Dr Katerina Toropova

I am an MRC Career Development Fellow at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology. My lab is interested in understanding how cells spatially and temporally organise their interiors at the molecular mechanistic level using structural, biochemical and cell biological techniques. A current focus is understanding how molecular motor proteins kinesin-2 and dynein-2 enable assembly and function of key antenna-like organelles called cilia, which are essential for human development and physiology, and whose disruption leads to severe disorders.

I teach on the FHS Molecular Pathology Theme for Medical and Biomedical Science undergraduates.

Publications:

Webb, S†., Toropova, K†, Mukhopadhyay, A.G., Nofal, S. & Roberts A.J. Beta-hairpin mechanism of autoinhibition and activation in the kinesin-2 family. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology (2025) 32:1989-1998.

Hesketh, S.J†., Mukhopadhyay, A.G†., Nakamura D., Toropova, K* & Roberts, A.J.* IFT-A structure reveals carriages for membrane protein transport into cilia. Cell (2022) 185:4971-4985.

Toropova, K., Zalyte, R., Mukhopadhyay, A.M., Mladenov, M., Carter. A.P. & Roberts, A.J.   Structure of the dynein-2 complex and its assembly with intraflagellar transport trains. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology (2019) 26:823-829.

Toropova, K., Mladenov, M., & Roberts, A.J. Intraflagellar transport dynein is autoinhibited by trapping of its mechanical and track-binding elements. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology (2017) 24:461-468.

For full list see: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8795-5349