Checks and Balances: Regulation of mitotic fidelity in space and time.

Sabine Elowe, PhD
Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Laval University

This conference is hosted by Jean-François Côté, PhD. This conference is part of the 2023-2024 IRCM conference calendar.

In person: 
IRCM Auditorium Jacques-Genest
110, avenue des Pins O, H2W 1R7 Montreal

About this conference
The cell cycle is a highly regulated sequence of events that leads to the duplication of genetic material, and its division into two resulting daughter cells. A strict control of the transition between the different stages of the cell cycle as well as the final cell division step is required to maintain cellular homeostasis and genomic integrity, thereby ensuring organism survival. Research in the Elowe lab focuses on understanding the signalling mechanisms that ensure the accurate passage across mitosis. Most recently, we have begun to explore novel ways in which signalling pathways that initiate prior in the cell cycle impinge on the fidelity of mitosis.  Here I describe one such mechanism related to the Rho family guanine nucleotide exchange factor, ARHGEF17.  ARHGEF17 also known as Tumor Endothelial Marker 4 (TEM4), has been shown to play a role in regulating the functions of the interphase actin cytoskeleton as is typical of many GEFs; it has been implicated in regulating cell migration, cell-cell junctions, stress fibre formation and cellular adhesions. Recent studies have identified TEM4 as a novel regulator of mitosis and have suggested that TEM4 is essential for the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint (SAC). Here, I will discuss our work on the role of TEM4 in maintaining genome stability through proper regulation of cell cycle transitions. In identifying a Rho GTPase regulator that controls this process, our work on TEM4 fills an important gap in this knowledge and opens the field to future mechanistic studies.

About Sabine Elowe
Dr. Sabine Elowe completed her undergraduate studies at McMaster University before pursuing graduate studies in Molecular and Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto. Her research focused on signaling from the Eph family of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases. Following her graduate studies, she conducted a post-doctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich, Germany, investigating spindle checkpoint kinases during mammalian cell division.
    
In her independent career, Dr. Elowe joined Université Laval as an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics and Medicine, eventually attaining the position of tenured Professor. Her research centers on understanding signal transduction networks during mitosis, supported by prestigious awards and funding from CIHR, NSERC, and FRQNT. Dr. Elowe also co-directs the Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Engineering, and Applications.

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