BBS Program
Yale University
P.O. Box 208084
New Haven, CT 06520-8084
Tel: 203.785.3735
Fax: 203.785.3734
bbs@yale.edu
Professor of Cellular & Molecular Physiology
A.B. Harvard University 1980
M.D., Ph.D. Yale University 1987
The surface membranes of epithelial cells are divided into domains characterized by dramatically different protein compositions. Membrane proteins whose distributions are restricted to one of these domains must incorporate information that specifies their appropriate destinations. We seek to identify segments of these molecules that contribute to their sorting behaviors as well as to their physiologic properties. We have recently found that a novel class of membrane proteins, known as the tetraspanins, may play critical roles in the trafficking of a wide variety of epithelial proteins. Polycystic kidney disease is caused by mutations in genes encoding polycystin-1 and 2. We have found that polycystin-1 undergoes a proteolytic cleavage that releases its cytoplasmic C terminal tail. This fragment is transported to the nucleus, where it appears to modulate several signaling pathways. This behavior may account for the capacity of polycystin-1 to participate in communication between the cell surface and the nucleus.
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Yale School of Medicine
Last updated
5/26/08
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