impaired sensory cilium formation/length, and **chemotaxis abnormalities**; they also show reduced **nose-touch avoidance**, consistent with dysfunction of ciliated sensory neurons such as ASH/FLP/OLQ-linked pathways (pqac-00000010, pqac-00000001) |
| Mammalian ortholog | The mammalian ortholog is **IFT57/HIPPI**. In mouse, loss of Hippi/IFT57 eliminates **nodal monocilia**, disrupts **left-right patterning**, and impairs **Sonic hedgehog signaling** in the neural tube, showing strong evolutionary conservation of ciliary function (pqac-00000012, pqac-00000013, pqac-00000015) |
| Disease associations in humans | Human **IFT57** is associated in current datasets with **Bardet-Biedl syndrome**, **orofaciodigital syndrome / OFD18**, and **hypothyroidism** signals in Open Targets; more broadly, its conserved ciliary role supports classification as a **ciliopathy-related gene**. A 2025 study also reported defective IFT57 as a novel cause of Bardet-Biedl syndrome, though that primary paper was not directly retrievable here (pqac-00000000) |


*Table: This table summarizes the identity, localization, molecular interactions, and biological roles of C. elegans CHE-13/IFT57, along with conserved mammalian and disease-relevant information. It is useful as a compact reference for the gene’s functional annotation.*