Name: P T. Stukenberg

Position: Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Research Description:

Defects in chromosome segregation can generate aneuploidy, a condition that is found in almost all human tumors and is a major cause of miscarriages and birth defects. The complex process of chromosome segregation must be highly regulated to ensure fidelity and prevent aneuploidy. Many of the mitotic events are regulated by the kinetochore, a proteinaceous structure assembled on centromeric DNA that coordinates at least three mitotic functions. First, the kinetochore is the site of microtubule attachment to the mitotic spindle, which facilitates movement. Second, improper kinetochores-microtubule attachments are corrected. Third, kinetochores that are not attached to microtubules send signals to the cell cycle machinery to prevent this dissolution of cohesion, a process referred to as the spindle assembly checkpoint. This checkpoint ensures that all chromatids are attached before the onset of anaphase. How the kinetochore coordinates these various functions is a critical unanswered question.

There are three areas of research in the lab

Kinetochore structure and function 

Aurora B kinase regulation of kinetochores

Dissecting kinetochore function in vitro

Lab Memberships

Stukenberg Lab (Principal Investigator/Director)

Contact Information

Address:
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
University of Virginia Medical Center
Box 800733
1300 Jefferson Park Avenue
Charlottesville, VA
22908-0733, USA

Web Page: http://people.virginia.edu/~djb6t/LabWeb/index.htm
Phone:  434-924-5252