Section: Research

Xiang Dong Li, Ph.D.

Academic Role: Research Assistant Professor

Faculty Appointment(s) In:
   Physiology

Function and Regulation of Unconventional Myosin Motor Protein

My broad research interests lie in how the components within a cell move to the right place at the right time. Unlike the prokaryotic cell, which largely consists of a single intracellular compartment surrounded by a plasma membrane, the eukaryotic cell has an elaborate internal membrane system, including a number of functionally distinct membrane-bounded compartments (organelles). Each organelle has a distinct set of enzymes and other specialized molecules, and thus distinct functions. Given the dimension and complexity of eukaryotic cells, the transport of components within them can not be solely dependent on diffusion. Indeed, maintenance of internal membrane systems and transportation of organelles both depend on a complex network of protein filaments called the cytoskeleton.  The cytoskeleton consists of three types of protein filaments: actin, microtubule, and intermediate filaments. Each filament interacts with a large number of accessory proteins. One type of accessory proteins is motor proteins, including dynein, kinesin, and myosin, that hydrolyze ATP to produce force and directed movement. I am particularly interested in myosins, which move along actin filaments.

My current research focuses on class V unconventional myosin, one of the most ancient members of the myosin superfamily, which is distributed from low eukaryotes, such as yeast, to high eukaryotes such as mammalian cells. The goal of my research is two-fold: to understand the molecular basis of class V myosin regulation and to clarify its function in intracellular trafficking.

Office: S7-245
Phone: 508-856-6020
E-mail: Xiang-Dong.Li@umassmed.edu
Keywords: Signal Transduction, Cell Motility, Cytoskeleton

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