Carolyn Moores

Professor of Structural Biology

c.moores@mail.cryst.bbk.ac.uk

Based at Birkbeck

Personal Website

Regulatory mechanisms of the microtubule cytoskeleton in health and disease

The microtubule cytoskeleton is essential for many cellular processes including cell division, motility, definition of cell architecture and differentiation. Our research is focused on understanding microtubule organisation and dynamics, and how microtubules contribute to the life and health of the cell. Microtubule regulation and organization is adapted to different functional contexts by a plethora of proteins. We use a combination of biochemistry, biophysics and structural biology, using cryo-electron microscopy, to elucidate the mechanisms by which kinesin motors and microtubule associated proteins interact with and regulate microtubules.

Selected publications

Conserved mechanisms of microtubule-stimulated ADP release, ATP binding and force generation in transport kinesins
Atherton, J., Farabella, I., Yu, I.M., Rosenfeld, S.S., Houdusse, A., Topf, M., Moores, C.A.
Elife (2014) 3:e03680
 
EBs recognize a nucleotide-dependent structural cap at growing microtubule ends
Maurer, S.P., Fourniol, F.J., Bohner, G., Moores, C.A., Surrey, T.
Cell (2012) 149 (2):371-382
 
Template-free 13-protofilament microtubule-MAP assembly visualized at 8 Å resolution
Fourniol, F.J., Sindelar, C.V., Amigues, B., Clare, D.K., Perderiset, M., Francis, F., Houdusse, A., Moores, C.A.
Journal of Cell Biology (2010) 191 (3):463-470