Exploring mechanisms that underpin regulation of the actin-myosin cytoskeleton

Dan Mulvihill undertook his PhD in the labs of Prof Iain Hagan (University of Manchester) and Prof. David Glover (University of Cambridge) studying Plo1, the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) homologue of the cell cycle kinase, Polo. After a 4-year postdoc in the lab of Prof. Jerry Hyams studying myosin actin associated motor proteins he was awarded a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship and moved to the University of Kent to continue research on these conserved molecular motors. Researchers within his lab use a variety of cross discipline approaches to elucidate how differences in the kinetic and physical properties of the actomyosin cytoskeleton, relate to its cellular properties to uncover cellular functions. In this talk he will present recent data from his lab and discuss how the complementary regulation of both myosins and the actin cytoskeleton are critical for normal cell function and survival.