The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) and its research journal, Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC), Paper of the Year Award recognizes the outstanding scientific achievements of early career researchers.
For their exceptional contributions to the field of cell biology, this year’s MBoC Paper of the Year Award went to Geisel School of Medicine researchers Gregory J. Schwarz and Jennifer Landino for their paper “Membrane Composition-Dependent Patterning of Rho and F-actin in an Artificial Cell Cortex”.
Using a biochemical reconstitution system to engineer the cell cortex in a test tube, the Landino Lab tested how modifying the membrane composition altered pattern dynamics. The researchers found that different membrane compositions supported distinct protein patterns and dynamics, suggesting that the plasma membrane is not just a passive player in this process but an active participant in regulating protein signaling during cell division.
Landino, an assistant professor of biochemistry and cell biology, investigates how cells organize themselves to divide. Schwarz, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Landino Lab, is the lead author with Landino as corresponding author.
“The award is selected by the MBoC Editorial Board, which means that our work was selected for its scientific achievements by some of the field's leading cell biologists,” Landino says
Her lab is interested in the cell cortex, the outermost layer of animal cells, which is dynamically patterned during essential cell functions like cell division. While the protein signaling that drives cortex patterning has been defined, the relationship between cortex proteins and the adjacent plasma membrane of the cell was not understood.
“We study how healthy cells function to better understand what goes wrong during disease,” Landino explains. The signaling pathway that drives the cell cortex patterns is important for cell division, which is essential for all life. In humans, accurate cell division is required for growth and for maintaining healthy tissues. Incorrect cell division can lead to diseases like cancer.
“This is our lab's first peer-reviewed research article, so it is very meaningful to have our work recognized. It validates the creativity and scientific rigor of our experimental approach and our research team.
“We also received support from the Ragusa Lab (Chemistry) to complete the revision experiments, so the collaborative environment at Dartmouth was critical for the success of this work,” she adds.
Landino says they are looking forward “to building upon our findings in this paper, using mathematical modeling and new experimental methods to dig deeper into the molecular mechanisms, and to further understand how cells organize themselves.”
According to the MBoC, the Paper of the Year and other award-winning research “celebrates the creativity, rigor, and impact of graduate students and postdocs whose research advances our understanding of cell biology … highlighting the breadth and innovation of today’s cell biology community.”