Cremo Lab

Mission

To understand how muscles generate motion and force, specifically on the structure and function of acto-myosin and proteins regulating the acto-myosin system.

Key areas of focus

  • Understanding the regulation of smooth muscle contraction.
  • Researching solution kinetics and single molecule kinetics of myosin-actin interactions.
  • Current emphasis on single molecule interactions of myosin light chain kinase with cytoskeletal proteins.

Lab team

Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Pharmacology, Christine Cremo, Ph.D., is an expert in the field of muscle proteins. The Cremo Lab seeks to understand the regulation of the smooth muscle myosin ATPase by phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain with a focus on structure-function relationships. Additionally, the lab studies the structure-function relationships of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase. This important work has high relevance to several human diseases including asthma, hypertension and gastrointestinal disorders.

  • Christine Cremo, Ph.D.: Principal Investigator

Notable research findings

  • Contributed to understanding the mechanism of regulation of smooth and non-muscle myosins by phosphorylation (structural and kinetic).
  • Discovered the role of ADP release in force maintenance, the structure of the 10S folded self-inhibited form of myosin and the kinetics of non-muscle myosin IIB.
  • Developed new therapeutics to selectively inhibit different myosin isoforms.
  • Used TIRF microscopy to visualize the mechanics of single myosin head domains during motion of myosin filaments relative to actin, and the mechanism of regulation of skeletal acto-myosin.

Equipment, technology and techniques

  • Nikon TE2000U inverted microscope with TIRF attachment and piezo-electric stage mounted on an air table
  • OptoSplit III-emission splitting device
  • TIRF 405/488 Filter set
  • Motorized TIRF unit compatible with discontinued Nikon TE2000
  • Andor DU888 1K x 1K EMCCD-high speed large field of view EMCCD-MetaMorph -Image Acquisition
  • Analysis Software-SF61 Hitech stopped-flow spectrophotometer

Active grants and research projects

  1. Mechanochemistry of Myosin II Filaments.
    • Award: R01 AR071405
    • Funding organization: National Institute of Health (NIH)