Steve Rogers

The cytoskeleton is a dynamic scaffolding that dictates the morphology, mechanical properties, and organization of eukaryotic cells. The Rogers lab is broadly interested in understanding how cells regulate their cytoskeletal networks to change their shape (as during cellular migration or morphogenesis) and to organize their cytoplasm (for intracellular traffic and during mitosis). The lab employs a combination of functional genomics, high-resolution imaging, and biochemistry to catalog the cellular factors that govern microtubule and actin dynamics, and to understand how these proteins work on a mechanistic level using Drosophila as a model system. Currently, projects in the lab revolve around two questions:

1. How do cells build actin-based structures?
When cells crawl during development, wound healing, or metastasis, they do so by protruding their leading edges, making adhesive contacts with the substrate, and retracting their trailing edges. The Rogers lab is studying how cells build protrusive actin-based structures, such as lamellipodia, using cultured Drosophila cells.

2. How do cells assemble the mitotic spindle and ensure correct chromosomal segregation?
Improper chromosomal segregation during cell division is an underlying cause of birth defects and may participate in the etiology of certain cancers. Understanding how the mitotic spindle assembles and partitions chromosomes is, therefore, a fundamental goal of cell biology that also has a significant impact on human health. The lab is using Drosophila cells as a system in which to identify molecules that are essential for the faithful segregation of chromosomes.

Selected publications:
Kim H, Ling SC, Rogers GC, Kural C, Selvin PR, Rogers SL, Gelfand VI. (2007) Microtubule binding by dynactin is required for microtubule organization but not cargo transport. J Cell Biol. 176:641-51.

Dean SO, Rogers SL, Stuurman N, Vale RD, Spudich JA. (2005) Distinct pathways control recruitment and maintenance of myosin II at the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:13473-8.

Mennella V, Rogers GC, Rogers SL, Buster DW, Vale RD and Sharp DJ. (2005) Functionally distinct kinesin-13 family members cooperate to regulate microtubule dynamics during interphase. Nat Cell Biol 7:235-245.

Slep KC, Rogers SL, Elliott SL, Ohkura H, Kolodziej PA and Vale RD. (2005) Structural determinants for EB1-mediated recruitment of APC and specktraplakins to the microtubule plus end. J Cell Biol 168:587-598.

Rogers SL, Wiedemann U, Hacker U and Vale RD. (2004) Drosophila RhoGEF2 associates with microtubule plus ends in an EB1-dependent manner. Curr Biol 14:1827-1833.

Rogers GC, Rogers SL, Schwimmer TA, Stubbert J, Walczak CE, Vale RD, Scholey JM and Sharp DJ. (2004) Identification and characterization of three Kin I family members in Drosophila: evidence that mitosis in this system involves the coordinated action of functionally distinct classes of Kin I motors. Nature 427:364-370.

Rogers SL, Wiedemann U, Stuurman N and Vale RD. (2003) Molecular requirements for actin-based lamella formation in Drosophila S2 cells. J Cell Biol 162:1079-1088.

Rogers SL, Rogers GC, Sharp DJ and Vale RD. (2002) Drosophila EB1 is essential for proper assembly, dynamics, and positioning of the mitotic spindle. J Cell Biol 158:873-884.




				The cytoskeleton is a dynamic scaffolding that dictates the morphology, mechanical properties, and organization of eukaryotic cells. The Rogers lab is broadly interested in understanding how cells regulate their cytoskeletal networks to change their shape (as during cellular migration or morphogenesis) and to organize their cytoplasm (for intracellular traffic and during mitosis). The lab employs a combination of functional genomics, high-resolution imaging, and biochemistry to catalog the cellular factors that govern microtubule and actin dynamics, and to understand how these proteins work on a mechanistic level using Drosophila as a model system. Currently, projects in the lab revolve around two questions: 1. How do cells build actin-based structures? When cells crawl during development, wound healing, or metastasis, they do so by protruding their leading edges, making adhesive contacts with the substrate, and retracting their trailing edges. The Rogers lab is studying how cells build protrusive actin-based structures, such as lamellipodia, using cultured Drosophila cells. 2. How do cells assemble the mitotic spindle and ensure correct chromosomal segregation? Improper chromosomal segregation during cell division is an underlying cause of birth defects and may participate in the etiology of certain cancers. Understanding how the mitotic spindle assembles and partitions chromosomes is, therefore, a fundamental goal of cell biology that also has a significant impact on human health. The lab is using Drosophila cells as a system in which to identify molecules that are essential for the faithful segregation of chromosomes. Selected publications: Kim H, Ling SC, Rogers GC, Kural C, Selvin PR, Rogers SL, Gelfand VI. (2007) Microtubule binding by dynactin is required for microtubule organization but not cargo transport. J Cell Biol. 176:641-51. Dean SO, Rogers SL, Stuurman N, Vale RD, Spudich JA. (2005) Distinct pathways control recruitment and maintenance of myosin II at the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:13473-8. Mennella V, Rogers GC, Rogers SL, Buster DW, Vale RD and Sharp DJ. (2005) Functionally distinct kinesin-13 family members cooperate to regulate microtubule dynamics during interphase. Nat Cell Biol 7:235-245. Slep KC, Rogers SL, Elliott SL, Ohkura H, Kolodziej PA and Vale RD. (2005) Structural determinants for EB1-mediated recruitment of APC and specktraplakins to the microtubule plus end. J Cell Biol 168:587-598. Rogers SL, Wiedemann U, Hacker U and Vale RD. (2004) Drosophila RhoGEF2 associates with microtubule plus ends in an EB1-dependent manner. Curr Biol 14:1827-1833. Rogers GC, Rogers SL, Schwimmer TA, Stubbert J, Walczak CE, Vale RD, Scholey JM and Sharp DJ. (2004) Identification and characterization of three Kin I family members in Drosophila: evidence that mitosis in this system involves the coordinated action of functionally distinct classes of Kin I motors. Nature 427:364-370. Rogers SL, Wiedemann U, Stuurman N and Vale RD. (2003) Molecular requirements for actin-based lamella formation in Drosophila S2 cells. J Cell Biol 162:1079-1088. Rogers SL, Rogers GC, Sharp DJ and Vale RD. (2002) Drosophila EB1 is essential for proper assembly, dynamics, and positioning of the mitotic spindle. J Cell Biol 158:873-884.


	contact information: [phone] (919) 843-7342 [email] [lab website]