Welcome to the Verhey Lab

Research:

Our goal is to understand how kinesin motors function in live cells, that is, in the presence of relevant cargo and regulatory proteins and under the physical and physiological constraints of the cytoplasm. We use a variety of methods, from biophysical to cell biological, to investigate kinesin motors from the single molecule to the cellular level. Relevant questions include: How do kinesin motors bind their cargoes and become activated for transport? How do kinesin motors navigate the complex microtubule network in cells? How do multiple motors on the surface of a cargo coordinate their activities?

Our current work is focused on three main areas of kinesin biology:

  1. Regulation of kinesin motor activity
  2. How kinesin motors navigate microtubule heterogeneity
  3. Kinesin motors in primary cilia