# Super-resolution Microscopy Study of Molecular Transport Mechanisms

> **NIH NIH R35** · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · 2021 · $445,068

## Abstract

We are highly motivated to develop innovative research tools to meet the needs of solving
challenging biological and biomedical problems, as we have done in the past and will be doing in
the future. Currently, by developing and employing high-speed super-resolution microscopy
techniques, our research aims to solve two critical transport mechanisms involving three sub-
cellular organelles in eukaryotic cells: nucleus, cytoplasm and primary cilium. Macromolecular
trafficking among these compartments is suggested to be gated by two unique machineries. One
is the nuclear pore complex (NPC) embedded in the nuclear envelope that mediates the
bidirectional trafficking of proteins and RNAs between the cytoplasm and the nucleus; the other
is the transition zone (TZ) located at the base of cilium that regulates the entry of membrane and
cytosolic proteins into the cilium. Due to the challenges in elucidating kinetics and real-time
transport routes for macromolecules through the sub-micrometer NPC or TZ in live cells, however,
the fundamental gating mechanisms in either of these two machineries, remain obscure.
Moreover, these transport mechanisms are not only the fundamental unanswered questions in
cell biology, but also are closely associated with human diseases. For example, dysfunction of
the nuclear transport through the NPC are linked to numerous human diseases including
leukemias, cancers, and primary biliary cirrhosis. Also, defects in ciliary structure and/or function
causes a variety of diseases (called ciliopathies) such as cystic kidney disease, nephronophthisis
(NPHP), and retinitis pigmentosa. Thus, the fundamental knowledge of understanding the gating
mechanisms in these transport systems is urgently needed to further develop therapeutics for the
human diseases. In this project, we will employ and further develop high-speed super-resolution
fluorescence microscopy techniques to unravel these fundamental transport mechanisms.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10142490
- **Project number:** 5R35GM122552-05
- **Recipient organization:** TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Weidong Yang
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $445,068
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-05-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10142490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10142490, Super-resolution Microscopy Study of Molecular Transport Mechanisms (5R35GM122552-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10142490. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*