Douglas Law
Teaching Specialist, CBB
Ph.D. Duke University
Office: 210 BSB
Phone: (816) 235-2568
E-mail: LawDJ
Research Areas
Organization, development and disorders of cell junctions; cytoskeleton-membrane association; cell adhesion.
Current Interests
"My research concerns the relationship between macromolecular structure and cell/tissue function, at sites of adhesion in vertebrate muscle cells. Specialized sites for such adhesion occur at the ends of skeletal and cardiac muscle cells, and are referred to as myotendinous junctions (MTJs) and intercalated discs, respectively. These cell junctions have a structural organization that is optimized for the transmission of muscular forces across the cell membrane, and are enriched in proteins that are known to function in adhesion in other cell systems. "
"Current efforts are focused on two areas. 1) We are determining the relative roles of the cytoskeletal proteins vinculin, dystrophin, utrophin, and N-RAP in mediating actin-membrane association at MTJs and intercalated discs. We approach this issue using mice, deficient in one or more of these proteins, that exhibit pathological states similar to human muscular dystrophies. 2) MTJs are also thought to be the major sites where new contractile units are assembled during increases in muscle length. We are attempting to determine the mechanism by which this longitudinal growth occurs, by studying the structural organization and molecular composition of MTJs from mouse limb muscles at various stages of peri- and postnatal growth."
