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| University of Cambridge Institute for Medical Research |
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| Folma Buss |
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Folma Buss received her Diploma in Biology and her PhD degree in Cell Biology from the University of Bielefeld in Germany. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge and then a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. In 1998 she moved to CIMR and in 2003 she was awarded a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship.
Folma Buss and her group's research interests are focused on understanding the roles of myosin motor proteins and the actin cytoskeleton in membrane trafficking pathways and cell motility. They are currently studying myosin VI, an exceptional myosin since it is the only one that moves backwards along actin filaments. Using a wide array of approaches they have shown that myosin VI is multifunctional being involved in endocytosis, secretion and cell movement.
Mutations or loss of myosin VI have been linked to diverse pathological processes such as deafness, cardiomyopathy, defects in AMPA receptor endocytosis and neurodegeneration. In a number of cancers such as ovarian carcinoma cells myosin VI is dramatically over expressed and may therefore represent a novel potential therapeutic target.
Our lab has expertise in cell and molecular biology including tissue culture techniques, cell transfection and generation of stable cell lines, intracellular transport assays, immunolocalisation using laser scanning confocal and electron microscopy, live cell microscopy and various assays to study protein-protein interactions. Furthermore in collaboration with Dr John Kendrick-Jones' group from the MRC-LMB we are using protein expression in the insect/baculovirus system, in vitro motility assays, single molecule analysis as well as X-ray crystallography.
Recent publications
Warner, C.L., Stewart, A., Luzio, J.P., Steel, K.P., Kendrick-Jones, J. and Buss, F. (2003) The absence of myosin VI results in altered Golgi structure and reduced secretion in fibroblasts derived from Snell's waltzer mice. EMBO J. 22, 569-579.
Lister I, Schmitz S, Walker M, Trinick J, Buss F, Veigel C and Kendrick-Jones J. (2004) A monomeric myosin VI with a large working stroke. EMBO J., 23(8):1729-38.
Buss F, Spudich G and Kendrick-Jones J. (2004) Myosin VI: cellular functions and motor properties. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol., 20, 649-76.
Sahlender DA, Roberts RC, Arden SD, Spudich G, Taylor MJ, Luzio JP, Kendrick-Jones J, Buss F. (2005) Optineurin links myosin VI to the Golgi complex and is involved in Golgi organisation and exocytosis. J. Cell Biol. 169, 285-295.
Contact Details
Folma Buss PhD
University of Cambridge
Cambridge Institute for Medical Research
Wellcome Trust/MRC Building
Hills Road
Cambridge CB2 2XY
UK
Phone: (44) 1223 763225 (office) 336782 (lab)
Fax: (44) 1223 762640
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