# Integrative mechanisms of organelle dynamics from the atomic-to-cellular level

> **NIH NIH RM1** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $1,568,783

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This RM1 proposal focuses on defining and characterizing the integrated systems that support
intracellular organelle transport and placement. Rather than just characterizing “molecules” as
biophysicists or “organelle dynamics” as cell biologists, our goal is to achieve an atomic-to-
cellular-to-in vivo level understanding of the mechanisms of organelle transport. Our
collaborative and multi-disciplinary research team will discover and study the native
microenvironments in cells and in vitro, by considering physiologically-relevant combinations of
molecular motors, filaments, adaptors, membranes and other cofactors that control organelle
movement and polarization. We will use mitochondria as our initial model system, as many key
molecules and signaling pathways that are essential for the dynamics of this organelle have
already been described. We will uncover the roles of spatial organization and dynamic
assembly of filaments, mechanical forces, motor activity, and other regulatory elements will be
investigated. We will reconstitute complex microenvironments in vitro to determine motile and
anchoring mechanisms. We will computationally model these systems and experimentally test
models directly in cells and in vivo. Our research team will be energized and expanded by
implementing an Exploratory Pilot Studies Program to incorporate promising early-stage-
investigators into our collaborative team.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10142503
- **Project number:** 5RM1GM136511-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** ROBERTO DOMINGUEZ
- **Activity code:** RM1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,568,783
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10142503

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10142503, Integrative mechanisms of organelle dynamics from the atomic-to-cellular level (5RM1GM136511-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10142503. Licensed CC0.

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