Research

Role of signaling receptors on vesicle fusion:
molecular mechanism of intracellular membrane trafficking and signaling.

Internalization of nutrients, growth factors, hormones and particles plays a critical role in regulating cell-signaling pathways. Thus, internalization of activated receptors may be either degraded as part of “attenuation”, the signaling process, or gathered as part of “activation” of receptors onto the surface of intracellular vesicles. These two intracellular events have been proposed to play an important role in regulating intracellular signaling cascades.

Research in the laboratory focuses on the unrestrained intracellular protein trafficking events that occur in cancer and diabetes diseases. Our current work centers on activators of the Rab5 small GTP-ases and their potential connection with activated Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (also knows as Signaling Receptor). We have identified a novel mechanism that integrates Rab5 activation with several Signaling Receptors and are currently examining the precise role of this novel mechanism in regulating cell surface receptor trafficking and cell signaling in normal and disease states.

Our group is investigating: (1) Molecular mechanism of Rab5-mediated endosome fusion driven by growth factors and hormones, (2) Role of Rab5 associated nucleotide exchange factors (i.e., Rin1, Rabex-5, RAP-6) in Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK)-mediated signal transduction and cell differentiation, and (3) Regulatory mechanisms that control the activity of Rab5 associated nucleotide exchange factors during phagocytosis.