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Vida Praitis
Associate Professor of Biology
B.A., Swarthmore College; Ph.D. 1995, Massachusetts Inst. of Technology; Biology; Post-doctoral training, Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Illinois, 1995-2001.
Tel: 641-269-4390; FAX: 641-269-4285;
Office: Science 1203; Email: praitis@grinnell.edu
Directed changes in the shape of epithelial sheets are required to create many of the
major tissues in animals, including the intestinal system, kidneys, lungs, and skin.
Although our understanding of epithelial sheet morphogenesis has advanced in recent
years, we still have much to learn about this fundamental developmental process.
Research in my laboratory focuses on understanding at a cellular and molecular level
the mechanisms by which epithelial sheets change shape during their development.
I have chosen to study epithelial shape change in the model system C. elegans
because it occurs in a simple, predictable fashion, allowing us to characterize this
process at a genetic, cellular and organismal level. During C. elegans
embryogenesis epithelial cells elongate over four-fold, driven by dramatic changes
in the organization of all major cytoskeletal structures. Because the forces that drive
cell shape change act on the apical membrane skeleton of epithelial cells, this
structure must be both strong and dynamic. One protein that localizes to the apical
membrane skeleton and is required for epithelial cell shape change is SMA-1
spectrin, an ortholog of Drosophila H-spectrin and human V-spectrin. sma-1
mutants fail to elongate properly during embryogenesis. Our analysis of sma-1
mutants has shown that SMA-1 has two discreet functions in epithelial elongation: to
maintain the association of actin at the apical membrane and to preserve changes
in the organization of the apical membrane. Ongoing research aims to better
understand these roles for SMA-1 spectrin and to identify the proteins that interact
with SMA-1 in epithelial morphogenesis. As a result of these studies, we will gain
fundamental insights into how changes in the apical membrane skeleton contribute to
epithelial cell elongation, a process fundamental to the development of all animals.
* Undergraduate co-authors; † Both authors contributed equally to this work.
- Praitis, V., Ciccone, E.* and Austin J. (2005). SMA-1 is an apically-localized β-spectrin essential for epithelial cell sheet morphogenesis in C. elegans. Developmental Biology 283:157-170.
- Praitis, V., Casey, E*., Collar, D*., and Austin, J. (2001). Creation of Low-copy Integrated Transgenic Lines in C. elegans. Genetics 157:1217-1226.
- McKeown C. †, Praitis, V. †, and Austin, J. (1998). sma-1 encodes a βH-spectrin homolog required for Caenorhabditis elegans morphogenesis. Development 125:2087-2098.
- Praitis, V., Katz, W. and Solomon, F. (1991). A codon change in β-tubulin which drastically affects microtubile structure in Drosophila fails to produce a significant phenotype in S. Cerevisae. Molecular and Cell. Biology 11:4726-4731.
- Solomon, F., Connell, L., Praitis, V., Weinstein, B., and Kirkpatrick, D. (1991) Methods for studying the cytoskeleton in yeast. in The Cytoskeleton: a Practical Approach. Editors K.L. Carraway and C.A.C. Carraway. IRL Press, Oxford.
- Solomon, F., Guenette, S., Kirkpatrick, D., Praitis, V., Weinstein, B. and Archer, J. (1992) A genetic analysis of microtubule assembly and function in yeast. in Chromosome Segregation and Aneuploidy, Editors B. Vig, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. pp.199-210.
- Fall
BIO-251-04: Molecules, Cells and Organisms, with Lab
BIO-345-01: Advanced Genetics, with Lab
- Spring
BCM-262L-03
- Fall
TUT-100: First-year tutorial
BIO-150: Introduction to Biological Inquiry, "Cell Fate: Calvin or Hobbes?"
- Spring
BCM-262L: Introduction to Biological Chemistry Laboratory
BIO-355: Developmental Genetics, with Lab
- Biology 251: Molecules, Cells, and Organisms
- Biology 370: Topics in Cell Biology
- Biology 395: Advanced Special Topic: Animal Development
- Biology 395: Advanced Special Topic: Mechanisms of Developmental Biology
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