Maxence Nachury
Academic Appointments
- Assistant Professor, Molecular & Cellular Physiology
- Member, Stanford Cancer Institute
Key Documents
Contact Information
- Academic Offices
Personal Information Email Tel (650) 721-1999Alternate Contact Jzesern Tan Administrative assistant Email Tel Work 650-725-4900
Professional Overview
Honors and Awards
- Early Career Life Scientist Award, America Society for Cell Biology (2011)
- Searle Scholar, Searle Scholar Program (2010-2013)
- Fellowship Award in the Neurosciences, The Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund (2009-2012)
- Sloan Research Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (2009-2011)
- Basil O'Connor Award, March of Dimes (2009-2011)
- Scientist Development Award, American Heart Association (2009-2012)
Professional Education
| Postdoc: | Genentech, Cell Biology and Biochemistry (2007) |
| Ph.D.: | UC Berkeley and Université Paris-Orsay, Molecular and Cellular Biology (2001) |
| B.Sc.: | Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris), Biology and Biochemistry (1997) |
Postdoctoral Advisees
Andrea Aguilar, David Breslow, David Mick, Andrew Nager, Nathan Pierce, Didier Portran
Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations
Internet Links
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
Our laboratory investigates the molecular principles of primary cilium assembly and function. Shaped like an antenna projecting out of the cell, the primary cilium exposes receptors for diverse stimuli (like platelet-derived growth factors, Hedgehog morphogens and olfactory cues) and concentrates their downstream signaling machinery to send specific molecular responses back into the cell. Despite these fascinating properties, the cilium has historically been the least studied cellular organelle and most of the fundamental questions concerning cilium biogenesis and function remain unanswered. Nowhere is our knowledge gap more striking than for the ciliopathies, a class of inherited disorders of the cilium whose central features include obesity, kidney malformations and retinal degeneration. We thus intend to uncover the molecular machines that build cilia and convey information into and out of cilia by applying proteomics, cellular imaging and in vitro reconstitution assays to entry points provided by human genetics.
The central projects of the lab currently are "Trafficking of signaling receptors to the primary cilium" and "Functional roles of the tubulin code"
Publications
- The conserved Bardet-Biedl syndrome proteins assemble a coat that traffics membrane proteins to cilia. Cell. 2010; (7): 1208-19
- The major alpha-tubulin K40 acetyltransferase alphaTAT1 promotes rapid ciliogenesis and efficient mechanosensation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; (50): 21517-22
- Trafficking to the ciliary membrane: how to get across the periciliary diffusion barrier? Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2010: 59-87
- A BBSome subunit links ciliogenesis, microtubule stability, and acetylation. Dev Cell. 2008; (6): 854-65
- A core complex of BBS proteins cooperates with the GTPase Rab8 to promote ciliary membrane biogenesis. Cell. 2007; (6): 1201-13
- Structure of the α-tubulin acetyltransferase, αTAT1, and implications for tubulin-specific acetylation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012; (48): 19655-60
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