Mailing Address: Biology Department, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, P.O. Box 450, Station A, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 6N5.
Office: D'Iorio 206, Lab: D'Iorio 225/228
Fax: (613) 562-5486
Telephone: (613) 562-5800 Office: ext. 6006, Lab: ext. 6011
e-mail: mplev@science.uottawa.ca
The nuclear lamina is a complex and polymorphic protein lattice located at the interface of the inner nuclear membrane and the chromatin in eucaryotic cells. To gain a better understanding of the composition of this lattice, much effort has been directed in my laboratory towards the biochemical and molecular characterization of a subset of proteins referred to as MAN antigens. Partial characterization of these proteins have been recently published (Paulin-Levasseur et al. 1996 below). Our data demonstrate that MAN antigens are structural constituents of the nuclear lamina and further support their involvement together with lamins in interphase stability and mitotic dynamics of the nuclear compartment. I plan to pursue my work on the MAN antigens as it might provide us with a unique opportunity to re-evaluate current concepts on the cellular function of the nuclear lamina.
Molecular definition of internal components of the karyoskeleton
The specific objectives of this program are to achieve the identification of both phylogenetically restricted and evolutionary conserved karyoskeletal elements of the nuclear interior, and to gain insights into their biological functions. Towards these objectives, my laboratory is using an immunological approach to: a) characterize biochemically novel nuclear antigens; b) localize these antigens during the cell cycle and establish their relationship to other nuclear constituents (see Paulin-Levasseur and Julien 1999; Paulin-Levasseur et al. 1995 below); and c) clone cDNAs encoding the corresponding antigens. My laboratory is currently studying the structural relationship of such a karyoskeletal antigen designated 1B4 to components of the splicing machinery.