# Kinesin Motors and Microtubule-based Trafficking

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2021 · $805,784

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract:
Microtubules are critical for nearly every function of eukaryotic cells, from their ability to divide and move to
their ability to adopt specific morphologies and withstand mechanical forces. Microtubule assembly, dyamics,
and functions are dictated and regulated by a large number of cellular factors including microtubule associated
proteins (MAPs) and molecular motors in the kinesin and dynein superfamilies. Our overall goal is to define
the mechanisms by which microtubules and kinesin motor proteins drive intracellular trafficking in mammalian
cells. To do this, we combine powerful biophysical and biochemical methods that provide mechanistic detail
on motor mechanics and motility with cellular assays that report on regulation and function within the complex
cellular environment. We will continue to utilize these multi-disciplinary approaches to investigate critical gaps
in our knowledge of mechanisms and regulation of intracellular trafficking. We will define mechanisms for
targeting of proteins to the primary cilium, a microtubule-based organelle that protrudes from the surface of the
cell and drives cell motility and signaling. We will utilize a novel chemical-genetic approach that we developed
for engineering inhibitable motors to probe the functions of kinesins critical for the assembly and function of
primary cilia. We will determine the motility and force-generating properties of kinesins using both in vitro and
cellular assays and use this knowledge to understand how these properties were selected through evolution for
specific motor functions in cells. Finally, we will test models of motor regulation by signaling pathways such as
Hedgehog ligand. As defects in microtubules and kinesin motors are linked to developmental disorders,
neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer, these studies will advance our understanding of their functions in cell
biology and disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10152626
- **Project number:** 5R35GM131744-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristen J. Verhey
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $805,784
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10152626

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10152626, Kinesin Motors and Microtubule-based Trafficking (5R35GM131744-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10152626. Licensed CC0.

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