Nathan Geething, Grad Student

I am currently carrying out two quite distinct areas of research involving the myosin motor. The first is a structural study of the actin-bound states of the myosin catalytic domain. Specifically, I am interested in obtaining high resolution structural information about the actin-myosin complex. We have overcome the primary hurdle of inhibiting actin polymerization in the presence of myosin and are now attempting to characterize and crystallize defined oligomeric complexes. The second project is directed toward understanding the function of the other end of the myosin molecule. Specifically, we intend to identify molecules that perform the function of tethering vesicular cargo to the cargo-binding tail