Shoemaker Lab
Principal Investigator: Christopher J Shoemaker
Institution: Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
Project Summary/Abstract Autophagy is a conserved lysosomal pathway that degrades and recycles damaged organelles, misfolded proteins, and other cytoplasmic components. Autophagy dysregulation contributes to numerous diseases, including neurodegeneration, cancer, and aging. Despite its importance, the molecular mechanisms governing autophagy remain poorly understood. Our recent work demonstrates that autophagy is not a singular, linear pathway. Instead, autophagy receptors recognize diverse cargos and initiate tailored mechanisms to ensure efficient cargo encapsulation and delivery to lysosomes. By reframing autophagy as a receptor-driven process regulated by weak, context-dependent interactions, we have established a new conceptual framework for selective autophagy. Building on this foundation, our goal is to define how receptor-bound cargo orchestrates the stepwise recruitment and assembly of the autophagy machinery—and how these receptor-driven interactions shape each stage of the pathway. Specifically, we will: (i) elucidate the roles of low-affinity receptor interactions both in vitro and in vivo; (ii) extend our receptor-centric model using a representative membrane-bound rec…
Active NIH Awards
- 2R35GM142644-06: Molecular mechanisms governing selective autophagy in mammalian cells (2026)
- 5R35GM142644-05: Cargo-responsive mechanisms in autophagy (2025)
- 5R35GM142644-04: Cargo-responsive mechanisms in autophagy (2024)
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