NSF Young Investigator

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This is a National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award. The goal of Dr. Henson's laboratory is to investigate the molecular mechanism of cell shape changes and microfilament and microtubule based motility in an invertebrate blood cell (the coelomocyte). Cytoskeletal associated proteins will be isolated, characterized, and localized in the cells using light and electron microscopic immunocytochemical methods. The regulation of shape changes by calcium will also be addressed. %%% This is a National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award. Dr. Henson is interested in the fundamental and important question of how cells change their shapes. Cellular shape changes are critical to cellular functions (including movement) and organismal development. Dr. Henson is currently using sea urchin coelomocytes as models for studying shape changes associated with cellular motility. These cells are analogous to white blood cells of higher animals, and their ability to change shape is critical to the ability of sea urchins to defend themselves against microbial pathogens.