 Christopher E Turner, Ph.D.Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology 1297 Weiskotten Hall Research Program and Department AffiliationsBiomedical Sciences Program Research InterestsRegulation of cell migration by focal adhesion adapter proteins and their role in cancer cell metastasis. Abstract
The dynamic adhesion of cells to their surrounding extracellular matrix provides many of the environmental cues necessary for controlling cell migration and cell shape, survival, proliferation and differentiation. These fundamental events regulate an organism’s normal development, maintenance and recovery from injury and infection. Defects in the signaling pathways associated with cell adhesion provide the basis for cell transformation and cancer cell metastasis, various developmental defects and cardiovascular disease. My lab uses a multi-faceted approach combining biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and various high-end microscopy techniques to determine the molecular organization of the proteins that are involved in cell adhesion and thereby understand how they each contribute to cell behavior. We are particularly interested in characterizing the function of the molecular scaffold/adapter proteins Paxillin and Hic-5. We have found that these multi-domain proteins bind numerous structural and signaling proteins including kinases, phosphatases and Rho family GTPase regulators and effectors. We hypothesize that it is through these various interactions that the cell coordinates intracellular signaling and cytoskeletal reorganization to regulate adhesion and the cell migration machinery. Selected References
Turner, C.E., (2000) Paxillin and focal adhesion signaling. Nature Cell Biol., 2 E231-6.
Turner, C.E., (2000) Paxillin interactions. J. Cell Science, 113 4139-4140.
Brown, M.C. and Turner, C.E. (2004) Paxillin-Adapting to change. Physiol. Revs. 84, 1315-1339.
Tumbarello, D.A. and Turner, C.E. (2007) Hic-5 contributes to epithelial-mesenchymal transformation through a RhoA/ROCK-dependent pathway J. Cell Physiol 211, 736-747.
Deakin, N.O., and Turner, C.E. Paxillin comes of age. (2008) J. Cell Sci 121, 2435-2444 Publications- link to PubMedNote: The above PubMed link opens a new window. Close the PubMed window to return to this page. This profile was last updated on 07/20/2009 A short link is available for this profile: http://www.upstate.edu/faculty/?ID=turnerce Back to Faculty Research @ Upstate Page |