The aim of my research is to gain a stronger understanding of how the cytoskeleton is regulated during dynamic events such as cytokinesis and cell shape change (morphogenesis). This includes an in depth molecular analysis of anillin, a conserved actin and myosin binding protein that is a key component of the contractile ring required for cytokinesis. A future goal will be the identification of novel regulators of actin-myosin assembly and contraction in nonmuscle cells. This work is being done on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and in mammalian cells.
