Analysis of Intraflagellar Transport

鞭毛内转运（IFT）是真核生物鞭毛和纤毛组装和维持所必需的，也是几乎所有真核细胞的基本特征。 IFT的特点是大的蛋白质复合物的运动从基体到鞭毛尖端的微管为基础的马达蛋白驱动蛋白II和从尖端回到基体的细胞质动力蛋白1b。IFT颗粒不是膜结合的，并且这些颗粒与马达蛋白和货物相互作用的机制是未知的。为了开始理解这些相互作用，将使用纯化的马达蛋白和货物多肽在体外重构IFT。 相关的实验将集中在马达蛋白与货物多肽的结合以及这些多组分IFT复合物的组装上。 使用温度敏感的突变体的逆行马达参与IFT的其他实验将集中在IFT作为一个信号转导系统，负控制鞭毛基因的表达的一个组成部分。PI将把研究项目与细胞生物学本科课程相结合。 此外，该项目将为本科生和研究生提供研究培训。

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is essential for the assembly and maintenance of eukaryotic flagella and cilia and is a fundamental characteristic of almost all eukaryotic cells. IFT is characterized by the movement of large protein complexes from the basal body to the flagellar tip by the microtubule-based motor protein kinesin II and from the tip back to the basal body by cytoplasmic dynein 1b. The IFT particles are not membrane bound, and the mechanism by which these particles interact with motor proteins and cargo are unknown. In order to begin understanding these interactions, IFT will be reconstituted in vitro using purified motor proteins and cargo polypeptides. Related experiments will focus on the binding of motor proteins to cargo polypeptides and the assembly of these multi-component IFT complexes. Additional experiments using temperature-sensitive mutants for the retrograde motor involved in IFT will focus on IFT as a component of a signal transduction system that negatively controls expression of flagellar genes. The PI will integrate the research project with undergraduate courses in cell biology. Moreover, the project will provide research training for undergraduate and graduate students.