Anna Zolkiewska - Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Kansas State University

Present at the surface of virtually all cells in the body, ADAMs represent a large family of proteins that play important roles during animal and human development. Metalloproteinase-disintegrins (ADAMs) are membrane-spanning multi-domain proteins containing a zinc metalloproteinase domain and a disintegrin domain which may serve as an integrin ligand. ADAM proteins facilitate the interaction and communication between individual cells, sense the cellular environment, transmit this information inside the cell, and modify the cell surroundings by degrading certain protein components located outside the cell. Aberrant function of several ADAMs leads to cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and inflammatory responses. Currently, Zolkiewska's lab is focusing on ADAM 12, a protein that participates in the formation and regeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscle. Her long-term goal is to investigate its structure and function and identify unique features that distinguish this particular ADAM from other members of the family. Zolkiewska wants to understand the mechanism by which ADAM 12 mediates adhesion between muscle cells. She also want to understand what structural features of ADAM 12 allow it to trigger specific cellular responses that follow cell adhesion. The results of Zolkiewska's studies may help plan strategies to enhance muscle regeneration in a group of devastating genetic diseases called muscular dystrophies, for which there is no cure or effective treatment.