Understanding the role of the ESCRT-associated protein MITD1 in linking cytoskeleton and membrane remodelling

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The cortical cytoskeleton or cell cortex is a thin network of actin, myosin and associated proteins that lies beneath the plasma membrane in most eukaryotic cells. The way in which the cell cortex and the plasma membrane interact with each other changes in response to the environment and controls fundamental cellular processes including cell proliferation and motility. Thus, understanding in detail the molecular mechanisms that regulate the cross talk between the actin cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane is of considerable importance both in health and disease. We have recently identified the human protein, microtubule interacting and transport domain containing 1 (MITD1), as an important component of the cellular machinery that orchestrates the cytoskeleton and membrane reorganization needed to bring about cytokinetic abscission, the last step of cell division. Furthermore, our preliminary data suggest that MITD1 is part of a network of proteins that participate in several processes with a similar requirement to coordinate actin dynamics and membrane remodelling events including membrane repair and cell division. The aim of this project is to understand further how MITD1 participates in these processes. The results of this research could provide the foundation for new strategies for targeting cancer cells and rare genetic diseases.