by Heidi Hehnly in Lab Fun, News
We would like to thank the organizers for hosting a great event! Nikhila and Deba did an excellent job delivering flash talks, and Yan and Deba’s looked awesome!
by Heidi Hehnly in Collaborative Work, Papers
Congrats to lead author and Hehnly Lab graduate student Abrar (Abbi) Aljiboury on the acceptance of her study titled “Pericentriolar matrix (PCM) integrity relies on cenexin and Polo-Like Kinase (PLK)1” at Molecular Biology of the Cell. This work was a collaborative study between Hehnly Lab post baccalaureates Amra Mujcic and Erin Curtis, undergraduates Denise Magny and Thomas Cammerino, graduate student Yiling Lan, the Blatt imaging center manager Mike Bates, Hehnly Lab manager Judy Freshour, and Biology faculty member Yasir Ahmed-Braimeh. This study examined PLK1 activity and its association with maintaining the functional and physical properties of the centrosome's pericentriolar matrix (PCM). Here, Abbi and colleagues use a multimodal approach of human cells (HeLa), zebrafish embryos, and phylogenic analysis to test the role of a PLK1 binding protein, cenexin, in regulating the PCM. Their studies identify that cenexin is required for tempering microtubule nucleation by maintaining PCM cohesion in a PLK1 dependent manner. PCM architecture in cenexin-depleted zebrafish embryos was rescued with wild-type human cenexin, but not with a C-terminal cenexin mutant (S796A) deficient in PLK1 binding. They propose a model where cenexin's C-terminus acts in a conserved manner in eukaryotes, excluding nematodes and arthropods, to sequester PLK1 that limits PCM substrate phosphorylation events required for PCM cohesion.
Cenexin is needed for PCM cohesion. (A) Metaphase HeLa cells mitotic centrosomes labeled for centrosome markers: centrin, cenexin, Cep192, Pericentrin, Cep215 and γ-tubulin (Fire LUT) and MT marker, α-tubulin (grey). Control shRNA (top) and cenexin shRNA (bottom) treated cells shown. Scale bar, 5 μm. (B-F) Representative scatter plots depicting two-dimensional areas (μm2) of centrin (B), Cep192 (C), Pericentrin (D), Cep215 (E) and γ-tubulin (F) in control and cenexin shRNA treated metaphase cells. Mean with 95% confidence intervals shown. Unpaired, two-tailed Student’s t-tests, n.s. not significant, ***p<0.001, ****p<0.0001. (G) Control shRNA (top) and cenexin shRNA (bottom) metaphase cell projection. Centrin (grey), Cep215 (magenta) and DNA (DAPI, cyan) shown. Insets magnified 3x from G’ and G”. Scale bar, 5 μm. (H) Model depicting representative centrosome protein outline from a single representative mitotic centrosome reflecting changes resulting from cenexin-loss. Mean 2-dimensional areas (μm2) ±SD are provided.
by Heidi Hehnly
It was humbling to be awarded by the Center for Academic Achievement and Student Development, which houses Higher Ed Opportunity Program, Student Support Services, McNair Scholars Program, the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, the James K. Dual-Agyeman Award for Outstanding Faculty. The award is given in recognition of outstanding faculty and staff of the Syracuse and campus community who fully embrace the mission and vision of CAASD through collaborative programming initiatives and service. Much like the individual for whom the award is named, recipients are chosen who demonstrate their commitment to the development, training, and preparation of the next generation of university scholars.
It is a pleasure to work with the next generation of scientists and I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to do so.
by Heidi Hehnly
Congrats to Denise Magny, who is receiving her B.S. today and Eric Ingram who is formally receiving his masters today at Convocation and Commencement. It’s been a pleasure having both of you in the lab. I can’t wait to see all that you do!
Left to Right: Heidi Hehnly, Eric Ingram (masters grad), and Favour Ononiwu (Hehnly Lab PhD Candidate)
Denise Magny on Left receiving her Research Achievement award. Heidi Hehnly on right.