Jennifer S. Tirnauer, M.D.
 Investigator,
Center for Molecular Medicine
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Email:
tirnauer@uchc.edu
Phone: 860-679-3728
Fax: 860-679-7639
Research Interests
Microtubules are one of the major organizing structures
in the cell. They give cells their shape, help them move,
and serve as tracks for transport of organelles towards or
away from the nucleus. During cell division, microtubules
form the mitotic spindle, responsible for accurate
chromosome segregation. Abnormalities of microtubule
organization can lead to the aberrant mitoses that are a
major hallmark of cancer. Aneuploidy resulting from
microtubule defects is also an important cause of
infertility. Several potent drugs that disrupt microtubules
are used clinically -- Taxol is a well known example. These
drugs are extremely effective in blocking mitosis, in cancer
cells, as well as in disorders of cell proliferation such as
autoimmune disease and coronary artery hypertrophy after
stent placement. What we need now is a better understanding
of the mechanisms of microtubule disruption in cancer, and
better drugs that are more specific for mitotic
microtubules.
My lab studies microtubules in two ways. First, I am
interested in understanding how microtubules are regulated
on a molecular level, and how microtubule regulatory
proteins are controlled in different cell types. A second
goal is to understand how abnormalities in microtubule
regulation lead to errors in cell division, including cancer
and aneuploidy. Specifically, I would like to know when
microtubule defects occur during cancer progression and
whether particular microtubule defects correlate with cancer
development, aggressiveness, and response to treatment. I
emphasize live cell imaging as a means to better understand
what is happening in real time. I focus on proteins that
bind to the plus ends of microtubules, both for their
potential role as regulators of microtubule behavior, and as
tools to highlight the dynamic microtubule end. EB1 is an
especially interesting protein of this class, because it is
highly conserved, it interacts with the colon cancer tumor
suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), and it targets
to kinetochores, where the microtubules attach to the
chromosomes, in a unique pattern. I am studying how EB1
interacts with microtubules and using EB1 as a tool to
monitor microtubule polymerization and organization in
different cell types.
Postdoctoral Position Available:
A postdoctoral position is available to study in this
laboratory. Contact Dr. Tirnauer for additional details.
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