University of Virginia
Department of Microbiology
1300 Jefferson Park Avenue
Room 2-25 Jordan Hall
Charlottesville, VA 22908
Phone: 434-924-5341 (lab)
FAX: 434-982-0689
email: awk5b@virginia.edu

Research:

One of the topics of interests in the Parsons lab is the protein cortactin. Cortactin was initially identified as a substrate to the non-receptor tyrosine kinase src. It is an actin binding protein that contains several structural domains implicating its involvement in actin cytoskeleton rearrangements and cell signaling. Although cortactin has been extensively studied, its function is still unknown. Therefore, we have tried to identify additional cortactin binding partners through the yeast two hybrid system. We have identified several putative interacting partners using the yeast based system and are presently characterizing and determining the functional significance of these interactions.

Publications:

Weaver, AM, Karginov, AV, Kinley, AW, Weed, SA, Li Y, Parsons, JT, Cooper, JA. (2001, March 6). Cortactin promotes and stabilizes Arp2/3-induced actin filament network formation. Current Biology, 11(5), 370-374.

Weed, SA, Karginov, AV, Schafer, DA, Weaver, AM, Kinley, AW, Cooper, JA, Parsons, JT. (2000, October 2). Cortactin localization to sites of actin assembly in lamellipodia requires interactions with F-actin and the Arp2/3 complex. The Journal of Cell Biology, 151(1), 29-40.