Semil Choksi, PhD

Assistant Professor
Cell and Tissue Biology
[email protected]
The Choksi Lab studies how airway stem cells differentiate to build and maintain the respiratory epithelium. We focus on multiciliated cells - specialized epithelial cells that protect the lung by clearing inhaled pathogens. By combining mouse genetics, single-cell technologies, and imaging-based approaches, we aim to uncover novel principles underlying multiciliated cell differentiation. Our long-term goal is to identify new therapeutic strategies for restoring cellular function in respiratory disease.
Publications: 

Multicilia dynamically transduce Sonic Hedgehog signaling to regulate choroid plexus functions.

Cell reports

Mao S, Song R, Jin S, Pang S, Jovanovic A, Zimmerman A, Li P, Wu X, Wendland MF, Lin K, Chen WC, Choksi SP, Chen G, Holtzman MJ, Reiter JF, Wan Y, Xuan Z, Xiang YK, Xu CS, Upadhyayula S, Hess HF, He L

Multicilia dynamically transduce Shh signaling to regulate choroid plexus functions.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology

Mao S, Song R, Jin S, Pang S, Jovanovic A, Zimmerman A, Li P, Wu X, Wendland MF, Lin K, Chen WC, Choksi SP, Chen G, Holtzman MJ, Reiter JF, Wan Y, Xuan Z, Xiang YK, Xu CS, Upadhyayula S, Hess HF, He L

An alternative cell cycle coordinates multiciliated cell differentiation.

Nature

Choksi SP, Byrnes LE, Konjikusic MJ, Tsai BWH, Deleon R, Lu Q, Westlake CJ, Reiter JF

An RFX transcription factor regulates ciliogenesis in the closest living relatives of animals.

Current biology : CB

Coyle MC, Tajima AM, Leon F, Choksi SP, Yang A, Espinoza S, Hughes TR, Reiter JF, Booth DS, King N

Vertebrate cells differentially interpret ciliary and extraciliary cAMP.

Cell

Truong ME, Bilekova S, Choksi SP, Li W, Bugaj LJ, Xu K, Reiter JF

Flow-Cytometric Analysis and Purification of Airway Epithelial-Cell Subsets.

American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology

Bonser LR, Koh KD, Johansson K, Choksi SP, Cheng D, Liu L, Sun DI, Zlock LT, Eckalbar WL, Finkbeiner WE, Erle DJ

Evolutionary Proteomics Uncovers Ancient Associations of Cilia with Signaling Pathways.

Developmental cell

Sigg MA, Menchen T, Lee C, Johnson J, Jungnickel MK, Choksi SP, Garcia G, Busengdal H, Dougherty GW, Pennekamp P, Werner C, Rentzsch F, Florman HM, Krogan N, Wallingford JB, Omran H, Reiter JF

Hsd11ß2 Is Enriched in Medulloblastoma and Generates Ciliary Oxysterols to Stimulate Hedgehog Signaling.

International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics

D. Raleigh, N. Sever, M.A. Sigg, F.R. Garcia-Gonzalo, P.K. Choksi, K.M. Hines, S.P. Choksi, A.L. Krup, J.G. McDonald, L. Xu, P.A. Beachy, J.F. Reiter

Mutations in CCDC11, which encodes a coiled-coil containing ciliary protein, causes situs inversus due to dysmotility of monocilia in the left-right organizer.

Human mutation

Narasimhan V, Hjeij R, Vij S, Loges NT, Wallmeier J, Koerner-Rettberg C, Werner C, Thamilselvam SK, Boey A, Choksi SP, Pennekamp P, Roy S, Omran H

A function for the Joubert syndrome protein Arl13b in ciliary membrane extension and ciliary length regulation.

Developmental biology

Lu H, Toh MT, Narasimhan V, Thamilselvam SK, Choksi SP, Roy S

Systematic discovery of novel ciliary genes through functional genomics in the zebrafish.

Development (Cambridge, England)

Choksi SP, Babu D, Lau D, Yu X, Roy S

Switching on cilia: transcriptional networks regulating ciliogenesis.

Development (Cambridge, England)

Choksi SP, Lauter G, Swoboda P, Roy S

Identifying gene regulatory networks that control adult regeneration in zebrafish.

Developmental biology

Semil P. Choksi, Pallavi Panse, Wan Ying Leong, Sudipto Roy

Prospero acts as a binary switch between self-renewal and differentiation in Drosophila neural stem cells.

Developmental cell

Choksi SP, Southall TD, Bossing T, Edoff K, de Wit E, Fischer BE, van Steensel B, Micklem G, Brand AH

Turning back the clock on neural progenitors.

BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology

Carr AR, Choksi SP, Brand AH