Research Director
Masahide Kikkawa
Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
Professor
Outline
Cell organelles can be compared to “integrated circuits”, in which many kinds of components are precisely arranged. However, it has been difficult to decode the “circuit diagrams” of cell organelles. In this project, we will use cryo-electron microscopy and genetics to study eukaryotic cilia/flagella and establish “cellular structural biology” that can clarify how several hundreds of proteins are organized and work together as “integrated circuits”. Based on the structural information, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms of construction and regulation of cilia/flagella as well as pathophysiology of ciliopathy.
