# Evolution of Cargo Transport

> **NIH GM R00** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2026 · $249,000

## Abstract

Transporting cellular cargo with spatial and temporal precision is critical for many processes in all cells. Different
cell types and organisms use diverse machineries for long-distance cargo transport. For example, mammalian
cells and many filamentous fungi transport cargo using the microtubule-based motors dynein and kinesin, while
yeast use myosin motors on actin cytoskeleton tracks. Despite a general understanding of cellular transport and
the motors involved, little is known about how similar transport machineries are adapted by specific cell types or
organisms. Dr. Christensen’s current research investigates canonical (motor-driven) and non-canonical cargo
transport. In this proposal, she will investigate how both modes of transport have evolved in different organisms
using an innovative approach in which evolutionary hypotheses are directly tested using comparative cell biology
in fungal and mammalian cells. Defects in transport are particularly prevalent in neurological disorders such as
Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and ALS. Examining how diverse cell types differently use the transport machinery is
directly applicable to understanding how transport defects lead to cell-specific diseases.
 In Aim 1, Dr. Christensen will investigate how regulators of motor-driven transport have evolved in fungi
and human cells. In her current research and the K99 phase of this award, she will investigate how the gene
expansion and functional diversification of the ‘FHF’ protein complex allows dynein to bind multiple cargos in
human cells. For the R00 phase of this award, Dr. Christensen will identify and characterize novel dynein
regulators using evolutionary analysis and comparative cell biology in A. nidulans and human cells.
 In Aim 2, Dr. Christensen will investigate a non-canonical form of transport known as ‘hitchhiking’. In
hitchhiking, a cargo attaches to and is co-transported with another cargo to achieve motility. Hitchhiking has
been demonstrated to occur in two evolu

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11247937
- **Project number:** 7R00GM140269-05
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jenna  Christensen
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** GM
- **Fiscal year:** 2026
- **Award amount:** $249,000
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2024-02-02T00:00:00 → 2026-12-31T00:00:00

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11247937

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11247937, Evolution of Cargo Transport (7R00GM140269-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-06 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11247937. Licensed CC0.

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