Dr. Paolo D’Avino has been studying the protein-protein interactions during animal cytokinesis using Drosophila and mammalian cultured cells as models. The most recent work is now at bioRxiv https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/569459v1 "The midbody interactome reveals new unexpected roles for PP1 phosphatases in cytokinesis”. He is staying from Monday to Friday this week. If you wish to talk to him, please contact Masanori (M.Mishima@warwick.ac.uk).

https://www.path.cam.ac.uk/directory/paolo-davino

The abstract: E-cadherin cell-cell adhesion is vital for maintaining the integrity of epithelial tissues. For the lifetime of a tissue, E-cadherin molecules on the cell surface connect cells to their neighbours by physically binding E-cadherin molecules on these neighbouring cells. However, despite appearing static, E-cadherin cell-cell adhesion is highly dynamic and undergoes constant remodelling. The key process in remodelling E-cadherin cell-cell adhesion is recycling, whereby the protein is internalized from the cell surface within membrane vesicles and is then transported along an intricate route of intracellular compartments. Following a sorting decision, it can be recycled back to the cell surface or degraded. The correct progression of each step of this process determines the total amount of E-cadherin present at the cell surface and thus, adhesion strength. Using Drosophila as a model system our lab is investigating the molecular mechanisms and regulation of E-cadherin trafficking and its role during the development of an organism.