„Studying the eukaryotic cilium by a single organelle approach“

Cilia are present on the surface of many eukaryotic cells and have critical motility, sensory, and signalling functions. Yet, many fundamental aspects of their biology are poorly understood. Taking advantage of the fact, that the cilia are experimentally well accessible, I have been developing approaches for imaging and manipulation of individual cilia. These include correlative light and electron microscopy, blocking transport within the cilia by physical and chemical means, as well as in vitro reconstitution approaches. In this talk, I will discuss the development of such methods and present the advancements in our understanding of processes responsible for building and maintenance of the cilia these approaches have enabled.