We study the replication of the cytoskeleton in T. brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in humans. We have shown that the Polo-like kinase homolog in T. brucei (TbPLK) is essential for the inheritance of the parasite's single flagellum, which is necessary for motility and viability. We focus on understanding how TbPLK affects flagellar inheritance by regulating the duplication and segregation of a suite of cytoskeletal organelles that position the flagellum.

Biography

My laboratory studies the replication of the cytoskeleton in Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in humans. We have recently shown that the single Polo-like kinase homolog in T. brucei (TbPLK) is essential for the proper inheritance of the parasite single flagellum, which is necessary for motility and viability. Our current work focuses on developing a molecular understanding of how TbPLK affects flagellar inheritance by regulating the duplication and segregation of a suite of cytoskeletal organelles that position the flagellum.