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

Link to lab Web page: www.joneslab.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:           

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  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). 14-3-3ζ/τ 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 β4 integrin-mediated modulation of Rac 1 and cofilin activities. Mol. Biol. Cell., 20: 2954-2962. PMID: 19403692

 

Hamill, K.J., 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., 284: 35588-35596. PMID: 19773554

 

Ozawa, T., Tsuruta, D., Jones, J.C.R., Ishii, M., Ikeda, K., Harada, T., Kawada, A., and Kobayash, H. (2010). Dynamic relationship of focal contacts and hemidesmosome protein complexes in live cells. J. Invest. Derm. 130:1624–1635. NIHMSID #206033

 

Eisenberg, J.L., Safi, A., Wei, X., Espinosa, H.D., Budinger, G.R.S. and Jones, J.C.R. (2011). Substrate stiffness regulates extracellular matrix deposition by alveolar epithelial cells. Res. Rep. Biol. 2: 1-12.

 

Takawira, D., Budinger G.R.S., Hopkinson, S.B. and Jones, J.C.R. (2011). A dystroglycan/plectin scaffold mediates mechanical pathway bifurcation in lung epithelial cells. J Biol. Chem. 286: 6301-6310. 

 

Hamill, K.J., Hopkinson, S.B., Jonkman, M. and Jones, J.C.R. (2011). Type XVII collagen regulates lamellipod stability, cell motility and signaling to Rac1 by targeting BPAG1e to a6b4 integrin. J. Biol. Chem. 286: 26768-26780.

 

Urich, D., Eisenberg, J.L., Hamill, K.J., Takawira, D., Chiarella, S.E., Soberanes, S., Gonzalez, A., Koentgen, F., Manghi, T., Hopkinson, S.B., Misharin, A., Perlman, H., Mutlu, G.M., Budinger, G.R.S. and Jones, J.C.R. (2011). Lung specific loss of laminin α3 confers resistance to mechanical injury. J. Cell Sci. 124:2927-2937

 

Hamill, K.J., Hopkinson, S.B., Hoover, P., Todorović, V., Green, K.J. and Jones, J.C.R. Fibronectin expression determines skin cell motile behavior. J. Invest. Derm. In press.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(click images to enlarge)