Jeffrey Moore, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Title: Programming cellular architecture and microtubule dynamics at the level of tubulin proteins 

Abstract: The microtubule cytoskeleton is a platform for organizing the cell. Microtubules are dynamic polymers of tubulin proteins that connect distant regions of the cell for transport and signaling. Although defects in microtubule function are associated with numerous human diseases, including neuropathies and cancer, we do not understand how molecular changes at the level of tubulin proteins contribute to altered microtubule function and pathology. My lab examines this question using genetics, quantitative microscopy, and protein biochemistry. In this seminar I will present two ongoing projects. The first project focuses on how microtubule function is regulated by negatively-charged carboxy-terminal tail motifs that decorate the outside of tubulins, and create a diverse molecular landscape at the microtubule surface. The second project examines how mutations in specific tubulin­encoding genes lead to defects in brain development. Although a number of so called 
'tubulinopathy' mutations have been identified, how these mutations alter the function of tubulin proteins in a manner that leads to brain malformations is poorly understood. We are using these mutations as windows into the molecular functions of tubulins and the unique roles of different tubulin genes in guiding the architecture of individual neurons and the complex tissues of the mammalian brain.

Refreshments will be served in the Molecular Biology Building Atrium at 3:45 p.m.