Iain Cheeseman
Encyclopedia
Iain Cheeseman investigates the role of the kinetochore
, a group of proteins required for cell division
and chromosome segregation
. This core network of proteins facilitates the attachment of chromosomes to microtubule
polymers—the spindle structures that attach to the ends of cells, pulling and dividing them during cell division. The kinetochore is critical to ensuring duplication without loss or damage to the genetic material. Cheeseman is also investigating the activities of the individual molecular machines that make up this structure and how these proteins are controlled and regulated.
Cheeseman is noted for discovering multiple new kinetochore proteins within yeast
, the Caenorhabditis elegans
worm and human cells. He has focused particularly on the proteins that are required to generate connections with spindle microtubules. He recently demonstrated a critical and direct role for a protein complex called Ndc80 (coded for by the gene NDC80
) in directly associating with microtubules.
Because many cancers may be driven by errors in chromosome segregation, it is hoped that Cheeseman’s studies will provide payoffs in cancer research. Certain cancer drugs target the connection between chromosomes and spindle microtubules, and some of the major proteins in the kinetochore complex have been implicated in leukemia
and other diseases.
Cheeseman is currently a junior Faculty Member at Whitehead Institute
and an Assistant Professor at MIT. He did his undergraduate training at Duke University
, and his graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley
, where he earned a doctorate in 2002. Cheeseman carried out his postdoctoral work in the lab of Arshad Desai at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
in San Diego and the University of California, San Diego
.
Kinetochore
The kinetochore is the protein structure on chromatids where the spindle fibers attach during cell division to pull sister chromatids apart....
, a group of proteins required for cell division
Cell division
Cell division is the process by which a parent cell divides into two or more daughter cells . Cell division is usually a small segment of a larger cell cycle. This type of cell division in eukaryotes is known as mitosis, and leaves the daughter cell capable of dividing again. The corresponding sort...
and chromosome segregation
Chromosome segregation
Chromosome segregation is a step in cell reproduction or division, where chromosomes pair off with their similar homologous chromosome. In mitosis, a complete copy of each one is made. In meiosis, one chromosome from each pair migrates to opposite ends of the cell and the genes are split to make a...
. This core network of proteins facilitates the attachment of chromosomes to microtubule
Microtubule
Microtubules are a component of the cytoskeleton. These rope-like polymers of tubulin can grow as long as 25 micrometers and are highly dynamic. The outer diameter of microtubule is about 25 nm. Microtubules are important for maintaining cell structure, providing platforms for intracellular...
polymers—the spindle structures that attach to the ends of cells, pulling and dividing them during cell division. The kinetochore is critical to ensuring duplication without loss or damage to the genetic material. Cheeseman is also investigating the activities of the individual molecular machines that make up this structure and how these proteins are controlled and regulated.
Cheeseman is noted for discovering multiple new kinetochore proteins within yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
, the Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans is a free-living, transparent nematode , about 1 mm in length, which lives in temperate soil environments. Research into the molecular and developmental biology of C. elegans was begun in 1974 by Sydney Brenner and it has since been used extensively as a model...
worm and human cells. He has focused particularly on the proteins that are required to generate connections with spindle microtubules. He recently demonstrated a critical and direct role for a protein complex called Ndc80 (coded for by the gene NDC80
NDC80
Kinetochore protein NDC80 homolog is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NDC80 gene.-Interactions:NDC80 has been shown to interact with MIS12, NEK2 and PSMC2.-Further reading:...
) in directly associating with microtubules.
Because many cancers may be driven by errors in chromosome segregation, it is hoped that Cheeseman’s studies will provide payoffs in cancer research. Certain cancer drugs target the connection between chromosomes and spindle microtubules, and some of the major proteins in the kinetochore complex have been implicated in leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
and other diseases.
Cheeseman is currently a junior Faculty Member at Whitehead Institute
Whitehead Institute
Founded in 1982, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a non-profit research and teaching institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA....
and an Assistant Professor at MIT. He did his undergraduate training at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, and his graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he earned a doctorate in 2002. Cheeseman carried out his postdoctoral work in the lab of Arshad Desai at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd is a global non-profit medical research institute that undertakes laboratory and clinical research into cancer, conducting and sponsoring its own early-phase clinical trials to investigate its discoveries....
in San Diego and the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
.