Actin is responsible for many aspects of cell behavior, including cell division and movement. For the cell to function properly function, the regulation of actin filaments needs to carefully regulated at the proper locations in the cell and at the proper periods in the cell cycle. How are diverse actin structures are assembled and regulated?

Formins are important proteins responsible for the formation of numerous actin structures. In fission yeast, cdc12p is responsible for constructing the actin contractile ring in cytokinesis, while another formin, for3p produces actin cables for polarized cell growth. Relatives of these proteins, such as Bni1 and mDia, are responsible for cell division, cell polarity, cell migration, endocytosis and for the assembly of actin structures in other organisms.

Current interests in the lab are to characterize formin complexes, in order to learn more about their functions and how they are regulated in the cell. We are interested in how these formins and interacting proteins are responsible for polarized cell growth and cytokinesis (see polarity and cytokinesis sections).