Education
- PhD, 1992, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- BS, 1985, Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Summary
Before closing his lab, Frank Gertler's research combined mouse genetics, cell biological and biochemical approaches to investigate the interplay between signal transduction pathways and the actin cytoskeleton. They deduced the functional importance of these regulatory systems in organismal development and disease. Their main focus was cell motility and the control of cellular protrusions — specifically, motility during tumor cell invasion and metastasis, as well as how neurons migrate and extend their growth cones.Awards
- Ross Scholar Award, 2006-2008
- ASCB/Promega Early Career Life Scientist Award, 2003
- Keck Distinguished Young Scholar Award, 2000-2005
- McKnight Scholar in Neurosciences Award, 2000-2003
Key Publications
- A Requirement for Mena, an Actin Regulator, in Local mRNA Translation in Developing Neurons. Vidaki, M, Drees, F, Saxena, T, Lanslots, E, Taliaferro, MJ, Tatarakis, A, Burge, CB, Wang, ET, Gertler, FB. 2017. Neuron 95, 608-622.e5.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.06.048PMID:28735747 - A requirement for filopodia extension toward Slit during Robo-mediated axon repulsion. McConnell, RE, Edward van Veen, J, Vidaki, M, Kwiatkowski, AV, Meyer, AS, Gertler, FB. 2016. J Cell Biol 213, 261-74.
doi: 10.1083/jcb.201509062PMID:27091449 - Tumor Cell-Driven Extracellular Matrix Remodeling Drives Haptotaxis during Metastatic Progression. Oudin, MJ, Jonas, O, Kosciuk, T, Broye, LC, Guido, BC, Wyckoff, J, Riquelme, D, Lamar, JM, Asokan, SB, Whittaker, C et al.. 2016. Cancer Discov 6, 516-31.
doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-15-1183PMID:26811325 - Mena binds α5 integrin directly and modulates α5β1 function. Gupton, SL, Riquelme, D, Hughes-Alford, SK, Tadros, J, Rudina, SS, Hynes, RO, Lauffenburger, D, Gertler, FB. 2012. J Cell Biol 198, 657-76.
doi: 10.1083/jcb.201202079PMID:22908313 - A Mena invasion isoform potentiates EGF-induced carcinoma cell invasion and metastasis. Philippar, U, Roussos, ET, Oser, M, Yamaguchi, H, Kim, HD, Giampieri, S, Wang, Y, Goswami, S, Wyckoff, JB, Lauffenburger, DA et al.. 2008. Dev Cell 15, 813-28.
doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2008.09.003PMID:19081071