Laboratory of Cell Structure and Signal Integration

Scientific Overview

General Overview

Research Objectives

• Investigate the molecular biology and genetics of cell structure, with a focus on Rho signaling to the cytoskeletal remodeling machinery. 
• Establish how defects in cell architecture trigger and/or support tumorigenesis or defects in neuronal function. 
• Develop molecular tools to repair cell structure in disease and establish genetic models to validate the technology.

Diseases We Study

• Cancers: Myelodysplastic syndromes (pre-leukemia); uterine, colon, and prostate (epithelial) cancers
• Neurodegenerative Disease: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)

Alberts, A., and M. Way. 2011. Actin Motility: Formin a SCAry Tail. Curr Biol 21(1): R27-R30.  PubMed    Article  

Thomas, S.G., S.D. Calaminus, L.M. Machesky, A.S. Alberts, and S.P. Watson. 2011. G-protein coupled and ITAM receptor regulation of the formin FHOD1 through Rho Kinase in platelets. J Thromb Haemost. Published online before print, May 23, 2011.   PubMed    Article  

Alberts, A.S. 2010. Formins: dangling plot threads in a multi-act performance. Biochim Biophys Acta 1803(2): 151.  PubMed    Article  

Deward, A.D., K.M. Eisenmann, S.F. Matheson, and A.S. Alberts. 2010. The role of formins in human disease. Biochim Biophys Acta 1803(2): 226–233.  PubMed    Article  

DeWard, A.D., and A.S. Alberts. 2009. Ubiquitin-mediated degradation of the formin mDia2 upon completion of cell division. J Biol Chem 284(30): 20061-20069.  PubMed    Article  

DeWard, A.D., K. Leali, R. West, G.C. Prendergast, and A.S. Alberts. 2009. Loss of RhoB Expression Enhances the Myelodysplastic Phenotype of mammalian Diaphanous-related Formin mDia1 Knockout Mice. PLoS One 4(9): e7102.  PubMed    Article  

Eisenmann, K.M., K.J. Dykema, S.F. Matheson, N.F. Kent, A.D. DeWard, R.A. West, K.A. Furge, and A.S. Alberts. 2009. 5q- Myelodysplastic syndromes: chromosome 5q genes direct a tumor suppression network sensing actin dynamics. Oncogene 28(39): 3429-3441.  PubMed    Article  

Deward, A.D., and A.S. Alberts. 2008. Microtubule stabilization: formins assert their independence. Curr Biol 18(14): R605-R608.  PubMed    Article  

Eisenmann, K.M., E.S. Harris, S.M. Kitchen, H.A. Holman, H.N. Higgs, and A.S. Alberts. 2007. Dia-interacting protein modulates formin-mediated actin assembly at the cell cortex. Curr Biol 17(7): 579-591.  PubMed    Article  

Gupton, S.L., K. Eisenmann, A.S. Alberts, and C.M. Waterman-Storer. 2007. mDia2 regulates actin and focal adhesion dynamics and organization in the lamella for efficient epithelial cell migration. J Cell Sci. 120(Pt 19): 3475-3487.  PubMed    Article  

Kamasani, U., J.B. DuHadaway, A.S. Alberts, and G.C. Prendergast. 2007. mDia function is critical for the cell suicide program triggered by farnesyl transferase inhibition. Cancer Biol Therapy 6(9): 1422–1427.  PubMed    Article  

Peng, J., S.M. Kitchen, R.A. West, R. Sigler, K.M. Eisenmann, and A.S. Alberts. 2007. Myeloproliferative defects following targeting of the Drf1 gene encoding the mammalian Diaphanous–related formin mDia1. Cancer Res 67(16): 7565-7571.  PubMed    Article    Featured in Nature  

Wallar, B.J., A.D. DeWard, J.H. Resau, and A.S. Alberts. 2007. RhoB and the mammalian Diaphanous-related formin mDia2 in endosome trafficking. Exp Cell Res 313(3): 560-571.  PubMed    Article  

Wallar, B.J., B.N. Stropich, J.A. Schoenherr, H.A. Holman, S.M. Kitchen, and A.S. Alberts. 2006. The basic region of the diaphanous-autoregulatory domain (DAD) is required for autoregulatory interactions with the Diaphanous-related formin inhibitory domain. J Biol Chem 281(7): 4300–4307.  PubMed    Article  

Colucci-Guyon, E., F. Niedergang, B.J. Wallar, J. Peng, A.S. Alberts, and P. Chavrier. 2005. A role for mammalian diaphanous-related formins in complement receptor (CR3)-mediated phagocytosis in macrophages. Curr Biol. 15(22): 2007-2012.  PubMed    Article  

Wen, Y., C.H. Eng, J. Schmoranzer, N. Cabrera-Poch, E.J. Morris, M. Chen, B.J. Wallar, A.S. Alberts, and G.G. Gundersen. 2004. EB1 and APC bind to mDia to stabilize microtubules downstream of Rho and promote cell migration. Nat Cell Biol 6(9): 820–830.  PubMed    Article  

Peng, J., B.J. Wallar, A. Flanders, P.J. Swiatek, and A.S. Alberts. 2003. Disruption of the Diaphanous-related formin Drf1 gene encoding mDia1 reveals a role for Drf3 as an effector for Cdc42. Curr Biol 13(7): 534-545.  PubMed    Article    Featured in Current Biology  

Wallar, B.J., and A.S. Alberts. 2003. The formins: active scaffolds that remodel the cytoskeleton. Trends Cell Biol 13(8): 435-446.  PubMed    Article