Research projects
Research projects
Embedded Files
Mechanisms of nuclear membrane rupture
Mechanisms of nuclear membrane rupture
Nuclear membrane rupture occurs when gaps form in the nuclear lamina, leaving areas of unprotected membrane that bleb outward and rupture under tension, for example when the actin cytoskeleton compresses the nucleus or nuclear volume increases (review). After rupture, nuclear envelope and cytoplasmic proteins rush to the exposed chromatin, recruiting membrane and membrane-remodeling complexes to reseal the gap. We've recently identified several membrane-organization proteins that regulate this process, and how they help nuclei survive mechanical stress is a major open question in the lab right now, with multiple projects available.
Specific projects
Specific projects
How does lipid composition regulate nuclear rupture?
How does ER organization impact nuclear membrane dynamics?
Develop new screening tools to identify additional pathways that regulate rupture and repair.
Micronucleus biology
Micronucleus biology
Micronuclei form when chromatin is missegregated during cell division. This happens at low levels in healthy tissue, but far more frequently in conditions marked by chromosome instability, including many solid tumors and laminopathies. Micronuclei rupture easily and have only a limited ability to repair themselves, which causes extensive DNA damage. That damage can trigger increased invasion and inflammatory signaling, and in some cases drives massive chromosome rearrangement and hypermutation, changes thought to strongly favor cancer initiation and evolution. We're working to understand what makes micronuclei so fragile and how their repair fails, with several projects available.
Specific projects
Specific projects
How are protein and RNA import and export altered in MN?
What factors underlie protein recruitment differences between large and small micronuclei?
How does the timing of micronucleus rupture alter cell fate?
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