Faculty Research: Scott Crawley
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Associate Professor Office: WO3235 M.S., Ph.D. Queen's University Publications |
Research
The research in our lab focuses on how epithelial cells found throughout the human body remodel their actin cytoskeleton during differentiation to attain their specific cellular shapes. As a model system, we look at how the epithelial cells of the human gut remodel their surface to form a structure known as the "brush border". The brush border is a tightly packed collection of apical microvilli; small membrane protrusions that are supported by the actin cytoskeleton. These apical microvilli are in direct contact with the luminal contents of the intestine and are responsible for all the nutrient absorption that occurs in our digestive tract.
Specifically, we are interested in:
(1) Understanding the fundamental mechanisms that underlie brush border assembly,
with particular regard to identifying the proteins and signaling pathways that control
it.
(2) How defects in these proteins and pathways cause human disease.
Students in the lab receive hands-on training in diverse areas including molecular biology, protein biochemistry and enzymology, structural biology and high-resolution fluorescence and electron microscopy.