Award
National Institute of General Medical Sciences 5R01GM155651-03
Cytoskeletal compartmentalization of apoptotic signaling
Recipient
University of Connecticut Storrs
Award Amount
$322,000.00
Ceiling
$322,000.00
Awarded
July 28, 2026
Identifier
5R01GM155651-03
Research project funded to study the role of actin cytoskeleton in apoptosis, focusing on actin nucleation factors and their interaction with apoptotic signaling proteins.
Description
The project investigates how the actin cytoskeleton influences programmed cell death (apoptosis) following DNA damage. It focuses on the roles of actin nucleation factors from the WASP family, such as JMY and WHAMM, in assembling a juxtanuclear F-actin-rich territory that regulates apoptotic signaling. The research aims to define interactions between apoptosome proteins and actin nucleation machinery, and to understand how caspases disrupt F-actin-rich territories to execute apoptosis.