Just as any automobile depends upon its engine for movement, so human cells depend upon motor devices, cilia and flagella, for movement. It’s the job of Pinfen Yang, Ph.D., to reveal how these two similar organelles “power” basic cell function and to understand why their defects result in a host of debilitating disorders — such as infertility, developmental disorder, cystic kidney and hydrocephaly.
Cilia and flagella are only visible with a microscope. But, according to Yang, they are “powerful biological machines” that oscillate with particular waveforms, just as people swim with different strokes using their arms and legs. A tightly regulated propulsive movement is required for cells in many organs to function normally. Only recently have biologists such as Yang tapped into the control mechanism of these similar organelles using green algae as a model organism.
“We did not appreciate the intricacy of these organelles until symptoms showed up because of various defective motilities, and we realized the machinery behind the movement was worth investigating,” says Yang, an associate professor of biological sciences. “Now we know that diseases and disabilities could be due to defective motor machinery as well as the control mechanism.”
When these motile organelles surrounding the chambers in the brain and spinal cord are defective, for example, headache or expansion of the cerebral ventricles develops. If biologists can restore normal motility, the disorders could potentially be reversed. Cells in other organs hold promise, as well. “This research will have a far-reaching impact if we can use our knowledge learned from green algae to repair or enhance the performance of cilia and flagella in patients,” says Yang.
Life Cycle: From Birth to Death
- Unraveling the mysteries of proteins
- Protecting brittle bones
- Understanding the damaged brain
- The lungs: more than gas exchange
- The mind-body connection
- Preserving family peace
- Bringing clarity to delirium
- Protecting muscles on and off Earth
Improving the Human Condition
Studying Our World
Ethics & social justice
- Keeping business honest
- Of humans and cyborgs
- Journalism, ethics and the law
- Punishing corporate crime
- Dissecting financial fraud
- Scrutinizing elder law
Student Research
Interdisciplinary Research
Quick Facts About Marquette
| Identity: | Catholic, Jesuit, private |
| Established: | 1881 |
| Location: | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Undergraduate: | 8,048 |
| Postgraduate: | 3,500 |
| Campus: | Urban, 80 acres |
| Athletics: | 14 NCAA Division I teams (Big East Conference) |
| Colors: | Blue and Gold |
