Research
Dr. Joe Haeberle's interest is in the general area of cellular motility and molecular regulation of "motor" proteins. His laboratory is currently involved in the investigation of myosin, one of the best described motor proteins. The experimental approaches utilized in his laboratory include:
- biochemical purification of regulatory proteins from both contractile tissues and in vitro expression systems (based on normal and mutated forms of DNA);
- direct visualization of contractile filament motility using ultra-sensitive video microscopy;
- physiologic measurements of the contractile properties of various cellular preparations (e.g. smooth muscle, platelets, oocytes).
The ultimate goal of these studies is to understand the cellular physiology of myosin-based motility by using the techniques of biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology to explore the molecular mechanisms by which regulatory proteins interact with, and modulate the activity of myosin.
