Semil Choksi, PhD

Assistant Professor

Department of Cell & Tissue Biology

The Choksi lab investigates the mechanisms governing airway stem cell differentiation during formation of the respiratory epithelium. A central focus of the lab is multiciliated cell differentiation. These specialized epithelial cells defend the lung against inhaled pathogens through coordinated beating beating of hundreds of cilia. We use a combination of mouse genetics, single-cell technologies, and advanced microscopy to define the molecular and cellular principles that drive multiciliated cell specialization. Ultimately, we aim to leverage these insights to develop therapeutic strategies for patients with respiratory disease.

Research Summary

The Choksi Lab explores fundamental principles of stem cell differentiation. We study airway development and maintenance, focusing on the role of multiciliated cells in protecting the lungs.

Publications

A stem cell-based platform for functional analysis of genetic variants in lung disease.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology

Wallman DJ, Homma ST, Finton M, Beermann M, Jacob A, Choksi SP, Pletcher SD, Xu H, Bawa PS, Reiter JF, Horani A, Brody SL, Berical A, Hawkins FJ

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

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

Corrigendum to “Specification of vertebrate slow-twitch muscle fiber fate by the transcriptional regulator Blimp1” [Dev. Biol. 324 (2008) 226–235].

Developmental biology

Hoe Peng Liew, Semil P. Choksi, Kangli Noel Wong, Sudipto Roy

amontillado, the Drosophila homolog of the prohormone processing protease PC2, is required during embryogenesis and early larval development.

Genetics

Rayburn LY, Gooding HC, Choksi SP, Maloney D, Kidd AR, Siekhaus DE, Bender M

Publications

A stem cell-based platform for functional analysis of genetic variants in lung disease.

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

Multicilia dynamically transduce Shh signaling to regulate choroid plexus functions.

An alternative cell cycle coordinates multiciliated cell differentiation.

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

Vertebrate cells differentially interpret ciliary and extraciliary cAMP.

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

Evolutionary Proteomics Uncovers Ancient Associations of Cilia with Signaling Pathways.

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

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

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

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

Switching on cilia: transcriptional networks regulating ciliogenesis.

Identifying gene regulatory networks that control adult regeneration in zebrafish.

Corrigendum to “Specification of vertebrate slow-twitch muscle fiber fate by the transcriptional regulator Blimp1” [Dev. Biol. 324 (2008) 226–235].

Specification of vertebrate slow-twitch muscle fiber fate by the transcriptional regulator Blimp1.

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

Turning back the clock on neural progenitors.

amontillado, the Drosophila homolog of the prohormone processing protease PC2, is required during embryogenesis and early larval development.