How cellular motor proteins carry cargo inside cells
Official title: Function and regulation of kinesin motors in cells
Funded at University of Tennessee Knoxville · NIH-11184414 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how molecular motors called kinesins move and are controlled inside cells to help understand diseases caused by faulty cilia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tennessee Knoxville NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Knoxville, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $366,747 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM147641-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11184414 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This is laboratory-based basic research that does not enroll patients, though people with ciliopathies may benefit from follow-on clinical work informed by these results.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose conditions are unrelated to cilia or molecular motor dysfunction are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
Scientists will study kinesin-2 motors that carry cargo along microtubules and drive transport inside cilia using laboratory experiments. The project uses single-celled algae (Chlamydomonas) and cellular assays to observe intraflagellar transport (IFT) and to manipulate motor components. Advanced imaging and molecular tools will track how IFT trains recruit motors, deliver cargo to cilia tips, and how changes in motor regulation affect ciliary function. Findings aim to link molecular motor behavior to cilia health and to inform future work on ciliopathy causes and potential interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reveal how ciliary transport fails in ciliopathies and point to new targets for future diagnostics or treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous biochemical and model-organism studies have characterized kinesin mechanics in vitro and in simple organisms, but translating that knowledge to human ciliopathies remains largely untested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Knoxville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Engelke, Martin F. — University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Study coordinator: Engelke, Martin F.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.