1991-94: BSc Microbiology, University of Sheffield, UK 1994-98: DPhil Biochemistry, University of Oxford, UK 1998-2001: HF Long-term Fellow, Harvard Univ, USA 2001-05: Post-doctoral Fellow, Yale University, USA 2006-present: Assistant Professor, UVM

Research Interests

The long-term goal of our research is to determine how myosin motors function in cytokinesis, a complex event that ensures the physical separation of dividing cells at the end of the cell cycle. Our lab is focused on the function and regulation of conventional myosin (myosin-II), the motor that together with actin filaments forms the contractile ring. This highly dynamic actomyosin structure, along with many associated factors powers constriction at the cell division site. Myosin-II plays an essential role in a large variety of fundamental cellular processes, often exhibiting more specialized roles depending on cell-type. We employ both budding and fission yeast as our model systems. Fission yeast is an especially attractive model since it not only offers the advantages of robust and well-established molecular genetics and cell biology, but it also provides a unique and convenient setting in which the only known role for myosin-II lies in cytokinesis. Information obtained on fission yeast myosin-II function will provide answers at the molecular level as to how the myosin-II motor is designed for cytokinesis. Investigations in the laboratory utilize a wide range of techniques including molecular biology, yeast genetics, cell biology, biochemistry and biophysics.

Key proteins involved in contractile ring assembly in fission yeast.

Assembly and constriction of GFP-myosin-II in the contractile ring during fission yeast cytokinesis.

Selected Publications

Lord, M., Laves, E., and Pollard, T. D. 2005. Cytokinesis depends on the motor domains of myosin-II in fission yeast but not in budding yeast. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 16, 5346-5355.

Lord, M. and Pollard, T. D. 2004. UCS protein Rng3p activates actin filament gliding by fission yeast myosin-II. Journal of Cell Biology, 167, 315-325.

Lord, M., Chen, T., Fujita, A. and Chant, J. 2002. Analysis of budding patterns. Methods in Enzymology, 350, 131-141.

Lord, M., Inose, F., Hiroko, T., Hata, T., Fujita, A. and Chant, J. 2002. Subcellular localization of the cell-type specific regulator of polarity, Axl1. Current Biology, 12, 1347-1352.

Lord, M., Yang, M., Mischke, M. and Chant, J. 2000. Cell cycle programs of gene expression control morphogenetic protein localization. Journal of Cell Biology, 151, 1501-1512.