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- Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
- Professor Alan Baird
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- Dr. Orina Belton
- Dr. Oliver Blacque
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- Core Technologies
Dr Oliver Blacque BSC, MSC, PhD
Contact Details
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Biography:
| 2011: Awarded SFI Principal Investigator Award Oliver Blacque, Cilia, C. elegans, intraflagellar transport, Ciliopathy, intracellular trafficking, Bardet Biedl syndrome, basal body, flagella, model organism, Conway |
Research Interests
| Primary cilia: understanding the molecular basis of their assembly, function, and links to human disease Cilia are motile or non-motile microtubule-based cell appendages found throughout the animal kingdom. Motile cilia typically move fluids and are found on the surface of unicellular ciliates, as well as on cells of higher organisms such as mammalian spermatozoa and respiratory tract epithelial cells. Non-motile cilia, or primary cilia, are also widely distributed, being found on many mammalian cell types, including kidney epithelial cells and photoreceptor cells (Fig. 1). Primary cilia possess important sensory roles (e.g., olfaction, chemoreception, mechanosensation, and photoreception) and defects in these functions can lead to human ailments such as cystic kidney disease, retinal dystrophy, bone abnormalities, organ laterality defects and phenotypically complex disorders such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS). Most of the molecular processes and pathways underlying primary cilia function are poorly understood. This is perhaps not surprising, given that until recently, some believed primary cilia to be vestigial organelles. We now know that primary cilia play important roles in sensing the local cellular environment via a battery of ion channels, receptors and signaling molecules. The implications of these findings are broad and will likely impact many different signalling and developmental pathways. Primary cilia research is now a rapidly expanding field and based on recent findings, it promises to uncover many novel and exciting aspects of cell biology. In our laboratory we use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to dissect the molecular basis of various aspects of cilia biology. Through powerful genetics and cell biology experimental tools, worms are excellent animal models for cilia research. Current ongoing projects in the lab include: (1) uncovering the functions of novel candidate cilia-related and cilia disease genes, (2) deciphering protein and membrane targetting to cilia, and (3) investigating the molecular basis of intraflagellar transport.
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Research Projects
| Sponsor : Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) Title : Investigation of hypoxic regulation of cilium formation and signalling function in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Start Date / End Date : 28-OCT-11 / 27-OCT-14 |
| Sponsor : Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Title : Dissecting secretory and endocytic membrane transport pathways in targeting proteins to cilia, a prevalent disease-associated cellular organelle Start Date / End Date : 01-APR-12 / 01-APR-17 |
| Sponsor : EC Framework Title : A systems biology approach to dissect cilia function and its disruption in human genetic disease (SYSCILIA) Start Date / End Date : 01-JUN-10 / 31-MAY-15 |
| Sponsor : Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) University College Dublin (UCD) Title : Spinning Disk Confocal Microscope System Start Date / End Date : 01-DEC-07 / 04-OCT-08 |
| Sponsor : Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Title : Using Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying cilia function, regulation and development. Start Date / End Date : 01-OCT-06 / 30-SEP-11 |
Recent Postgraduates
| Oktay Kaplan (PhD; graduated 2011) Sebiha Cevik (PhD; graduated 2011) Christian Foley-Fisher (MSc; graduated 2011) |
Current Postgraduate Students
| Anna Sanders, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - Thesis Supervisor |
| Robert Crickley, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - Thesis Supervisor |
| Nils Lambacher, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - Thesis Supervisor |
| Lara Clarke, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - Thesis Supervisor |
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Radford R, Slattery C, Jennings P, Blaque O, Pfaller W, Gmuender H, Van Delft J, Ryan MP, McMorrow T. (2012) 'Carcinogens induce loss of the primary cilium in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells independently of effects on the cell cycle'. American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology, . [Details] |
Huang L, Szymanska K, Jensen VL, Janecke AR, Innes AM, Davis EE, Frosk P, Li C, Willer JR, Chodirker BN, Greenberg CR, McLeod DR, Bernier FP, Chudley AE, Müller T, Shboul M, Logan CV, Loucks CM, Beaulieu CL, Bowie RV, Bell SM, Adkins J, Zuniga FI, Ross KD, Wang J, Ban MR, Becker C, Nürnberg P, Douglas S, Craft CM, Akimenko MA, Hegele RA, Ober C, Utermann G, Bolz HJ, Bulman DE, Katsanis N, Blacque OE, Doherty D, Parboosingh JS, Leroux MR, Johnson CA, Boycott KM. (2011) 'TMEM237 is mutated in individuals with a Joubert syndrome related disorder and expands the role of the TMEM family at the ciliary transition zone'. American Journal of Human Genetics, 89 (6):713-730.  [Details] |
| Reynolds AL, Blacque OE, Kennedy BN. (2012) 'The genetics of outer segment morphogenesis in zebrafish'. Advances in Experimental Medical Biology, 723 :431-441. [Details] |
| Reiter JF, Blacque OE, Leroux MR. (2012) 'The base of the cilium: roles for transition fibres and the transition zone in ciliary formation, maintenance and compartmentalization'. Embo Reports, 13 (7):608-618. [Details] |
| Oktay I. Kaplan, David B. Doroquez, Sebiha Cevik, Rachel V. Bowie, Lara Clarke, Anna A.W.M. Sanders, Katarzyna Kida, Joshua Z. Rappoport, Piali Sengupta,* and Oliver E. Blacque*; (2012) 'Endocytosis Genes Facilitate Protein and Membrane Transport in C. elegans Sensory Cilia'. Current Biology, . [Details] |
| Williams CL, Li C, Kida K, Inglis PN, Mohan S, Semenec L, Bialas NJ, Stupay RM, Chen N, Blacque OE*, Yoder BK*, Leroux MR* *co-corresponding; (2011) 'MKS and NPHP modules cooperate to establish basal body/transition zone membrane associations and ciliary gate function during ciliogenesis'. Journal of Cell Biology, 192 (6):1023-1041. [DOI] [Details] | |||||||||
| Jensen VL, Bialas NJ, Bishop-Hurley SL, Molday LL, Kida K, Nguyen PA, Blacque OE, Molday RS, Leroux MR, Riddle DL; (2010) 'Localization of a guanylyl cyclase to chemosensory cilia requires the novel ciliary MYND domain protein DAF-25'. PLoS Genetics, 6 (11). [DOI] [Details] | |||||||||
| Blacque, OE,Worrall, DM; (2002) 'Evidence for a direct interaction between the tumor suppressor serpin, maspin, and types I and III collagen'. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 277 (277):10783-10788. [DOI] [Details] | |||||||||
| Kaplan OI, Molla-Herman A, Cevik S, Ghossoub R, Kida K, Kimura Y, Jenkins P, Martens JR, Setou M, Benmerah A, Blacque OE.; (2010) 'AP-1 clathrin adaptor facilitates cilium formation and functions with RAB-8 in C. elegans ciliary membrane transport'. Journal of Cell Science, 123 :3966-3977. [Details] | |||||||||
| Kimura Y, Kurabe N, Ikegami K, Tsutsumi K, Konishi Y, Kaplan OI, Kunitomo H, Iino Y, Blacque OE, Setou M.; (2010) 'Identification of tubulin deglutamylase among Caenorhabditis elegans and mammalian cytosolic carboxypeptidases (CCPs)'. Journal of Biological Chemistry, . [Details] |
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| Cevik S, Hori Y, Kaplan OI, Kida K, Toivenon T, Cottell D, Katada T, Kontani K, Blacque OE. ; (2010) 'Joubert Syndrome Arl13b functions at ciliary membranes and stabilizes protein transport in C. elegans'. Journal of Cell Biology, . [Details] | |||||||||
| Inglis, N., Blacque OE, Leroux MR; (2009) 'Functional genomics of intraflagellar transport-associated proteins in C. elegans '. Methods in Cell Biology, . [Details] | |||||||||
| Bialas NJ, Inglis PN, Li C, Robinson JF, Parker JD, Healey MP, Davis EE, Inglis CD, Toivonen T, Cottell DC, Blacque OE, Quarmby LM, Katsanis N, Leroux MR.; (2009) 'Functional interactions between the ciliopathy-associated Meckel syndrome 1(MKS1) protein and two novel MKS1-related (MKSR) proteins'. Journal of Cell Science, 122 (5):611-624. [Details] | |||||||||
| Blacque OE, Cevik S, Kaplan OI; (2008) 'Intraflagellar transport: from molecular characterisation to mechanism'. Frontiers in Bioscience, 13 :2633-2652. [Details] | |||||||||
| Ou G, Koga M*, Blacque OE*, Murayama T, Ohshima Y, Schafer JC, Li C, Yoder BK,Leroux MR, Scholey JM.; (2007) 'Sensory Ciliogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans: Assignment of IFT components into Distinct Modules Based on Transport and Phenotypic Profiles'. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 18 :1554-1569. [Details] | |||||||||
| Pan X, Ou G, Civelekoglu-Scholey G, Blacque OE, Endres NF, Tao L, Mogilner A, Leroux MR, Vale RD, Scholey JM; (2006) 'Mechanism of transport of IFT-particles in C. elegans cilia by the concerted action of kinesin-II and OSM-3 motors'. Journal of Cell Biology, 174 :1035-1045. [Details] | |||||||||
| Blacque, O.E. & Leroux, M.R.; (2006) 'Bardet-Biedl Syndrome: An emerging pathomechanism of intracellular transport'. Cellular and Molecular Life Science, 63 :2145-2161. [Details] | |||||||||
| Chen, NS; Mah, A; Blacque, OE; Chu, J; Phgora, K; Bakhoum, MW; Newbury, CRH; Khattra, J; Chan, S; Go, A; Efimenko, E; Johnsen, R; Phirke, P; Swoboda, P; Marra, M; Moerman, DG; Leroux, MR; Baillie, DL; Stein, LD; ; (2006) 'Identification of ciliary and ciliopathy genes in Caenorhabditis elegans through comparative genomics'. Genome Biology, 7 (12). [Details] | |||||||||
| Blacque OE, Li C, Inglis PN, Esmail M, Ou G, Mah AK, Baillie DL, Scholey JM, Leroux MR. ; (2006) 'The WD repeat-containing protein, IFTA-1, is required for effective retrograde intraflagellar transport'. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 17 :5053-5062. [Details] | |||||||||
| Efimenko E, Blacque OE, Ou G, Haycraft CJ, Yoder BK, Scholey JM, Leroux MR, Swoboda P.; (2006) 'C. elegans DYF-2, anortholog of human WDR19, is a component of the IFT machinery in sensory cilia'. Molecular Biology of the Cell, . [Details] | |||||||||
| Ou G, Blacque OE, Snow JJ, Leroux MR, Scholey JM. ; (2005) 'Functional coordination of intraflagellar transport motors'. NATURE, 436 :583-587. [Details] | |||||||||
| Blacque OE, Perens E, Boroevich KA, Inglis PN, Li C, Warner A, Khattra J, Holt RA, Ou G, Mah AK, McKay SJ, Huang P, Swoboda P, Jones SJM, Marra MA, Baillie DL, Moerman DG, Shaham S, Leroux MR. ; (2005) 'Functional Genomics of the Cilium, a Sensory Organelle'. Curr. Biol, 15 :935-941. [Details] | |||||||||
| Fan Y, Esmail MA, Ansley SJ, Blacque OE, Boroevich K, Ross AJ, Moore SJ, Badano JL, May-Simera H, Compton DS, Green JS, Lewis RA, van Haelst MM, Parfrey PS, Baillie DL, Beales PL, Katsanis N, Davidson WS, Leroux MR.; (2004) 'Mutations in a member of the Ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins causes Bardet-Biedl syndrome'. NATURE GENETICS, 36 :989-993. [Details] | |||||||||
| Blacque OE, Reardon MJ, Li C, McCarthy J, Mahjoub MR, Ansley SJ, Badano JL, Mah AK, Beales PL, Davidson WS, Johnsen RC, Audeh M, Plasterk RH, Baillie DL, Katsanis N, Quarmby LM, Wicks SR, Leroux MR. ; (2004) 'Loss of C. elegans BBS-7 and BBS-8 protein function results in cilia defects and compromised intraflagellar transport'. GENES & DEVELOPMENT, 18 :1630-1642. [Details] | |||||||||
| Li JB, Gerdes JM, Haycraft CJ, Fan Y, Teslovich TM, May-Simera H, Li H, Blacque OE, Li L, Leitch CC, Lewis RA, Green JS, Parfrey PS, Leroux MR, Davidson WS, Beales PL, Guay-Woodford LM, Yoder BK, Stormo GD, Katsanis N, Dutcher SK. ; (2004) 'Comparative genomics identifies a flagellar and basal body proteome that includes the BBS5 human disease gene'. CELL, 117 :541-552. [Details] | |||||||||
| Ansley SJ*, Badano JL*, Blacque OE*, Hill J, Hoskins BE, Leitch CC, Kim JC, Ross AJ, Eichers ER, Teslovich TM, Mah AK, Johnsen RC, Cavender JC, Lewis RA, Leroux MR, Beales PL, Katsanis N. *Equal contributions.; (2003) 'Basal body dysfunction is a likely cause of pleiotropic Bardet-Biedl syndrome'. Nature, (425):628-633. [Details] | |||||||||
| Worrall, DM; Blacque, OE; Barnes, RC; ; (1999) 'The expanding superfamily of serpins: searching for the real targets'. Biochemical Society Transactions, 27 (4):746-750. [Details] | |||||||||
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Honours and Awards
| Year: 2006. Title: SFI President of Ireland Young Researcher Award |
Associations
| Association: American Society of Cell Biology, Function/Role: Member |
Conference Contributions
| Oktay Kaplan, Katarzyna Kida, Oliver E Blacque; (2008) Using C. elegans to investigate the role of the clathrin heavy chain and clathrin adaptors in cilia biogenesis and protein targeting to cilia. [Poster Presentation], INDB 2008 meeting, UCD, Ireland , 13-NOV-08 - 13-NOV-08. |
| Sebiha Cevik, Oktay I Kaplan, Katarzyna Kida, Oliver E Blacque; (2008) A homologue of Joubert syndrome-associated Arl13b regulates anterograde intraflagellar transport in C. elegans. [Oral Presentation], INDB 2008 meeting, UCD, Ireland , 13-NOV-08 - 13-NOV-08. |
| Oktay Kaplan, Oliver E Blacque; (2008) Investigation of protein targeting to C. elegans sensory cilia. [Poster Presentation], European Worm Meeting 2008, Carmona, Seville, Spain , 29-MAR-08 - 02-APR-08. |
| Oktay I Kaplan, Oliver E Blacque; (2008) C. elegans clathrin adaptor protein complex 1 (AP-1) and cilia assembly. [Poster Presentation], American Society of Cell Biology annual 2008 meeting, San Francisco, USA , 13-DEC-08 - 17-DEC-08. |
| Sebiha Cevik, Oliver E Blacque; (2008) A homologue of Joubert syndrome-associated Arl13b regulates anterograde intraflagellar transport in C. elegans. [Poster Presentation], American Society of Cell Biology 2008 annual meeting, San Francisco, USA , 13-DEC-08 - 17-DEC-08. |
| Sebiha Cevik, Oliver E Blacque; (2008) The GTPase Y37E3.5 is required for building normal Cilia Structure and Function. [Poster Presentation], European Worm Meeting 2008, Carmona, Seville, Spain , 29-MAR-08 - 02-APR-08. | |||||||||
| Oliver Blacque; (2007) Using C. elegans to investigate cilia biogenesis, regulation and development. [Invited Oral Presentation], Irish Network of Developmental Biologists 2007 meeting, University College Cork , 16-OCT-07 - 16-OCT-07. | |||||||||
| Oliver Blacque; (2007) Using C. elegans to investigate cilia biogenesis, regulation and development. [Invited Oral Presentation], SFI Science Summit 2007, Citywest, Dublin , 26-NOV-07 - 27-NOV-07. | |||||||||
| Blacque OE.; (2007) (2007) Cilia, Intraflagellar transport and Bardet-Biedl syndrome: A worm's tale. [Invited Oral Presentation], Cell Biology Seminar series, The Pasteur Institute, Paris, France , 02-MAY-07 - 02-MAY-07. | |||||||||
| Blacque OE, Leroux MR; (2006) Identification of C. elegans Genes Linked to Sensory Cilia Formation and Function. [Poster Presentation], American Society for Cell Biology ' 45th Annual meeting,, San Diego CA., U.S.A , 09-DEC-06 - 13-DEC-06. | |||||||||
| Blacque OE; (2007) Using C. elegans to investigate intraflagellar transport and ciliary disease. [Invited Oral Presentation], Symposium: From Biology of cilia to cilia-related genetic diseases, College de France, Paris, France , 03-MAY-07 - 04-MAY-07. | |||||||||
| Blacque OE, Perens E., Boroevich K., Inglis P., Li C., Warner A., Khattra J., Jones S., Marra M., Baillie D., Moerman D., Shaham S., Leroux MR.; (2005) SAGE and bioinformatics identifies novel cilia-related genes, including a new IFT gene, dyf-13. [Poster Presentation], 15th International Worm Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A , 25-JUN-05 - 29-JUN-05. | |||||||||
| Blacque OE, Li C, Leroux MR.; (2004) Cilia dysfunction in Bardet-Biedl syndrome. [Poster Presentation], The American Society for Cell Biology ' 44th Annual meeting, Washington D.C., U.S.A , 04-DEC-04 - 08-DEC-04. | |||||||||
| Blacque OE, Li C, Reardon MJ, Wicks SR, Leroux MR.; (2004) C. elegans Bardet-Biedl syndrome proteins link cilia dysfunction to obesity, blindness, cognitive impairment, kidney and heart problems. [Poster Presentation], West Coast Worm Meeting, Santa Barbara, CA, U.S.A , 21-AUG-04 - 24-AUG-04. | |||||||||
| Blacque OE, Kim JC, Esmail MA, Li C, Leroux MR.; (2003) Uncovering the cellular functions of proteins associated with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome. [Poster Presentation], 14th International Worm Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A , 29-JUN-03 - 03-JUL-03. | |||||||||
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Committees
| Committee : Conway Institute Imaging committee |
| Committee : Neuroscience Ireland Annual Meeting Organising Committee |
| Committee : UCD Dublin2012 City of Science organising committee - PIYRA conference |
| Committee : UCD Conway Seminar Committee |
Employment
| Employer: University College Dublin Position: Principal Investigator, Conway Institute |
| Employer: Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry |
Education
| Year 1994 Institution: Qualification: BSc Subject: |
| Year 1996 Institution: Qualification: MSc Subject: |
| Year 2001 Institution: Department of Biochemistry, University College Dublin Qualification: PhD Subject: Biochemistry |
Internal Collaborators
| Dr. Breandan Kennedy Prof. Jeremy Simpson Dr. David Cottell Dr. Margaret McGee |
External Collaborators
| Prof. Michel Leroux (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada) Dr. Alexandre Benmerah (Inserm, Paris, France) Prof. Mary McCaffrey (UCC, Cork) |
Teaching Philosophy
| Education should be focussed more on 'learning' rather than 'teaching' and I strive to do this by providing a well-informed, enthusiastic, creative and balanced platform. By focusing on concepts and presenting material in an exciting manner, I hope to provide the optimal learning environment for the acquisition of lifelong skills. |
Modules Coordinated
| 201200 NEUR40070 Neuroscience: Advanced topics in neural dev. |
| 201200 CNWY40010 Conway Institute: Conway Lecture & Seminar Serie |
| 201200 NEUR30010 Neuroscience: Nervous System Development |
Enhancement of Teaching
| An important factor governing student learning is engagement. Thus, to enhance my teaching, I try to present my material creatively and passionately because if I¿m enthusiastic, this rubs off students. I use many visuals such as animations, illustrations or even ad hoc props (it is amazing how many ways a power cable can be used to demonstrate scientific concepts). Another learning factor is good explanation; thus, I distil concepts to their most important elements, avoiding unnecessary detail, and using multiple examples. Also, instructors need to know that students are learning, thus I often seek immediate feedback, asking if explanations were clear. I take module feedback seriously and use it to change course content and assessment. I also can enhance my teaching using encouragement. What better way of motivating students than telling them job well done. I try to foster freedom of thought using continuous assessments such as essays, group projects and oral/poster presentations. Within these exercises, I encourage students to reflect and debate conventional wisdom. This helps to reinforce that scientific understanding can only come from critical thinking and reflection, and that textbooks are not always right. Also, I enhance my teaching by running flexible observation-based lab practicals, which are very effective in getting students talking about and questioning the subject matter. Finally, I have sought feedback from my colleagues on lecture content. In one instance, it was made clear to me that my slides were too busy; this was invaluable information leading to improved presentation. |
Review and Enhancement of Curriculum
| Module content and learning outcomes should be appropriate for student stage. I designed my stage 3 module to cover most appropriate basic concepts so students are prepared for my stage 4 module, which covers related advanced topics. Also, I try to establish the status of students' prior learning. Module content and learning outcomes should be well aligned, achieved by carefully considering all course content. The balance of lectures to continuous assessment material is driven by learning outcomes, and can be adjusted if necessary. To ensure appropriate module content, I consult textbooks, online resources and colleagues. To aid student learning, I encourage module contributors to cover concepts and not unnecessary details. Science students need laboratory exposure, thus I run 16hr practical in stage 3. I design my practicals to be flexible, involving critical observation and analysis, which students like based on feedback. Consistency helps with student learning, thus I try not to have too many module contributors. Importantly, all module subtopics should be well connected, duplication avoided, well structured and linked to alternative reading material. Therefore, I assess all module material and make suggestions if necessary. I provide flexibility for students by having 1 or 2 free tutorial slots, useful for various discussions driven by student wishes. For building communication skills, I include oral presentations, essay assignments and group project work. I run a mid-term MCQ in stage 3, which is useful feedback for students as are the corrected continuous assessments. No more than 60% of marks go towards the exit exam, which helps focus students on term time learning and relieves student end of term pressures a little. I use neuroscience teaching committee meetings to discuss the programme context of my modules. This allows for shortcomings to be identified and whether other modules should be considered as prior learning options. |
Developing as a Teacher
| I have consulted various published articles and online resources to develop aspects of my teaching. For example, from articles on teaching animal development in the laboratory, I established a 2-day frog development practical in a stage 3 module. I have also read articles on various theories of pedagogy, which have allowed me to strengthen my own teaching philosophy. To keep abreast of the latest teaching approaches in my field of expertise, I twice attended the education poster session at the annual American Society of Cell Biology meeting, as well as the education poster session in genetics and nematode biology at the biannual international C. elegans meeting. By consulting the latest textbooks, I can stay up to date with and develop course content. In addition, I have consulted various online resources such as iBioseminars.org, which contains wonderful top-level and inspirational presentations by research leaders geared towards undergraduates. I have also learned considerably from more experienced colleagues who contributed to practicals in my modules, by observing how they conveyed material and how they interacted with the students. Also, consultation with the teaching toolkit on UCDs teaching and learning website has helped me develop aspects of my teaching and course design. |