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Vladimir I. Gelfand, PhDProfessor
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An essential property of eukaryotic cells is their ability for rapid intracellular transport of organelles and macromolecular complexes in the cytoplasm. Intracellular transport is essential for cell polarization, organization of the cytoplasm, secretion, endocytosis, localized protein synthesis and many other cellular processes. Defects of intracellular transport are typically lethal but in more mild cases they cause neurodegenerative diseases. Intracellular transport is powered by molecular motors. Microtubule motors (kinesins and dyneins) use the energy of ATP to move along microtubules and myosins move along microfilaments. We want to know how multiple motors on the surface of the same cargo work together in organelle movement, how these motors are attached to the surface of organelles, and what regulates their activity.
We use several cellular model systems to answer these questions. One model is cultured pigment cells (melanophores). Melanophores activate movement of pigment organelles by motors in response to hormone-modulated changes of cAMP concentration. The movement of pigment organelles is powered by three different motors (two microtubule motors of different polarity and a myosin) and this system is very convenient for analysis of motor regulation. A second model is cultured Drosophila cells (cell lines and primary neuronal cultures) that we use to analyze individual components of transport machinery by using RNAi. In our work, we employ techniques of cell and molecular biology and computer-assisted microscopy of living cells and purified organelles.
R. L. Karcher, J. T. Roland, F. Zappacosta, M. J. Huddleston, R. S. Annan, S. A. Carr, and V. I. Gelfand (2001) Cell cycle regulation of myosin-V by calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Science 293:1317-1320
S. P. Gross, M. C. Tuma, S. W. Deacon, A. S. Serpinskaya, A. R. Reilein and V. I. Gelfand (2002) Interactions and regulation of molecular motors in Xenopus melanophores. J. Cell Biol. 15:855-65
S. W. Deacon, A. S. Serpinskaya, P. S. Vaughan, M. L. Fanarraga, I. Vernos, K. T. Vaughan, and V. I. Gelfand. (2003) Dynactin is required for bidirectional organelle transport. J. Cell Biol. 160:297-301
C. Kural, H. Kim, S. Syed, G. Goshima, V.I. Gelfand, Paul R. Selvin. (2005) Kinesin & dynein move a peroxisome in vivo: a tug-of-war or coordinated movement? Science 308:1469-1472.
V. Levi, A.S. Serpinskaya, E. Gratton, V.I.Gelfand (2006) Organelle transport along microtubules in Xenopus melanophores: evidence for cooperation between multiple motors. Biophys. J. 90:318-327
A. A. Minin, A. V. Kulik, F. K. Gyoeva, Y. Li, G. Goshima, V. I. Gelfand (2006) Regulation of mitochondria distribution by RhoA and formins. J. Cell Sci. 119:659-670:16434478
H. Kim, S.-C. Ling, G. C. Rogers, C. Kural, P. R. Selvin, S. L. Rogers, and V. I. Gelfand (2007) Microtubule binding by dynactin is required for microtubule organization but not cargo transport J. Cell Biol. 176:641-51.
C. Kural, A. S. Serpinskaya, Y. H. Chou, R. D. Goldman, V. I. Gelfand, P. R. Selvin. (2007) Tracking melanosomes inside a cell to study molecular motors and their interaction. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sc.i USA. 104:5378-82.
M. Park, A.S. Serpinskaya, N. Papalopulu, V. I. Gelfand (2007) Rab32 regulates melanosome transport in Xenopus melanophores by protein kinase A recruitment. Current Biology 17:2030-4.
I. M. Kulic, A.E.X. Brown, H. Kim, C. Kural, B. Blehm, P.R. Selvin, P.C. Nelson, V.I. Gelfand (2008) The role of microtubule movement in bidirectional organelle transport. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105:10011-6.
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View Publications by Vladimir Gelfand listed in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed). |
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