Research

Our current research involves cholesterol trafficking.  Cholesterol is a lipid that plays a critical role in the structure and function of eukaryotic cell membranes.  Different organelles contain different amounts of cholesterol, and this influences the properties of those membranes.  Cholesterol is so important that cells obtain this lipid in two ways: by synthesis or by diet.  Therefore, the trafficking of cholesterol inside the cell is complex and must be tightly regulated.  However, the exact routes and mechanisms of intracellular cholesterol traffic are still unclear.  By inhibiting one mechanism of cellular traffic, we surprisingly caused the redistribution of intracellular cholesterol to a different compartment.  We are currently working to identify this compartment and characterize how cholesterol gets there.  Techniques include cell culture and immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies directed against proteins that reside in specific organelles.

We are also investigating how inhibition of protein traffic in cells may affect cholesterol trafficking in Niemann-Pick C cells.  Niemann-Pick C is primarily a neurological disorder that results from a defect in cholesterol trafficking.  Although the protein responsible for the disease has been identified, its role in the cell is unclear.  It may “sense” cholesterol levels in membranes.  We are interested in finding out how NPC1, the protein involved in the disease, behaves in our system.

Students in the teaching option have the opportunity to develop labs for use in secondary schools as part of their research experience. Currently, we are developing a protein electrophoresis lab involving plants, signaling, and gene expression.

Student Research in my lab.