MIPS Seminar: Intermediate filament networks form connecting links between the nucleus and the cell cortex

Robert Goldman, PhD Professor Emeritus, Cell and Developmental Biology Northwestern University

We study the structure and function of cytoskeletal and nucleoskeletal networks of Intermediate Filaments (IFs). Studies of the cytoskeletal networks involve the regulation of the assembly states and organization of vimentin intermediate filaments and their roles in a variety of physiological activities including cell shape regulation, maintenance of mechanical integrity, motility and the epithelial/mesenchymal transition (EMT). Our studies of the nucleoskeletal intermediate filaments, the nuclear lamins, are focused on their normal functions in regulating the overall organization and mechanical properties of the nucleus, as well as their altered functions in rare diseases such as Progeria. Recently we have focused on interactions among the lamins , the LINC complex, and the vimentin IF and F-actin cytoskeletal systems.