University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center · BiologyNicastro Cilia Lab
Daniela Nicastro · Dallas, Texas
Research Focus
Dr. Daniela Nicastro's research lab at UT Southwestern Medical Center focuses on understanding how cilia, tiny hair-like structures, move and function in various biological processes. The lab aims to uncover how certain protein complexes regulate ciliary movement, which is crucial for the proper functioning of many organs. By studying defects in ciliary function, the research has implications for understanding genetic disorders linked to ciliary dysfunction, such as respiratory and developmental diseases.
ciliaciliary motilitydynein regulationcongenital disorderscryo-electron microscopyciliopathiesprotein complexescell signalingmicrotubules
Research Aims
3AIM 01Reveal the proteome and structure of ciliary complexes in mouse respiratory cilia.
AIM 02Understand the regulatory roles of specific protein domains in ciliary movement.
AIM 03Characterize components that affect the asymmetric distribution and beating pattern of cilia.
Skills the Lab Values
cryo-electron microscopysingle particle analysiscryo-electron tomographylight microscopyprotein taggingmouse modelsbiochemical assayscell cultureimaging techniques
Output against the department
Publications146top 47% of dept.481st of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations10.0ktop 38% of dept.391st of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.