Investigating the molecular mechanisms of intracellular bidirectional cargo transport

Cells require accurate transport of organelles and vesicles to maintain their proper function. Transport of cellular cargo is mainly carried out by molecular motors kinesin and dynein. These motors walk on microtubules, which act as polarised tracks to allow trafficking in the cell. Kinesin and dynein move in opposite directions on microtubules yet can bind to the same cargo. This leads to back-and-forth movement of cargo (bidirectional transport) but the regulation of directional switches is unclear. My goal is to understand how kinesin and dynein activities are coordinated on bidirectional vesicles. To this end, I will primarily use protein biochemistry, electron microscopy and fluorescence-based microscopy techniques to investigate the structure and dynamics of bidirectional vesicles. Together, this will provide a mechanistic insight into what happens to the kinesins when dynein is active (or vice versa) and how distribution of cargo is regulated to ensure a cell's function is maintained.