Faculty Guide

Title

Assistant Professor of Biology

Biology
Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center

Expertise

Structural cell biology: we focus on studying the cytoskeleton and molecular motors (e.g. in cilia and flagella) using cutting edge imaging and image processing techniques, such as cryo-electron tomography and structural proteomics.

Awards and Honors

Alberta Gotthardt and Henry Strage Award for Aspiring Young Science Faculty (2008)

PEW Scholar (2007)

Courses Taught

BIOL	22b	Cell Structure and Function
BIOL	103b	Mechanisms of Cell Functions
BIOL	200a	Proseminar

Scholarship

Carbajal-González B, Fu X, Heuser T, Lin J, Mitchell D, Nicastro D. "Cryo-electron tomography of the central pair complex in eukaryotic flagella." Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 70: 101-20. (2013).

Barber, C. F., Heuser, T., Carbajal-Gonzalez, B. I., Botchkarev, V. V., Jr., Nicastro, D.. "Three-dimensional structure of the radial spokes reveals heterogeneity and interactions with dyneins in Chlamydomonas flagella." Mol Biol Cell 23. 1 (2012): 111-20.

Gibaud, T., Barry, E., Zakhary, M. J., Henglin, M., Ward, A., Yang, Y., Berciu, C., Oldenbourg, R., Hagan, M. F., Nicastro, D., Meyer, R. B., Dogic, Z.. "Reconfigurable self-assembly through chiral control of interfacial tension." Nature 481. 7381 (2012): 348-51.

Heuser T, Barber CF, Lin J, Krell J, Rebesco M, Porter ME, Nicastro D. "Cryoelectron tomography reveals doublet-specific structures and unique interactions in the I1 dynein." PNAS USA 109:E2067-76. (2012).

Heuser T, Dymek EE, Lin J, Smith EF, Nicastro D. "The CSC connects three major axonemal complexes involved in dynein regulation." Mol. Biol. Cell 23: 3143-55. (2012).

Lin J, Heuser T, Song K, Fu X, Nicastro D. "One of the nine doublet microtubules of eukaryotic flagella exhibits unique and partially conserved structures." PloS one 7, e46494. (2012).

Lin, J., Heuser, T., Carbajal-Gonzalez, B. I., Song, K., Nicastro, D.. "The structural heterogeneity of radial spokes in cilia and flagella is conserved." Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 69. 2 (2012): 88-100.

Dymek, E. E., Heuser, T., Nicastro, D., Smith, E. F.. "The CSC is required for complete radial spoke assembly and wild-type ciliary motility." Mol Biol Cell 22. 14 (2011): 2520-31.

Gopalakrishnan, J., Mennella, V., Blachon, S., Zhai, B., Smith, A. H., Megraw, T. L., Nicastro, D., Gygi, S. P., Agard, D. A., Avidor-Reiss, T.. "Sas-4 provides a scaffold for cytoplasmic complexes and tethers them in a centrosome." Nat Commun 2. (2011): 359.

Lin, J., Tritschler, D., Song, K., Barber, C. F., Cobb, J. S., Porter, M. E., Nicastro, D.. "Building blocks of the nexin-dynein regulatory complex in Chlamydomonas flagella." J Biol Chem 286. 33 (2011): 29175-91.

Nicastro, D., Fu, X., Heuser, T., Tso, A., Porter, M. E., Linck, R. W.. "Cryo-electron tomography reveals conserved features of doublet microtubules in flagella." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108. 42 (2011): E845-53.

Sanchez, T., Welch, D., Nicastro, D., Dogic, Z.. "Cilia-like beating of active microtubule bundles." Science 333. 6041 (2011): 456-9.

Daum B, Nicastro D, Austin II J, McIntosh JR, Kühlbrandt W. "Arrangement of Photosystem II and ATP Synthase in Chloroplast Membranes of Spinach and Pea." Plant Cell 22. (2010): 1299–1312.

Grissom PM, Fiedler TA, Grishchuk EL, Nicastro D, West RR, McIntosh JR.. "Kinesin-8 from Fission Yeast: a Heterodimeric, Plus End-Directed Motor that Can Couple Microtubule Depolymerization to Cargo Movement." Mol Biol Cell 20. (2009): 963-972.

Heuser T, Raytchev M, Krell J, Porter ME, Nicastro D. "The dynein regulatory complex is the nexin link and a major regulatory node in cilia and flagella." J. Cell Biol. 187. (2009): 921–933.

Nicastro D. "Cryo-Electron Microscope Tomography to Study Axonemal Organization." Cilia: Structure and Motility. vol. Methods in Cell Biology 91 Ed. SM King and GJ Pazour. Academic Press, 2009. 1-39.

Blachon S, Gopalakrishnan J, Omori Y, Polyanovsky A, Church A, Nicastro D, Malicki J, Avidor-Reiss T. "Drosophila asterless and Vertebrate Cep152 Are Orthologs Essential for Centriole Duplication." Genetics 180. (2008): 2081-2094.

Rouiller I, Xu X-P, Amann KJ, Egile C, Nickell S, Nicastro D, Li R, Pollard T, Volkmann N, Hanein D. "The structural basis of actin filament branching by Arp2/3 complex." J. Cell Biol. 180. (2008): 887-895.

Wirschell, M., Nicastro, D., Porter, M.E., and Sale, W.S.. "Structural basis for regulation of flagellar motility: organization of the ¿dynein regulatory complex¿, inter-dynein linkers and a network of axonemal kinases and phosphatases." The Chlamydomonas Sourcebook. vol. in press Ed. G.B. Witman. San Diego: Academic Press, 2008

Bostina M, Bubeck D, Schwartz C, Nicastro D, Filman DJ, Hogle JM. "Single particle cryoelectron tomography characterization of the structure and structural variability of poliovirus¿receptor¿membrane complex at 30¿ resolution." J. Struct. Biol. 160. (2007): 200-210.

Hoenger, Andreas & Nicastro, Daniela, J.R McIntosh. "Electron Microscopy of Microtubule-Based Cytoskeletal Machinery." Methods in Cell Biology 79. (2007): 437-62.

Schwartz, C.L., Sarbash, V.I., Ataullakhanov, F.I., McIntosh, J.R., Nicastro, D. "Cryo- fluorescence microscopy facilitates correlations between light a¬¬nd cryo-electron microscopy and reduces the rate of photobleaching." J. Microsc. 227. (2007): 98-109.