About the Project
Transport of organelles, RNAs and proteins is essential for the development, health and function of neurons. Defects in the microtubule motors that drive the transport is linked to neurodegenerative and developmental diseases and the transport process is frequently hijacked by viruses. My lab is interested in how motors are linked to cargos and how they are coordinated to ensure delivery to the correct destination.
In this PhD project there are options to use either advanced cellular imaging, to ask what adaptors link dynein and kinesin motors to specific cargos, or in vitro reconstitutions and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to address the mechanisms of motor function and regulation. It is also possible to gain exposure to both areas depending on your interest.
Funding Notes
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References
- Singh, K., Chilaeva, S., McClintock, M.A., Carter, A.P. and Bullock, S.L. (2026) Structural basis for recognition of diverse localizing mRNAs by Egl-BicD. Nature structural & molecular biology, 33(5): 882-893
- Manigrasso, G., Saharat, K., Chaichana, P., Kullapanich, C., Atwal, S., Boulanger, J., Morgan, T.E., Kramer, H., Salje, J. and Carter, A.P. (2025) The intracellular bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi uses the autotransporter ScaC to activate BICD adaptors for dynein-based motility. Nature communications, 16(1): 6122
- Abid Ali, F., Zwetsloot, A.J., Stone, C.E., Morgan, T.E., Wademan, R.F., Carter, A.P. and Straube, A. (2025) KIF1C activates and extends dynein movement through the FHF cargo adapter. Nature structural & molecular biology, 32(4): 756-766
- Fellows, A.D., Bruntraeger, M., Burgold, T., Bassett, A.R. and Carter, A.P. (2024) Dynein and dynactin move long-range but are delivered separately to the axon tip. The Journal of cell biology, 223(5)
- Singh, K., Lau, C.K., Manigrasso, G., Gama, J.B., Gassmann, R. and Carter, A.P. (2024) Molecular mechanism of dynein-dynactin complex assembly by LIS1. Science, 383(6690): eadk8544
