Along its length, various substructures are assembled at precise locations. The function of these structures are not understood. Centrioles can interconvert to basal bodies where they are used for the docking of the molecular motors used in flagellar assembly and for templating the axonemal structure. Primarily, we utilize the powerful molecular genetics of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to isolate and to characterize mutations that affect the assembly and function of centrioles. Centrioles are important in the spatial and temporal coordination of the events of cytokinesis at the end of cell division.
Centrioles can interconvert into basal bodies and are used for templating and assembly of flagella.
Delta tubulin localizes to centrioles and basal bodies in a variety of organisms. Homologs are found in mammals and we are currently identifying interacting proteins from mammals. Because these mutations are tagged, the genes can be isolated and characterized to provide a better understanding of the role of centrioles in organizing the cytoskeleton.