How cells regulate and execute cytokinesis, the final step in cell division, remain major unsolved questions in basic biology. It has been challenging to study cytokinesis by traditional methods because it is a very rapid and dynamic process that occupies only a small portion of the cell cycle. New approaches are needed to overcome these barriers to deeper understanding, one of which is to develop probes that act rapidly and with high temporal control. We are in the process of creating a toolbox of small molecules that inhibit different proteins and pathways in cytokinesis, using technologies we developed that integrate chemical and genomic methods to target specific signaling pathways. In addition to being useful tool compounds, our small molecules may also catalyze the development of therapeutics.

A chemical approach to understanding cell division

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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