Research

Atkinson, Mark A.L., D.Phil.

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Contact: mark.atkinson@uthct.edu

Director of Research

Education:
B.A. (Hons) Biochemistry, 1975, Oxford University
M.A. Microbiology, 1978, Oxford University
D.Phil. Physiological Sciences, 1982, Oxford University

Research Interest:
The Cytoskeleton.

Current Projects:
Dr. Atkinson is involved in a number of collaborative projects with other faculty at UTHSCT including Drs. Rao, Pangburn and Starcher.

Lay Summary:
Throughout my career I have been interested in the cytoskeleton, a group of proteins which form a complex network or skeleton that gives a cell its shape. These proteins are present in virtually all cells from animals to bacteria. In addition to their structural role they also serve a wide variety of other purposes. They are the tracks along which motor molecules move cargoes of other molecules within the cell, they allow our immune defense cells to move out of the blood and through the tissue to fight infectious organisms, they provide the force that allows muscles to contract, they are the basis of the muco-cillary escalator that clears our lungs of respired particles, they separate the chromosomes and divide a cell into two during cell division and they even form the structures that allow us to hear. We are working to understand how these molecules are assembled to form the skeleton and how they interact with other molecules in such processes as cell movement and cell division.

Research Overview:
Currently my primary focus is on administration of the research enterprise and the development of infrastructure improvements. I continue to pursue limited research opportunities in collaboration with other faculty where my expertise is useful.

Selected Papers and Abstracts: