Erika Holzbaur, Ph.D. to present Dr. G. Lombard Kelly Lecture
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Erika Holzbaur, Ph.D.
Professor, Director, Pennsylvania Muscle InstitutePennsylvania Muscle InstituteMahoney Institute of Neurological SciencesOur laboratory is focused on the microtubule-based motor cytoplasmic dynein and its
activator dynactin. Dynein and dynactin are required for vesicular trafficking, mitotic
spindle assembly, and development of polarity. We are interested in mechanisms of
force production and motor function, mechanisms of cargo coupling and regulation,
effects of dynein and dynactin on dynamics of the cytoskeleton, and the analysis of
neurodegenerative diseases resulting from impairments in dynein/dynactin function.
Disruptions in dynein/dynactin function cause motor neuron degeneration and muscle
atrophy, leading to motor neuron diseases similar to ALS. Approaches in the lab include
in vitro motility assays, cellular transfection assays, live cell microscopy, and
development and characterization of transgenic mouse models for motor neuron disease
Erika Holzbaur, Ph.D.