Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry Gibb Hall 131 University of Idaho Moscow, ID 83844-3052   Phone: (208) 885-4071 FAX: (208) 885-6518 E-mail: dcole@uidaho.edu   Ph.D., 1990, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Washington State University RESEARCH INTERESTS: Motor Proteins and Reproduction RESEARCH SUMMARY: The major thrust of our research focuses on a transport process found in both motile and sensory cilia and flagella. This process, Intraflagellar Transport (IFT), is characterized by bidirectional movement of membrane-associated protein particles (rafts) along the length of cilia and flagella. Work in model organisms ranging from Chlamydomonas to the mouse reveals that this process is required for the assembly of these organelles. It is thought that IFT accomplishes this by carrying axonemal building blocks out to the distal end, which is known to be the site of assembly for the organelle. More specifically, there are two areas of our research that should be of particular interest to reproductive biologists. First, we continue to do much of our IFT research on Chlamydomonas green algae. Chlamydomonas use flagellar agglutination to initiate mating between gametes of opposite mating type. When IFT is disrupted in temperature sensitive mutants, loss of mating ability is the first observable phenotype. Secondly, we have moved our studies into the mouse and rat. We, including our collaborators, have already been exploring the role of IFT in vertebrate retina and the kidney. Here, at the University of Idaho, we are now expanding these studies into the rodent testes. Northern analysis of various tissues reveals that the testes contain, by far, the highest levels of vertebrate IFT expression. Initially, our studies will include (1) biochemical purification and characterization of the IFT raft complexes from testes and (2) cellular and subcellular localization of the IFT raft proteins within the testes. There are approximately 18 proteins that make up the IFT rafts; we now have polyclonal antibodies directed against 5 of the rodent proteins that we will use in both of these studies.   REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS: Lucker BF, Behal RH, Qin H, Siron LC, Taggart WS, Rosenbaum JL, Cole DG. 2005 Characterization of the intraflagellar transport complex B core: direct interaction of the IFT81 and IFT74/72 subunits. J Biol Chem. 280(30):27688-96. Cole DG. 2005 Intraflagellar transport: keeping the motors coordinated. Curr Biol. 15(19):R798-801. Miller MS, Esparza JM, Lippa AM, Lux FG 3rd, Cole DG, Dutcher SK. 2005 Mutant Kinesin-2 motor subunits increase chromosome loss. Mol Biol Cell. 16(8):3810-20. Cole DG. 2003. The Intraflagellar Transport Machinery of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Traffic. 4(7):435-42 Pazour GJ, BL Dickert, Y Vucica, ES Seeley, JL Rosenbaum, GB Witman, and DG Cole. (2000) Chlamydomonas IFT88 and its mouse homologue, polycystic kidney disease gene tg737, are required for assembly of cilia and flagella. J. Cell Biol. 151:709-718. Cole, DG. (1999) Kinesin-II, coming and going. J. Cell Biol. 147:463-466. Cole, DG. (1999) Kinesin-II, the heteromeric kinesin. Cell Mol. Life Sci. 56:217-226. Rosenbaum, JL, DG Cole, and DR Diener. (1999) Intraflagellar transport: the eyes have it. J. Cell Biol. 144:385-388.