Andrew Kennard
@askennard.bsky.social
Postdoc at UMass Amherst (Fritz-Laylin lab). Cell biologist and biophysicist studying evolutionary cell biology of the microtubule cytoskeleton. PhD Stanford (Biophysics, Julie Theriot lab).
https://andrewkennard.github.io
https://andrewkennard.github.io
Amazing expansion microscopy of centrioles in an early-diverging fungi! Congrats to @alexandralong.bsky.social and her colleagues on this terrific work
January 4, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Amazing expansion microscopy of centrioles in an early-diverging fungi! Congrats to @alexandralong.bsky.social and her colleagues on this terrific work
If this is true, then we might expect to see a similar conservation pattern across species that have lost flagella. Sure enough, we find that tubulins from species that have lost flagella tend to have more divergent lumenal surfaces! (11/14)
December 18, 2024 at 8:36 PM
If this is true, then we might expect to see a similar conservation pattern across species that have lost flagella. Sure enough, we find that tubulins from species that have lost flagella tend to have more divergent lumenal surfaces! (11/14)
We wondered if these distinct sets of regulators could explain the asymmetric evolution of mitotic and flagellar tubulins. By looking at the conservation of mitotic and flagellar tubulin residues, we found that mitotic tubulins were more divergent on the side facing the microtubule lumen! (9/14)
December 18, 2024 at 8:36 PM
We wondered if these distinct sets of regulators could explain the asymmetric evolution of mitotic and flagellar tubulins. By looking at the conservation of mitotic and flagellar tubulin residues, we found that mitotic tubulins were more divergent on the side facing the microtubule lumen! (9/14)
Using RNA-Seq of dividing or differentiating cells, we found that the majority of microtubule regulators are indeed upregulated in only one process, suggesting that they could have become specialized for function in a single network. (8/14)
December 18, 2024 at 8:36 PM
Using RNA-Seq of dividing or differentiating cells, we found that the majority of microtubule regulators are indeed upregulated in only one process, suggesting that they could have become specialized for function in a single network. (8/14)
1) Naegleria can switch from crawling amoeba to swimming flagellate in 90 min, building basal bodies and flagella de novo!
2) Naegleria builds mitotic spindles and flagella with different tubulins. So Naegleria makes temporally, functionally, and genetically distinct microtubule networks. (6/14)
2) Naegleria builds mitotic spindles and flagella with different tubulins. So Naegleria makes temporally, functionally, and genetically distinct microtubule networks. (6/14)
December 18, 2024 at 8:36 PM
1) Naegleria can switch from crawling amoeba to swimming flagellate in 90 min, building basal bodies and flagella de novo!
2) Naegleria builds mitotic spindles and flagella with different tubulins. So Naegleria makes temporally, functionally, and genetically distinct microtubule networks. (6/14)
2) Naegleria builds mitotic spindles and flagella with different tubulins. So Naegleria makes temporally, functionally, and genetically distinct microtubule networks. (6/14)
With the right choice of model organism, we discovered a deep connection between these modes of cytoskeletal diversification.
Our star is Naegleria gruberi, an amoeba separated from us by about 1.5 billion years of evolution. Naegleria is a fantastic model for microtubule regulation: (5/14)
Our star is Naegleria gruberi, an amoeba separated from us by about 1.5 billion years of evolution. Naegleria is a fantastic model for microtubule regulation: (5/14)
December 18, 2024 at 8:36 PM
With the right choice of model organism, we discovered a deep connection between these modes of cytoskeletal diversification.
Our star is Naegleria gruberi, an amoeba separated from us by about 1.5 billion years of evolution. Naegleria is a fantastic model for microtubule regulation: (5/14)
Our star is Naegleria gruberi, an amoeba separated from us by about 1.5 billion years of evolution. Naegleria is a fantastic model for microtubule regulation: (5/14)
One way to generate distinct cytoskeletal networks is by using distinct sets of regulators. We catalogued microtubule regulators across 20 species, and found widely varying degrees of conservation. (We hope this catalogue will be useful for future comparative genomics of the cytoskeleton!) (3/14)
December 18, 2024 at 8:36 PM
One way to generate distinct cytoskeletal networks is by using distinct sets of regulators. We catalogued microtubule regulators across 20 species, and found widely varying degrees of conservation. (We hope this catalogue will be useful for future comparative genomics of the cytoskeleton!) (3/14)
So proud that my fantastic undergraduate mentee Emily Larkin will be giving her first-ever talk at #cellbio2024 TOMORROW! 8:55am in the Highlighting Excellence subgroup (room 31B). She will share the first-ever glimpse of kinetochores in our favorite amoeba, Naegleria gruberi!
December 17, 2024 at 4:05 AM
So proud that my fantastic undergraduate mentee Emily Larkin will be giving her first-ever talk at #cellbio2024 TOMORROW! 8:55am in the Highlighting Excellence subgroup (room 31B). She will share the first-ever glimpse of kinetochores in our favorite amoeba, Naegleria gruberi!