Welcome to the homepage of Dr. Dennis LaJeunesse!

My lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms that organize intracellular membranes and the role that these membranes have in cellular function. The major project in the lab is the functional analysis of scribbler. Scribbler is a genetic modifier of Drosophila Merlin phenotypes. Merlin is structurally related to a group membrane organizing proteins of the Ezrin, Radixin and Moesin family. However, the interaction between Merlin, a membrane associated cytoplasmic protein, and brakeless, a nuclear protein, remains enigmatic. The primary goal of this project is to assess and determine the cellular role of scribbler and its role in the organization of the plasma membrane. In this project, we will use the confocal microscope to characterize the cellular phenotypes expressed by Scribbler and to define functional regions within the Scribbler proteins.

Mitochondria are the intracellular organelle where the production of cellular energy, degradation of environmental toxins, biosynthesis of steroid hormones and initiation of apoptosis occurs. A typical cell contains between 200-2000 mitochondria. Recently it has been shown that mitochondria are a highly regulated reticular membrane network called the mitochondrion. We are interested in understanding the role that mitochondrion morphology plays in cellular function. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that organize mitochondria and how this organization relates to cellular function. We have developed a genetic screen to identify genes required for mitochondria morphology and distribution in striated visceral muscle cells of the Drosophila gut. The goal of this project is to determine the mechanisms that organize the mitochondrial morphology and to determine the role that mitochondrial organization plays in cellular function.

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