Regulatory mechanisms that control vesicle biogenesis
Our laboratory is committed to understanding the fundamental mechanisms by which membrane proteins, lipids, and other macromolecules are transported throughout eukaryotic cells. To do so, we take advantage of numerous interdisciplinary approaches, including biochemistry, structural biology, biophysics, genetics, molecular biology and high-resolution fluorescence and electron microscopy.
Additionally, we use a variety of experimental systems, ranging from CRISPR-edited cell lines expressing fluorescently tagged genes of interest, to human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and Sprague Dawley rats harboring mutations associated with disease. Although basic research is the cornerstone of our program, we also aim to define pathomechanisms that underlie human disease, with a focus on the relationship between mutations in key trafficking components and neurodegeneration.
Recent Publications
November 2024: Molly Lettman’s paper, “Cell type-specific gene therapy confers protection against motor neuron disease caused by a TFG variant” is published in PNAS.
August 2024: A collaborative paper entitled, “Delineating the shape of COat Protein complex-II coated membrane bud” is published in PNAS Nexus.
July 2024: William Kasberg and Peter Luong’s manuscript, “TFG regulates inner COPII coat recruitment to facilitate anterograde secretory protein transport” in MBOC.
December 2023: William Kasberg’s manuscript titled, “Nutrient deprivation alters the rate of COPII subunit recruitment at ER subdomains to tune secretory protein transport” is published in Nature Communications.
August 2023: A collaborative paper entitled, “Parasympathetic and sympathetic axons are bundled in the cardiac ventricles and undergo physiological reinnervation during heart regeneration” is published in iScience.
June 2023: William Kasberg and Peter Luong’s manuscript titled, “The Sar1 GTPase is dispensible for COPII-dependent cargo export from the ER” is published in Cell Reports.
February 2023: A new collaborative paper titled, “Molecular mechanism of GTP binding- and dimerization-induced enhancement of Sar1-mediated membrane remodeling” is published in PNAS.
December 2022: A new collaborative paper titled, “TES-1/Tes and ZYX-1/Zyxin protect junctional actin networks under tension during epidermal morphogenesis in the C. elegans embryo” is published in Current Biology.
December 2022: Our manuscript titled, “Lgd regulates ESCRT-III complex accumulation at multivesicular endosomes to control intralumenal vesicle formation” is published in Molecular Biology of the Cell.
October 2022: A new collaborative paper titled, “Increased Aurora B expression reduces substrate phosphorylation and induces chromosomal instability” is published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.
September 2022: A new collaborative paper titled, “Next-generation cancer magnetic resonance imaging with tumor-targeted alkylphosphocholine metal analogs” is accepted for publication in Investigative Radiology.
August 2022: Our manuscript titled, “TFG regulates secretory and endosomal sorting pathways in neurons to promote their activity and maintenance” is accepted for publication in PNAS.
December 2021: Our manuscript titled, “The ESCRT machinery directs quality control over inner nuclear membrane architecture” is accepted for publication at Cell Reports.
May 2021: A new collaborative paper titled, “Protein induced membrane curvature in coarse-grained simulations” is accepted for publication in the Biophysical Journal.
January 2021: A new collaborative paper titled, “Acetyl-CoA flux from the cytosol to the ER regulates engagement and quality of the secretory pathway” is accepted for publication in Scientific Reports.
December 2020: A new collaborative paper titled, “Turbinmicin inhibits Candida biofilm growth by disrupting fungal vesicle-mediated trafficking” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
October 2020: A new collaborative paper titled, “A marine microbiome antifungal targets urgent-threat drug-resistant fungi” is accepted for publication in Science.
March 2020: A new collaborative paper titled, “Regulated lipid synthesis and LEM2/CHMP7 jointly control nuclear envelope closure” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Cell Biology.
January 2020: A new collaborative paper titled, “Molecular simulation of mechanical properties and membrane activities of the ESCRT-III complexes” is accepted for publication in the Biophysical Journal.
May 2019: Our review titled, “COPII‐mediated trafficking at the ER/ERGIC interface” appears online at Traffic.
April 2019: A new collaborative paper titled, “Mad1 destabilizes p53 by preventing PML from sequestering MDM2” appears online at Nature Communications.
February 2019: Our manuscript titled, “Growth factor stimulation promotes multivesicular endosome biogenesis by prolonging recruitment of the late-acting ESCRT machinery” is accepted for publication at PNAS.
September 2018: A new collaborative paper titled, “Mutations in GFAP disrupt the distribution and function of organelles in human astrocytes” is accepted for publication in Cell Reports.
July 2018: Our manuscript titled, “Pathogenic TFG mutations underlying hereditary spastic paraplegia impair secretory protein trafficking and axon fasciculation” is accepted for publication as a Research Article at Cell Reports.
June 2018: A new collaborative paper titled, “A simple supported tubulated bilayer system for evaluating protein-mediated membrane remodeling” is accepted for publication in Chemistry and Physics of Lipids.
April 2018: Mike Hanna’s review titled, “Membrane transport at an organelle interface in the early secretory pathway: Take your coat off and stay a while” is accepted for publication in BioEssays.
November 2017: A new collaborative paper titled, “Dynamic glycosylation governs the vertebrate COPII protein trafficking pathway” is accepted for publication in Biochemistry.
October 2017: Elisa Frankel’s manuscript titled, “Ist1 regulates ESCRT-III assembly and function during multivesicular endosome biogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos” is accepted for publication in Nature Communications.
August 2017: Elisa Frankel’s review titled, “ESCRT-dependent cargo sorting at multivesicular endosomes” is accepted for publication in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology.
July 2017: Mike Hanna’s manuscript titled, “TFG facilitates outer coat disassembly on COPII transport carriers to promote tethering and fusion with ER–Golgi intermediate compartments” is accepted for publication in PNAS.
February 2017: A new collaborative paper titled, “Membrane remodeling during embryonic abscission in Caenorhabditis elegans” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Cell Biology.
July 2016: Lei Wang’s manuscript titled, “Eps15 membrane binding and bending activity acts redundantly with Fcho1 during clathrin-mediated endocytosis” is accepted for publication in Molecular Biology of the Cell.
June 2016: A new collaborative paper titled, “Hereditary spastic paraplegias: Identification of a novel SPG57 variant affecting TFG oligomerization and description of HSP subtypes in Sudan” is accepted for publication in the European Journal of Human Genetics.
April 2016: A new collaborative paper titled, “The Noncanonical Role of ULK/ATG1 in ER-to-Golgi Trafficking Is Essential for Cellular Homeostasis” is accepted at Molecular Cell.
February 2016: Elisa Frankel’s comment titled, “Burning cellular bridges: Two pathways to the big breakup” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Cell Biology.
November 2015: Michael Hanna’s manuscript titled, “Sar1 GTPase Activity Is Regulated by Membrane Curvature” is accepted for publication in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
October 2015: Sandhya Callaci’s manuscript titled, “Phosphoregulation of the C. elegans cadherin-catenin complex” is accepted for publication in the Biochemical Journal.
July 2015: A new collaborative paper titled, “Kv1.3 contains an alternative C-terminal ER exit motif and is recruited into COPII vesicles by Sec24a” is accepted at BMC Biochemistry.
June 2015: A new collaborative paper titled, “Necrotic Cells Actively Attract Phagocytes through the Collaborative Action of Two Distinct PS-Exposure Mechanisms” is accepted at PLoS Genetics.
March 2015: A new collaborative paper titled, “Quantification of cellular NEMO content and its impact on NF-κB activation by genotoxic stress” is accepted at PLoS One.
January 2015: Amber Schuh’s manuscript titled, “The VPS-20 Subunit of the Endosomal Sorting Complex ESCRT-III Exhibits an Open Conformation in the Absence of Upstream Activation” is accepted and appears online in the Biochemical Journal.