research interests

Centrioles are barrel-shaped organelles composed of triplet microtubules that template the growth of cilia and flagella, analogous organelles composed of doublet microtubules. Centrioles and cilia are highly evolutionarily conserved and are found in most eukaryotic organisms.

In humans, centrioles and cilia are essential for the development and homeostasis of most cells, tissues, and organs. For example, motile cilia facilitate the transport of mucus across the epithelial lining of the lung. Non-motile cilia in the kidney and in the retina of the eye are utilized in sensory-specific processes. Cilia that extend from the dendritic processes of olfactory neurons contain specialized receptor proteins that allow us to smell. Several human genetic disorders, collectively termed ciliopathies, can be attributed to defects in centrioles or cilia.

Model organisms, which are organisms with well developed molecular tools, are vital to the understanding of centrioles and cilia in all organisms that contain these organelles. Organisms such as algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), worms (Caenorhabditis elegans), flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and fish (Danio rerio) have proven useful for understanding the composition and regulation of centriolar and ciliary components found in most organisms including humans.

I began studying centrioles and cilia in the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. For my Ph.D. dissertation, I used forward genetics and functional genomics to characterize mutants involved in the transitioning of triplet to doublet microtubules between the centriole and the cilium. 

For my post-doctoral work, I am continuing to study centrioles and cilia in the model worm, Caenorhabditis elegans. I am using comparative genomics and genetics (forward and reverse) to characterize sensory-specific aspects of neuronal cilia.