Analysis of dynamics and protein turnover in integrin-mediated adhesion in drosphilia muscles.

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Cells in multicellular organisms are arranged in a remarkably diverse array of structures. My main scientific interest is in determining how cells come together to form complex structures and then, once formed, how such structures are maintained. I am interested in the basic cellular mechanisms that determine how cells interact with each other and with their environment. In particular I am interested in how cell adhesion is utilized during animal development. I use one type of adhesion, cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix, as a model to address fundamental question about the role of adhesion in development. Adhesion receptors of the integrin family are the core components of an adhesion complex that is important for the attachment of cells to the extracellular matrix. The disassembly and assembly of integrin adhesions is carefully regulated but it is currently not known in what ways the precise regulation of the turnover of integrin contributes to animal development. I have shown that it is possible to visualize the assembly and dynamics of integrin adhesion complexes using live imaging of tagged integrin associated proteins in embryonic muscles. I have shown that the dynamics of integrin adhesion vary during development. Many of the proteins associated with integrin adhesion are GFP-tagged and modifications in integrin-associated proteins that alter the dynamics of integrin adhesions in cell culture are now available in flies. I will carry out a systematic survey of turnover of integrin adhesion dynamics within the fly.