Mcmurray Lab
Principal Investigator: Michael A Mcmurray
Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz (Aurora, CO)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
PROJECT SUMMARY Most cellular functions are carried out by multisubunit protein complexes. Transcribe and translate as much as you want, but odds are if your protein doesn’t assemble properly with other proteins, the gene might as well be off. As the final step in expression of most genes, protein complex assembly is hugely understudied, and it has only recently become clear that the textbook model of diffusion-limited collisions between individual molecules is inadequate. Septin proteins are found as cytoskeletal filaments in many eukaryotic cells and participate in a wide variety of cellular functions. The building blocks of septin filaments are rod-shaped septin complexes composed of distinct septin subunits. Multiple septins “compete” to occupy the same position in, and confer specialized properties to, septin complexes, but it is not fully understood how specific subunits are “chosen” to assemble the functionally appropriate complexes. How individual septins occupy specific positions within complexes is one of the oldest questions in septin biology. Disease-causing septin mutations highlight the importance of answering this question. Our lab is among the leaders in this field…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R35GM148198-04: Mechanisms of septin assembly that shape cellular function (2026)
- 3R35GM148198-04S1: Mechanisms of septin assembly that shape cellular function (2026)
- 3R35GM148198-03S1: Mechanisms of septin assembly that shape cellular function (2025)
- 5R35GM148198-03: Mechanisms of septin assembly that shape cellular function (2025)
- 3R35GM148198-02S1: Step-wise order of assembly of histone proteins into nucleosomes in living cells (2024)
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