Cytoskeletal regulation by formin proteins
Presented by Prof. Christina Vizcarra
Hosted by Prof. Laura Kaufman
Abstract:
The cytoskeleton is a dynamic network of protein filaments that is fundamental to many cellular processes. Formins are multifunctional regulators of both the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. While small-molecule targeting of formins has been a standard method of studying their function, it is not well understood how small-molecule inhibitors affect these multifunctional proteins. Furthermore, the diversity of formins encoded by the human genome presents both challenges and opportunities for drug targeting. One of the first human genes that was linked to inherited deafness encodes the formin DIAPH1. In addition to investigating inhibitor/formin interactions, work in the Vizcarra lab also seeks to understand the link between formins and hearing by characterizing the growing number of deafness-associated DIAPH1 variants.
