Cytoskeletal active matter
In mixtures of cytoskeletal filaments and molecular motors, local sliding motions can lead to large-scale collective motions. How do we integrate molecular-level knowledge to predict higher-order aspects of assembly and organization in these systems?
Chromosome segregation in cell division
For a living cell to divide successfully, each daughter cell must inherit the correct genetic material. We are working to understanding how the microtubule-based mitotic spindle organizes and moves chromosomes.
Disordered proteins in the nuclear pore complex
Nuclear pore complexes form a selective filter that allows the passage of some molecules across the nuclear envelope, while blocking others. The reason that transport can be both fast and specific remains undetermined.
Mitotic spindle assembly and regulation
During cell division, mitotic spindles segregate duplicated chromosomes with high fidelity. Interactions between microtubules, motor proteins, and crosslinkers organize the spindle into a bipolar array, but how spindle bipolarity is established is not fully understood.
Motor dynamics and microtubule length regulation
Biological filaments can serve as one-dimensional tracks on which motor proteins move. Asymmetric simple exclusion process models that have been applied to diverse examples of one-dimensional nonequilibrium transport.
Disordered C-terminal tails of tubulin
The disordered C-terminal tails of tubulin are a primary site of tubulin regulation, which affect microtubule length dynamics and mechanical properties. Major questions remain about the molecular mechanism of tubulin CTT function and regulation.