The VICC.ORG Investigator Directory

Kathleen L. Gould, Ph.D.

Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
HHMI Investigator
VICC Member
Researcher

Contact Information:

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
B-2309 Medical Center North
Nashville, TN 37232-2175
615-343-9502

Research Specialty:

Cell cycle control

Research Description:

Proper coordination of nuclear and cell division is necessary for the normal development of all eukaryotic organisms and for the maintenance of genomic integrity. The goals of my laboratory are to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating cytokinesis and also to learn how cytokinesis is coordinated with other events of the cell cycle such as chromosome segregation and microtubule cytoskeletal rearrangements. We are asking 1) what is the full complement of proteins that comprise the cytokinetic ring, 2) how is the cytokinetic ring precisely localized between segregating chromosomes, 3) what molecular event(s) triggers constriction of the cytokinetic ring, and 4) what ensures the correct timing of ring constriction with respect to chromosome segregation?

To address these questions expeditiously, we are using fission yeast as a model organism.

Fission yeast offers many experimental advantages for the study of cell cycle regulation including facile genetics and a fully sequenced and annotated genome. Using genetics, proteomics, live cell imaging, biochemistry, and structural biology we are unraveling the sequence of events that directs formation and then constriction of the cytokinetic ring. We are also studying protein phosphorylation signaling pathways and ubiquitin ligases that control the spatial precision of cytokinesis, the organization of the microtubule cytoskeleton through the cell cycle, and the timing of cytokinetic events during mitosis.

Publications:

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