The precise temporal and spatial regulation of signaling pathways is essential for a wide range of cellular processes, such as migration, proliferation, and morphogenesis. The Rho family of small GTPases are key players in these processes, through their ability to control the rearrangement of the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons, the activation of gene expression, and the various phases of the cell cycle. Two crucial questions in Rho GTPase signaling are how specificity downstream of the GTPases is controlled, and how the Rho GTPase-dependent signaling pathways are coordinated during various cellular processes. I am exploring these questions by investigating the role of the hCNK1 scaffold in Rho signalling specificity, and by using an in vitro mammary epithelial morphogenesis assay as a model to understand how the Rho signalling pathways are contribute to the formation of complex multicellular structures.
The precise temporal and spatial regulation of signaling pathways is essential for a wide range of cellular processes, such as migration, proliferation, and morphogenesis. The Rho family of small GTPases are key players in these processes, through their ability to control the rearrangement of the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons, the activation of gene expression, and the various phases of the cell cycle. Two crucial questions in Rho GTPase signaling are how specificity downstream of the GTPases is controlled, and how the Rho GTPase-dependent signaling pathways are coordinated during various cellular processes. I am exploring these questions by investigating the role of the hCNK1 scaffold in Rho signalling specificity, and by using an in vitro mammary epithelial morphogenesis assay as a model to understand how the Rho signalling pathways are contribute to the formation of complex multicellular structures.
