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Caitie McCafferty

@computingcaitie.bsky.social
1.2K followers 480 following 65 posts

Postdoc in the @cellarchlab.com at the @biozentrum.unibas.ch. Incoming junior group leader at @fmiscience.bksy.social. Find out more at ciliagirl.com.

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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Happy to finally share that I will be starting my independent group at the @fmiscience.bsky.social in Feb 2027 in a vibrant new environment. We will use integrative in situ structural cell biology methods to investigate ciliary structure and dynamics in several model (and non-model 👀) systems!!
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
I told you it was final 😉, now we celebrate 🎉
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Using this powerful combo of tools we observe other features of the ciliary base including the ciliary necklace aligned w the transition zone, IFT trains present at mature cilia and undocked centrioles near ciliary vesicles, and a cytoskeleton network of bundled actin and intermediate filaments
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
While XL/MS provided several candidates for microtubule binding proteins, the subciliary localization was further verified by @marinebrunet.bsky.social w U-ExM. This combo identified several new microtubule binding proteins including DNAJB6, which is abundant in the transition zone and axoneme
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
To supplement our cryo-ET and generate candidates for proteins that localize to different ciliary regions, we took a trip to the local butcher to pick up some cow trachea to build a mammalian multiciliated cell interactome using XL/MS (enjoy this vid of @cellarchlab.com shaking cilia off trachea)
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Using subtomogram averaging and classification, we map out structural changes along the microtubules of the ciliary base, highlighting densities specific to each region. The transition zone is marked by distinct features including the A-B linker, outer helical wrap, MIP helix, and absence of NME7
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
I am excited to share our most recent work collaborating with @centriolelab.bsky.social and @stearnslab.bsky.social to look at the ciliary base of mammalian multiciliated cells w/ cryo-ET, XL/MS, and U-ExM www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
That’s a wrap of the 2nd edition of our one of a kind structural biology block course at the @biozentrum.unibas.ch! In just 6 short weeks students designed protein oligomers; rotated in cryo-ET, cryo-EM SPA, AFM, and NMR labs; and expressed, purified, and structurally characterized their designs
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
So much fun to host @edwardmarcotte.bsky.social at the @biozentrum.unibas.ch and introduce him to the @cellarchlab.com, thanks for a wonderful Discovery Seminar!!
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
We have renamed it to CAGE: Conserved Assembly in Gram-negative bacteria and Eukaryotes; because in addition to shape, it has crazy phylogeny!! And to quote the paper: “The CAGE complex stands as both a new structural archetype and a reminder that the molecular universe is far from fully charted.”
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
When I first saw it in my micrographs, I thought it looked like a Philadelphia pretzel. After years of explaining a Philly pretzel and receiving endless pretzel pictures (s/o Jamie) and pretzel swag (s/o @sofie-dot-rec.bsky.social)….
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
The early days looking at this complex were spent with @ghooger.bsky.social on the JEOL 2010F in the basement of UT Austin during the pandemic (while watching Real Housewives)
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
I am excited to share our new preprint on the CAGE complex, a mysterious hollow protein complex that I first saw years ago while surveying Tetrahymena ciliary lysate www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #cilia #protistsonsky 🧬🧪
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
This work provides functional insights into several poorly-defined ciliopathy proteins, which we were able to test in vertebrate multiciliated cells showing functional interactions
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
We report over 4,700 protein interactions detailing inter-complex associations, transient interactions, and conformational dynamics
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Caitie McCafferty @computingcaitie.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
I am excited to share some of my PhD work on the motile cilia interactome revealed by XL/MS with @jbwallingford.bsky.social @edwardmarcotte.bsky.social Ophelia Papoulas, Chanjae Lee, David Taylor, and @builab.bsky.social www.cell.com/developmenta...
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