Molecular Mechanisms of Mitosis, Ciliogenesis, and Motor Protein Function.

 

The research of our laboratory is focused on the molecular mechanisms of microtubule-based motor protein function during intracellular transport and mitosis.

Our two major projects are:

1. Intraflagellar Transport Motors and Sensory Ciliogenesis on C. elegans  Neurons.

2. Mechanisms of Mitosis in Drosophila Embryos.

These projects combine studies of the basic biochemistry and molecular biology of microtubules and microtubule-based motors, high resolution time-lapse microscopy of  motor action in sensory cilia and mitotic spindles in vivo, and quantitative modeling*. We hope that this combination of  approaches will illuminate the molecular and biophysical principles underlying the roles of microtubule motors in building subcellular machines and the mechanism of action of the protein machines that carry out mitosis, intraflagellar transport and other critical subcellular processes.

*Our use of Mathematical Modeling to study Mitosis and Microtubule-based Motility was developed in association with the Laboratory of Cell and Computational Biology (Dr. Alex Mogilner, Co-PI) from July 1st 2002 until June 30th 2007. Dr Mogilner now has his own independent laboratory in the Section of NPB.

       

University of California, Davis- Dept. of Molecular & Cellular Biology, One Shields Ave. Davis, CA 95616

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