Biography
Communication between cells and the environment is essential for development, homeostasis and repair of tissues. Our research in this area focuses on the interaction between epithelial cells and the extracellular matrix. Our primary goal is to define how members of the laminin family of matrix molecules and their receptors regulate the behavior of skin and lung cells in normal and diseased tissues. One of our projects involves studying cell surface receptors of the integrin family and the mechanisms via which they determine not only the precise pattern of deposition and assembly of laminin matrix in the skin but also cell polarity and motility. Our analyses involve molecular genetics, dissection of signaling cascades and live cell imaging. In a second project, we have uncovered novel functions for laminin matrix in the transduction of mechanosignals in the alveolar epithelial compartment of the lung. We are currently working on how laminin regulates alveolar epithelial cell differentiation and how genetic manipulation of signaling pathways in alveolar epithelial cells impacts normal and diseased lung function in vivo.
Representative Recent Publications:
Kligys, K., Claiborne, J.N., DeBiase, P., Hopkinson, S.B., Wu, Y., Mizuno, K. and Jones, J.C.R. (2007). The Slingshot family of phosphatases mediates Rac1 regulation of cofilin phosphorylation, laminin-332 organization and motility behavior of keratinocytes. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 32520-32528. PMID: 17848544
Hopkinson, S.B., DeBiase, P.J., Kligys, K., Hamill, K. and Jones, J.C.R. (2008). Fluorescently tagged laminin subunits facilitate analyses of the properties, assembly and processing of laminins in live and fixed lung epithelial cells and keratinocytes. Matrix Biol. 27: 640-647. PMID: 18617003
Gonzalez, A., Clairborne, J.N. and Jones, J.C.R. (2008). Integrin crosstalk in endothelial cells is regulated by protein kinase A and protein phosphatase 1. J. Biol. Chem. 283: 31849-31860. PMID: 18806263
Budinger, G.R.S., Urich, D., DeBiase, P.J., Chiarella, S., Burgess, Z., Baker, C., Soberanes, S., Mutlu, G.M. and Jones, J.C.R. (2008). Stretch induced activation of AMP kinase in the lung requires dystroglycan. Am. J. Resp. Cell Mol. Biol. 39: 666-672. PMID: 18556591
Bhattacharya, R., Gonzalez, A., DeBiase, P.J., Goldman, R.D., Flitney, F.W. and Jones, J.C.R. (2009). Recruitment of vimentin to the cell surface by beta3 integrin and plectin mediates adhesion strength. J. Cell Sci. 122: 1390-1400. PMID: 19366731
Kligys, K., Yun, J., Yu, D. and Jones, J.C.R. 14-3-3zeta/tau; heterodimers regulate Slingshot activity in migrating keratinocytes. Biochem. Biophys Res. Comm. 383: 450-454. PMID: 19371722
Hamill, J.J., Hopkinson, S.B., DeBiase, P. and Jones, J.C.R. BPAG1e maintains keratinocyte polarity through beta4 integrin-mediated modulation of Rac 1 and cofilin activities. Mol. Biol. Cell., 20: 2954-2962. PMID: 19403692 |
