National Institutes of Health 11227094

Polarized Exocytosis: Rabs, Tethers, and SNAREs

This award funds research to understand the regulation and coordination of exocytosis and cell polarity, focusing on molecular mechanisms involving Rho/Cdc42 GTPases, the exocyst, and Sro7/Tomosyn family members, with implications for diseases such as cancer and Type II diabetes.

Description

Our investigation into the fundamental mechanisms by which cells direct polarized growth is likely to be relevant to our understanding of a diverse set of human diseases including tumor development and Type II diabetes as defects in this process have been found to be associated with a number of cancers and insulin responsiveness in humans. A molecular understanding of how these highly conserved processes are carried out by a highly conserved machinery will allow development of new approaches and novel therapeutics to combat disease.

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