Research Projects

Cilia are microtubular structures on cell surfaces that perform various functions, including motility, sensory function, and secretory function. They cannot be synthesized inside the ciliary compartment, so their morphology, length, and function depend on cytoplasmic protein synthesis machinery and Intraflagellar transport machinery. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is a motor-dependent bidirectional cargo movement that operates inside the cilium/flagellum and transports molecules up and downhill for growth and maintenance. IFT particles, present at the ciliary base, consist of two complexes: complex A, which transports cargo from the ciliary top to the base, and complex B, which uses kinesin-2 motor for anterograde transport. IFT proteins interact with one another and cargo proteins for transport, forming large macromolecular complexes. Mutations in conserved domains of IFT proteins can change IFT protein-protein interactions, leading to ciliary defects and human ciliopathies. The study aims to study IFT complex/BBSome protein-protein interactions in wild type and IFT mutants across different biological systems and in Chlamydomonas cells using biochemical methods, transmission electron microscopy, and single-molecule super-resolution fluorescence microscopy in live cells.