Welcome to the Koleske Lab

Our long-term goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which growth factor and adhesion receptors regulate cell shape, structural stability, and movement. We have identified a set of adhesion and growth factor receptors, kinases, scaffolding proteins, and cytoskeletal modulators as key regulators of these processes. We strive to define the biochemical mechanisms by which extracellular cues direct this group of proteins to control cytoskeletal structure and dynamics and how this impacts cell structure, stability, and movement. We are applying the principles uncovered and strategies we have developed to understand how cancer cells escape the tumor and invade surrounding tissue and how fibroblasts migrate on adhesive substrates. In major new initiatives, we will discover how neuronal circuits maintain stability in the adolescent mouse brain, and work to understand how stress and psychostimulant abuse disrupt neuronal structure and connectivity. We hope to translate our discoveries into improved therapies to treat breast cancer, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neurodegenerative disease.