Success Story

The long term research goal of CentSatRegFunc is to elucidate the biogenesis of centrosome/cilium complex and the control mechanisms that regulate their structure and function. Centrosome/cilium complex has crucial roles in both organismal and cellular level. In line with this ultimate goal, centriollar satellites, which the principal investigator has previously shown to have important roles in the biogenesis and function of centrosomes, will be investigated in detail. Although centriollar satellites have been identified more than 50 years ago by electron microscopy studies, the function of these structures in a cell is still unknown. During 5 years of this project, the aim is to biochemically and functionally characterize these granular structures.

Structural and functional abnormalities of the centriolar satellites and the centrosome/cilium complex is linked to a variety of human diseases including cancer, kidney diseases, obesity, blindness and mental retardation. Therefore, the successful completion of this project will lead to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for these diseases.