Principal Investigator Frank Gertler
Early development of neuronal tissues in many organisms depends on the concerted regulation of cell motility. Migration of early neurons in mice to their appropriate location in the brain ensures proper development of synaptic connections. Using fluorescence and time-lapse microscopy of living cells, the lab investigates the migration of neurons and their growth cones -- actin-rich structures that guide developing axons and dendrites to their targets. In particular, they have identified proteins that localize to locations important for cell motility including focal adhesions, lammellipodia and filopodial tips, bind to actin monomers and affect actin cytoskeletal structures.
The Ena/Vasodilutor-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) family of actin-regulatory proteins function in a variety of cell types and organisms to regulate cell morphology and motility. Research in the lab has demonstrated that these proteins interact directly with growing actin filaments and antagonize actin capping. Mice deficient in one member of the family show subtle brain abnormalities whereas double mutants have severe deformation of the central nervous system. The Gertler lab is continuing to genetically manipulate other members of the family to understand their roles in the signal transduction network that leads to neuronal development.