JUNNAN FANG, PhD
Assistant Professor
Physiology and Cell Biology
Academic contact
Academic information
- Department: Physiology and Cell Biology
Research interests
- Centrosomes
About
Biography
Centrosomes are microtubule-organizing centers with diverse functions directing cell division, cell polarization, and cilia formation. The deregulation of centrosomes is associated with developmental disorders, including microcephaly, dwarfism, and ciliopathy. Using multi-disciplinary approaches, we investigate how diverse centrosome function is precisely regulated. We aim to inform mechanisms underlying centrosome regulation and reveal the etiology of centrosome-associated neurodevelopmental diseases.
We are particularly interested in the following directions:
- Most centrosomal genes encode multiple mRNA isoforms, an essential mechanism that diversifies gene products. Using essential centrosome genes as models, we will investigate how isoform expression contributes to diverse centrosome functions. This research is currently supported by a NIGMS K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award.
- Investigate how mRNA regulation, mediated by various RNA binding proteins (RBPs), contributes to diverse centrosome functions.
- Investigate how centrosome deregulation contributes to neurodevelopmental diseases.
Credentials
Education
- Postdoctoral
- Emory University School of Medicine, Oxford, GA, United States
- PhD
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Beijing, China
Research
Research interests
- Centrosomes
Research Approaches
My lab uses a combination of immunofluorescence staining, in vivo live imaging, genetic engineering, biochemistry, and bioinformatic approaches in the fruit fly model and cultured mammalian cells, to dissect the regulatory mechanisms of centrosome activity during fundamental cellular processes.