# First person – Khatija Nishat

## TL;DR

This paper explores how IFT139 influences cilia structure and signaling, which is important for understanding ciliopathy-related diseases.

## Contribution

The study reveals a new role for IFT139 in regulating Hedgehog signaling and cilia structure through protein localization.

## Key findings

- IFT139 is essential for proper ciliary protein localization.
- Disruption of IFT139 affects Hedgehog signaling and cilia structure.
- The findings have implications for understanding ciliopathy-related diseases.

## Abstract

First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Khatija Nishat is first author on ‘
IFT139 regulates Hedgehog signaling and cilia structure through ciliary protein localization’, published in BiO. Khatija is a post-undergraduate in the lab of Dr Yulu Cherry Liu at Hood College, Frederick, USA, investigating how primary cilia and intraflagellar transport proteins regulate cell signalling and development, with implications for ciliopathy-related diseases.