Frank B. Gertler

Frank B. Gertler

Professor of Biology Emeritus

Before closing his lab, Frank B. Gertler considered the role of cell shape and movement in developmental defects and diseases.

617-253-5511

Phone

76-361

Office

fgertler@mit.edu

Email

Ryan Hayman

Assistant

617-253-0796

Assistant Phone

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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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

Recent Publications

  1. Acidification of Tumor at Stromal Boundaries Drives Transcriptome Alterations Associated with Aggressive Phenotypes. Rohani, N, Hao, L, Alexis, MS, Joughin, BA, Krismer, K, Moufarrej, MN, Soltis, AR, Lauffenburger, DA, Yaffe, MB, Burge, CB et al.. 2019. Cancer Res 79, 1952-1966.
    doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-18-1604PMID:30755444
  2. 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
  3. MENA Confers Resistance to Paclitaxel in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Oudin, MJ, Barbier, L, Schäfer, C, Kosciuk, T, Miller, MA, Han, S, Jonas, O, Lauffenburger, DA, Gertler, FB. 2017. Mol Cancer Ther 16, 143-155.
    doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-16-0413PMID:27811011
  4. The alternatively-included 11a sequence modifies the effects of Mena on actin cytoskeletal organization and cell behavior. Balsamo, M, Mondal, C, Carmona, G, McClain, LM, Riquelme, DN, Tadros, J, Ma, D, Vasile, E, Condeelis, JS, Lauffenburger, DA et al.. 2016. Sci Rep 6, 35298.
    doi: 10.1038/srep35298PMID:27748415
  5. MenaINV mediates synergistic cross-talk between signaling pathways driving chemotaxis and haptotaxis. Oudin, MJ, Miller, MA, Klazen, JA, Kosciuk, T, Lussiez, A, Hughes, SK, Tadros, J, Bear, JE, Lauffenburger, DA, Gertler, FB et al.. 2016. Mol Biol Cell 27, 3085-3094.
    doi: 10.1091/mbc.E16-04-0212PMID:27559126
  6. 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
  7. Lamellipodin promotes invasive 3D cancer cell migration via regulated interactions with Ena/VASP and SCAR/WAVE. Carmona, G, Perera, U, Gillett, C, Naba, A, Law, AL, Sharma, VP, Wang, J, Wyckoff, J, Balsamo, M, Mosis, F et al.. 2016. Oncogene 35, 5155-69.
    doi: 10.1038/onc.2016.47PMID:26996666
  8. PTP1B-dependent regulation of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling by the actin-binding protein Mena. Hughes, SK, Oudin, MJ, Tadros, J, Neil, J, Del Rosario, A, Joughin, BA, Ritsma, L, Wyckoff, J, Vasile, E, Eddy, R et al.. 2015. Mol Biol Cell 26, 3867-78.
    doi: 10.1091/mbc.E15-06-0442PMID:26337385
  9. Selectivity in subunit composition of Ena/VASP tetramers. Riquelme, DN, Meyer, AS, Barzik, M, Keating, A, Gertler, FB. 2015. Biosci Rep 35, .
    doi: 10.1042/BSR20150149PMID:26221026
  10. Ena/VASP regulates mDia2-initiated filopodial length, dynamics, and function. Barzik, M, McClain, LM, Gupton, SL, Gertler, FB. 2014. Mol Biol Cell 25, 2604-19.
    doi: 10.1091/mbc.E14-02-0712PMID:24989797
More Publications

Multimedia

Photo credit: Samara Vise