miRNA expression profiling of ciliogenesis

• Applicant: Dr. Gaia Novarino
• Subject Area: Developmental Biology
• Term: from 2011 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 201405399

Primary cilia are evolutionarily conserved cellular organelles that are involved in diverse signalling pathways. Defects in the formation or function of primary cilia are associated with a spectrum of developmental abnormalities and human diseases. Genetic screens in model organisms have discovered core machineries of cilium assembly and maintenance. However, regulatory molecules that coordinate the biogenesis of primary cilia with other cellular processes, including cytoskeletal organization, vesicular trafficking and cell-cell adhesion, remain to be discovered. Over the last 20 years 20-30 nucleotide RNA molecules (microRNAs) have emerged as crucial regulators in the expression and function of eukaryotic genomes. The goal of my proposal is to identify human microRNAs involved in ciliogenesis.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. Joseph Gleeson