Jonathan Jones
Title: Professor
Research area: Cell Adhesion and the Cytoskeleton
Degree: Ph.D., University of St. Andrews, Scotland
Voice: 312.503.1412
Fax: 312.503.6475
e-mail: j-jones3@northwestern.edu

Detailed research description:
Communication between cells and the environment is essential for development, homeostasis and repair of tissues. Our research in this area focuses on the interaction between epithelial cells and the extracellular matrix, particularly the role that laminin family members play in regulating the behavior of skin and lung cells.

 

One of our funded projects involves studying how cell surface receptors of the integrin family determine the precise pattern of deposition and assembly of laminin matrix. This matrix is key to the regulation of specific motile behavior patterns of keratinocytes and, thus, our studies have implications for skin wound healing and cancer. Our analyses involve molecular genetics, dissection of signaling cascades and live cell imaging. Indeed, we have pioneered the visualization of laminin matrix assembly by live cells.

 

In a second project, undertaken in collaboration with colleagues from the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, we have uncovered novel functions for laminin matrix in the transduction of mechanosignals in the alveolar epithelial compartment of the lung. We are currently working on how laminin regulates alveolar epithelial cell differentiation and how genetic manipulation of signaling pathways in alveolar epithelial cells impacts lung function in vivo.

Representative publications:           

Sehgal, B.U., Debiase, P., Matzno, S., Chew, T-L., Claiborne, J.N., Hopkinson, S.B., Russell, A., Marinkovich, P.M., and Jones, J.C.R. (2006). Integrin b4 regulates migratory behavior of keratinocytes by determining laminin-332 (laminin-5) matrix organization. J. Biol. Chem. 281:35487-35498.

 

Sugawara, K., Tsuruta, D., Kobayashi, H., Ikeda, K. Hopkinson, S.B., Jones, J.C.R. and Ishii, M. (2007). Spatial and temporal control of laminin-5 (332) and -10 (511) expression during the induction of anagen hair growth: Evidence for laminin-mediated regulation of hair elongation. J. Histo. Cytochem. 55: 43-55.

 

Werner, M.E., Chen, F., Moyano, J.V., Yehiely, F., Jones, J.C.R. and Cryns, V.L. (2007). Caspase proteolysis of the integrin b4  subunit disrupts hemidesmosome assembly, promotes apoptosis, and inhibits cell migration. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 5560 - 5569.

 

Li, Y., Lin, X., Kilani, R.T., Jones, J.C. and Ghahary, A.(2007). 14-3-3 sigma isoform interacts with the cytoplasmic domain of the transmembrane BP180 in keratinocytes. J. Cell Physiol. In Press.

 

Kligys, K., Claiborne, J.N., DeBiase, P., Hopkinson, S.B., Mizuno, K. and Jones, J.C.R. The Slingshot family of phosphatases mediates Rac1 regulation of cofilin phosphorylation, laminin-332 organization and motility behavior of keratinocytes. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 32520-32528. PMID: 17848544

 

Hopkinson, S.B., DeBiase, P.J., Kligys, K., Hamill, K. and Jones, J.C.R. (2008). Fluorescently tagged laminin subunits facilitate analyses of the properties, assembly and processing of laminins in live and fixed lung epithelial cells and keratinocytes. Matrix Biol. 27: 640-647. PMID: 18617003

 

Gonzalez, A., Clairborne, J.N. and Jones, J.C.R. (2008). Integrin crosstalk in endothelial cells is regulated by protein kinase A and protein phosphatase 1. J. Biol. Chem. 283: 31849-31860. PMID: 18806263

 

Budinger, G.R.S., Urich, D., DeBiase, P.J., Chiarella, S., Burgess, Z., Baker, C., Soberanes, S., Mutlu, G.M. and Jones, J.C.R. (2008). Stretch induced activation of AMP kinase in the lung requires dystroglycan. Am. J. Resp. Cell Mol. Biol. 39: 666-672. PMID: 18556591

 

Bhattacharya, R., Gonzalez, A., DeBiase, P.J., Goldman, R.D., Flitney, F.W. and Jones, J.C.R. (2009). Recruitment of vimentin to the cell surface by b3 integrin and plectin mediates adhesion strength. J. Cell Sci. 122: 1390-1400.  PMID: 19366731

 

Kligys, K., Yun, J., Yu, D. and Jones, J.C.R. (2009). 14-3-3 / heterodimers regulate Slingshot activity in migrating keratinocytes. Biochem. Biophys Res. Comm. 383: 450-454. PMID: 19371722

 

Hamill, K.J., Hopkinson, S.B., DeBiase, P. and Jones, J.C.R. (2009). BPAG1e maintains keratinocyte polarity through 4 integrin-mediated modulation of Rac 1 and cofilin activities. Mol. Biol. Cell., 20: 2954-2962. PMID: 19403692

 

Hamill, KJ., Langbein, L., Jones, J.C.R. and McLean, W.H.I.  (2009). Identification of a novel family of laminin N-terminal alternate splice isoforms: structural and functional characterization. J. Biol. Chem., in press.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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