Roland Foisner Lab

The multiple roles of lamins in functional organization of the nucleus and in human diseases
 
Lamins are well known structural components of the nucleus in metazoans and form a scaffolding network at the nuclear envelope providing mechanical stability. There is increasing evidence for novel functions of lamins in many essential cellular processes, such as DNA replication, gene expression, chromatin organization and signaling. Mutations in genes encoding lamins and lamin binding proteins are linked to human diseases, ranging from striated muscle disorders and lipodystrophy to premature aging, but the molecular mechanisms leading to the pathologies are poorly understood. Using cell- and molecular biological approaches in tissue culture and transgenic mouse models, we aim at understanding the diverse functions of lamins at the molecular level as well as the specific affect of disease causing mutations on these functions.