Many processes within the body rely on precise spatial and temporal control of membrane trafficking pathways. We explore how alterations in these pathways play a role in many diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
All organelles within the cell are constantly moving, driven by interactions with microtubules and actin filaments. The ability to move secretory vesicles and endosomes over long distances is vital for neuronal differentiation, development, and maintenance.
Directed transport coupled with cytoskeletal rearrangement underpins cell migration, and is central to the ability of immune cells to kill their targets and fight disease.
We also explore how pathogens such as viruses and bacteria (e.g. mycobacterium tuberculosis and listeria monocytogenes) can hijack the normal pathways of the host cell, and pathogenic fungi rely on their own directed transport system for growth and invasion.