Transport of cargo by cytoplasmic dynein

The size of eukaryotic cells and the crowded nature of their cytoplasm mean that they rely on active transport by motor proteins to move components around. Dr Carter studies cytoplasmic dynein, a poorly-understood complex of proteins that carries out almost all the minus-end directed microtubule transport in cells. This includes the movement of membranous cargos, individual mRNAs and proteins. How dynein selects the correct cargo and transports it at the correct time and place and how viruses such as herpes and rabies hijack this process are currently unclear. Dr Carter aims to uncover the mechanism by which dynein can carry so many different cargos and how such transport is specifically regulated.