research

 

Dr. Eric H. Ball

B.Sc., Alberta; Ph.D., UWO

Post-doctoral researcher, UCSD

Professor

Dept. of Biochemistry

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Medical Sciences Building, MSB 366

519-661-2111 ext 83068

ehball@uwo.ca

 

photo of Eric Ball

Regulation of cytoskeletal proteins

   My research involves the study of the structure, function, and regulation of vinculin and its cousin, metavinculin. These molecules are intracellular cytoskeletal proteins that form part of cell-cell junctions and of cellular contacts with the extracellular matrix. Vinculin is found in most cells, while metavinculin is muscle specific. Both proteins interact with several cytoskeletal and signalling proteins and change conformation to link signal transduction to structural events. Mutations in these proteins can cause hereditary diseases, notably cardiomyopathies. Vinculin is also used by some bacteria for motility during infection. My lab uses molecular methods to study vinculin structure, conformational changes, and protein interactions. Our research will lead to further understanding of vinculin and metavinculin's roles in normal cell processes, such as cell adhesion and movement, as well as in diseased states, such as cardiomyopathies.

Selected Publications

1: Arp J, Kirchhof MG, Baroja ML, Nazarian SH, Chau TA, Strathdee CA, Ball EH, Madrenas J. Regulation of T-cell activation by phosphodiesterase 4B2 requires its dynamic redistribution during immunological synapse formation. Mol Cell Biol. 2003 Nov;23(22):8042-57.

2: Miller GJ, Ball EH. Conformational change in the vinculin C-terminal depends on a critical histidine residue (His-906). J Biol Chem. 2001 Aug 3;276(31):28829-34. Epub 2001 May 29.

3: Miller GJ, Dunn SD, Ball EH. Interaction of the N- and C-terminal domains of vinculin. Characterization and mapping studies. J Biol Chem. 2001 Apr 13;276(15):11729-34. Epub 2000 Dec 21.

4: Jones DH, Ball EH, Sharpe S, Barber KR, Grant CW. Expression and membrane assembly of a transmembrane region from Neu. Biochemistry. 2000 Feb 22;39(7):1870-8.

Last updated by Lynn Weir on 10 Feb 09.