Faculty and Research Activities

David W Pruyne, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology 309A Weiskotten Hall Upstate Medical University 750 East Adams Street Syracuse, NY 13210 315-464-8569 Lab/Professional Web Site

Education and Clinical Training

Research Program and Department Affiliations

Research Interests

Research Abstract

The microfilament cytoskeleton is a collection of filaments composed of the protein actin populating the cytoplasm of the cell. These microfilaments are organized into a large number of distinct structures ranging form from simple cable-like bundles through complex, repetitive arrays. These structures give cells their proper shape, organize organelles within the cytoplasm, and allow cells to move. Our primary goal is to understand at the molecular level how cells assemble their actin filament structures, and how these structures perform their functions. We have come to focus on one family of actin-organizing proteins called the formins. Formins are widespread proteins, with homologs found in nearly every type of eukaryotic organism, including animals, plants, fungi, slime molds, and most protozoans. Among animals, the formins show particular diversity with seven animal-specific subfamilies. We are probing the functions of these formin subfamilies through a combination of biochemical assays using purified proteins, and genetic and microscopic studies using the microscopic soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. Through these techniques we are finding unique cellular distributions and functions for the formin subfamilies, suggesting the diversity of this family in the animal kingdom may reflect specializations to play a variety of roles.

Please visit our Lab Homepage http://web.me.com/dpruyne/Site/Home.html for a more complete description of our research.

Publications - link to PubMed

This profile was last updated on 11/03/2009

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