Cell division is essential for growth and replenishment of tissues and organs and to achieve this renewal, the human body has nearly a billion cell division events underway at every moment in time.  However, no cellular process is 100% efficient, and cell division failure is deleterious, leading to tumorigenesis.  We apply a range of genetic, molecular, chemical, biochemical, biophysical, and engineering methods to discover new factors involved in cytokinesis and to learn how they contribute to the process.  By combining these approaches, we are developing a sophisticated understanding of how myosin-II motor proteins and actin crosslinking proteins govern cell shape changes.  We are also identifying the pathways that regulate these factors, controlling cellular contractility.

Recently, we discovered a novel mechanosensory system that allows dividing cells to sense shape perturbations so that the cells can correct the disturbance and complete cytokinesis normally. Mechanosensing is fundamental to a wide variety of cellular processes critical to healthy and pathological states. Tumor cells can grow in the absence of surface attachment, a feature that classically defines cellular transformation, indicating that changes in mechanotransduction are an important part of cancer progression. Bone remodeling, blood pressure regulation, and hearing are all examples of normal processes that depend on mechanosensing.  Yet, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of mechanosensing are not well understood in any system.  Using molecular genetics in combination with micromechanical approaches, we are discerning the contributions from molecular motors, microtubule network, actin-associated proteins, and signaling proteins to mechanosensing during cell division.

Selected Publications

Lee S., Shen Z., Robinson D.N., Briggs S., and Firtel R.A. Involvement of the cytoskeleton in controlling leading edge function during chemotaxis. Mol. Biol. Cell 2010; In press.

Xiong Y., Kabacoff C., Franca-Koh J., Devreotes P.N., Robinson D.N. and Iglesias P.A. Automated characterization of cell shape changes during amoeboid motility. BMC Systems Biology 2010; 4:33.

Luo T. and Robinson D.N. The role of the actin cytoskeleton in mechanosensation. Kamkin & Kiseleva eds. Mechanosensitivity in Cells and Tissues 4: Mechanosensitivity and Mechanotransduction, 2010; Springer-Verlag, New York. In press.

Ren Y., Effler J.C., Norstrom M., Luo T., Firtel R.A., Iglesias P.A., Rock, R.S. and Robinson D.N. Mechanosensing through cooperative interactions between myosin-II and the actin crosslinker cortexillin-I. Curr. Biol. 2009; 19(17): 1421-1428.

Tikhonenko I. Nag D.K. Robinson D.N., Koonce M.P. A novel role for a central motor kinesin in connecting the nucleus and MTOC. Euk. Cell 2009; 8(5): 723-731.

Kee Y.S. and Robinson D.N. Motor proteins: Myosin mechanosensors. Curr. Biol. 2008; 18(18): r860-r862

Yang L., Effler J.C., Kutscher B.L., Sullivan S.P., Robinson D.N. and Iglesias P.A. Modeling cellular deformations using the level set formalism. BMC Systems Biology 2008; 2:68

Reichl E.M., Ren Y., Morphew M.K., Delannoy M., Effler J.C., Girard K.D., Divi S., Iglesias P.A., Kuo S.C. and Robinson D.N. Interactions between myosin and actin crosslinkers control cytokinesis contractility dynamics and mechanics. Curr. Biol. 2008; 18(7) 471-480.  (Cover article)

Kabacoff C., Xiong Y., Musib R., Reichl E.M., Kim J., Iglesias P.A., Robinson D.N. Dynacortin facilitates polarization of chemotaxing cells. BMC Biol. 2007; 5:53.

LeDuc, P.R. and Robinson D.N. Using lessons from cellular and molecular structures for future materials. Adv. Mat. 2007; 19(22): 3761-3770. (Invited Review)

Reichl E.M. and Robinson D.N. Putting the brakes on cytokinesis with alpha-actinin. Dev. Cell 2007; 13: 460-462. (Invited Preview)

Effler J.C., Iglesias P.A., and Robinson D.N. A mechanosensory system controls cell shape during mitosis. Cell Cycle 2007; 6(1): 30-35. (Invited Review-Extra Perspective)

Octtaviani E., Effler J.C., and Robinson D.N. Enlazin, a natural fusion of two classes of canonical cytoskeletal proteins, contributes to cytokinesis dynamics. Mol. Biol. Cell. 2006; 17(12): 5275-5286.

Effler J.C., Kee S., Berk J.M., Tran M.N., Iglesias P.A., and Robinson D.N. Mitosis-specific mechanosensing and contractile protein redistribution control cell shape. Curr. Biol. 2006; 16(19): 1962-1967.
 
Girard K.D., Kuo S.C., and Robinson D.N. Dictyostelium myosin-II mechanochemistry promotes active behavior of the cortex on long time-scales. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2006; 103(7): 2103-2108.

Effler J.C., Iglesias P.A., and Robinson D.N. Regulating cell shape during cytokinesis. In B.A. Francis and J.C. Willems, eds, Control of Uncertain Systems: Modelling, Approximation and Design, 2006; pp. 203-224. Springer-Verlag, New York. (Invited Book Chapter)

Zhang W. and Robinson D.N. Balance of actively generated contractile and resistive forces controls cytokinesis dynamics. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2005; 102(20): 7186-7191.
 
Reichl E.M., Effler J.C., and Robinson D.N. Stress and strain of cytokinesis. Trends Cell Biol. 2005; 15(4): 200-206. (Invited Review)(Cover article)

Robinson D.N. and Spudich J.A. Mechanics and regulation of cytokinesis. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 2004; 16(2):182-188. (Invited Review) 

Girard K.D., Chaney C., Delannoy M., Kuo S.C., and Robinson D.N. Dynacortin contributes to cortical viscoelasticity and helps determine the shape changes of cytokinesis.  EMBO J. 2004; 23(7): 1536-1546.

Robinson D.N., Girard K.D., Octtaviani E., and Reichl E.M. Dictyostelium cytokinesis: From molecules to mechanics. J. Musc. Res. Cell Motil. 2002; 23(7-8): 719-727. (Invited Review)