UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
Grant: $71,309 - National Institutes of Health - Sep. 30, 2009
33% voted satisfied - 67% voted not satisfied - 3 vote(s) cast
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Award Description: Eukaryotic cilia and flagella are ancient cellular appendages that have been adapted for motile and sensory functions. Motile forms of these organelles are capable of propelling some cells like sperm and protozoa through a liquid environment while other cells like the ciliated epithelia of the trachea use the coordinated beating of many cilia to propel a liquid or mucous environment over a tissue surface. Nonmotile cilia have been adapted to sense a wide range of stimuli giving rise to such sencations as vision and smell. Because of their essential roles in both motility and sensory transduction, defects in cilia and flagella have been closely associated with a number of human diseases including retinitis pigmentosa, immotile cilia and Kartageners syndromes, male and female infertility, hydrocephalus and anosmia, Bardet-Beidl syndrome and one of the most common genetic diseases, polycystic kidney disease. Focusing on how cells construct these organelles, we study intraflagellar transport (IFT), a mechanism required for the assembly and maintenance of these structures. As funded in the parent grant, studies have focused on better understanding the structure and function of the IFT machinery as isolated from the model organism, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In this supplemental application, the research scope is focused directly on the original Specific Aim 1 to better define the architecture of a subset of IFT machinery known as complex B. Initial studies will exploit a recent development in order to examine the spatial organization of the IFT81/IFT74/72 subcomplex, which is an integral component of the complex B core. The second research goal will be to determine the identity and spatial organization of other IFT proteins which interact specifically with IFT81/IFT74/72 to form the higher order structure characteristic of IFT complex B. Lastly, efforts will focus on the in-vitro assembly of the complex B core which is known to contain at least eight different proteins. Bacterial co-expression of multiple IFT proteins followed by affinity purification of interacting proteins will furnish material for subsequent analyses and manipulations, which will range from hydrodynamic measurements to protein-binding assays.
Project Description: As defined in the award description
Jobs Summary: NA (Total jobs reported: 0)
Project Status: Not Started
This award's data was last updated on Sep. 30, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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