Research
Research at the Orbach Lab involves constant analysis of the hypotheses we explore. The multidisciplinary nature of our work is the major strength of our lab . Read on to find out more about our latest work.
Eukaryotic cilia and flagella are evolutionarily conserved organelles that are present across the eukaryotic phylogeny. An increasing body of evidence suggests that motile and primary cilia play major roles in motility, development, and sensory signaling. Consistent with their important role, a large group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous human pathologies, known as ciliopathies, are associated with dysfunction of the cilia (chronic respiratory infections, laterality abnormalities, and infertility).
Extensive cell biological studies have provided a wealth of knowledge concerning cilia; however, our understanding of the relationship between the ciliary microtubule scaffold, known as the axoneme, and ciliary function is still limited. Our overarching goal is to understand the interplay between the axoneme structure and the ciliary function. We use biochemical, biophysical and various interdisciplinary approaches, to gain new insights into the relationship between the structure-function of the cilia. As a model system, we mainly use the biflagellate green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
