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Paul
McNeil, Ph.D.
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Professor, Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy |
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MEMBERS OF THE LABORATORY:
Anna McNeil PhD, Post-doctoral Fellow
Katsuya Miyake PhD, Research Assistant Professor
Marilyn Baker, Research Assistant
Keith Beckman, Graduate Student
Amber Cyran, Graduate
RESEARCH GOALS:
The field of cell wounding was founded in this laboratory and continues as its main focus. Presently we are attempting to understand at the cellular and molecular level how cells reseal plasma membrane disruptions. The mechanism is known to be highly dynamic: it utilizes the cell’s cytoskeletal and membrane fusion machinery. Other continuing areas of interest are in identifying sites in the mammalian body where plasma membrane disruptions occur, and in defining the biological/pathological significance of this cell injury.
APPROACHES:
A key step of resealing has been reconstituted in the test tube, allowing us to use column chromatography, gel electrophoresis, mass spectroscopy and other biochemical methods for the isolation and identification of the protein components mediating resealing. We are moreover presently developing a genetic screen that will used to more comprehensively identify its protein components. Finally, we use multi-photon and other cutting edge imaging techniques to follow resealing in living cells, allowing us to definitively test cellular and molecular hypotheses in vivo.
FUNDING: NASA
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
1. McNeil, P.L., K. Miyake and S.S. Vogel (2003) The endomembrane requirement for cell surface repair. PNAS 100: 4592-4597.
2. Bansal, D. K. Miyake, C-C. Chen, S. Groh, R. Williamson, P. L. McNeil, K. P. Campbell (2003) Defective membrane repair in dysferlin-deficient muscular dystrophy. Nature 423: 168-172.
3. Jan Cerny, Yan Feng, Anan Yu1, Katsuya Miyake, Barbara Borgonovo, Judith Klumperman, JacopoMeldolesi, Paul L. McNeil & Tomas Kirchhausen (2004) The small chemical vacuolin-1 inhibits Ca2+-dependentlysosomal exocytosis but not cell resealing. EMBO Reports 5: 883-888
4. McNeil, P.L., Steinhardt, R. and Andrews, N. (2003) Plasma membrane disruption: Prevention, repair and adaptational Mechanisms. Ann. Rev. Cell. Dev. Biol.: 19697-731.
5. McNeil, A. and McNeil, P. L. (2005). Yolk granule tethering: a role in cell resealing and identification of several protein components. J Cell Sci 118: 4701-8.
6. McNeil, P. L. and Kirchhausen, T. (2005). Opinion: An emergency response team for membrane repair. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 6: 499-505.
7. Miyake K, Tanaka T, McNeil PL (2006) Disruption-Induced Mucus Secretion: Repair and Protection. PLoS Biol 4(9): e276