Embryonic stem cells have the potential to differentiate into ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal derivatives. This property makes them a valuable source of tissue specific progenitor and differentiated cells that can be used for cell replacement therapy. The first goal of this thesis is to test if cardiogenesis from embryonic stem...
The formation of a primary endocytic vesicle bud is a dynamic process involving the transient organization of adaptor and scaffold proteins at the plasma membrane. The proteins involved in early endocytosis have modular protein interaction motifs and domains that are predicted to contribute to scaffold formation. These motifs are found...
To maintain polarity, epithelial cells continuously sort transmembrane proteins to the apical or basolateral membrane domains during biosynthetic delivery or after internalization. This thesis was designed to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying protein trafficking. Our studies identified Rab13 as a critical GTPase regulator of biosynthetic cargos that are transported from...
The proper distribution of cellular organelles and protein complexes is important for maintaining cellular organization and function. Transport in eukaryotic cells requires three motor proteins, kinesin, dynein, and myosin, attached to specific cargoes mostly by adaptor proteins. This work focuses on the mechanism of microtubule-dependent organelle transport in vivo.
This...
Filopodia play a central role in proper cell navigation; they extend from the cell surface and scan the local environment to guide the cell to its proper destination. These dynamic events require precise mechanisms for the turnover of key molecules which determine the morphology of filopodia. As of yet, such...
A primary limitation of non-viral gene therapy is the low level of expression achieved. One of the reasons that higher expression is not achieved is that there are many physical obstacles that prevent the DNA from reaching the nucleus to be expressed. A plasmid must cross the cell membrane, traverse...
Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) play a fundamental role in cell growth, metabolism and survival. Altered cell surface expression of RTKs has profound effects on organismal physiology and is associated with both metabolic disease and neoplasia. The insulin receptor (IR) is a prototypical RTK that regulates metabolism and lifespan and as...