Our Research

Research in our laboratory focuses on understanding the regulation of intracellular membrane trafficking by a family of chaperone-like ATPases known as AAA+ proteins. These ATPases ­ which include NSF, p97/VCP, VPS4/SKD1, and torsinA ­ play critical roles in controlling assembly and disassembly of stable protein complexes that regulate the structure and function of cellular organelles.

We use biochemical and cell biological approaches to define mechanisms underlying these proteins’ activity, delineate their role in cellular physiology, and understand their involvement in human disease. While each operates at different places in the cell, there are common themes in the reactions that they carry out and in the way that they control their respective pathways.