Iain Cheeseman investigates the role of the

kinetochore A kinetochore (, ) is a disc-shaped protein structure associated with duplicated chromatids in eukaryotic cells where the spindle fibers attach during cell division to pull sister chromatids apart. The kinetochore assembles on the centromere and ...

, a group of proteins required for

cell division Cell division is the process by which a parent cell divides into two daughter cells. Cell division usually occurs as part of a larger cell cycle in which the cell grows and replicates its chromosome(s) before dividing. In eukaryotes, there ar ...

and

chromosome segregation Chromosome segregation is the process in eukaryotes by which two sister chromatids formed as a consequence of DNA replication, or paired homologous chromosomes, separate from each other and migrate to opposite poles of the nucleus. This segregati ...

. This core network of proteins facilitates the attachment of

chromosomes A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

to microtubule polymers—the spindle structures that attach to the ends of cells, pulling and dividing them during cell division. The kinetochore is critical to ensuring duplication without loss or damage to the genetic material. Cheeseman is also investigating the activities of the individual molecular machines that make up this structure and how these proteins are controlled and regulated.

Career

Cheeseman is noted for discovering multiple new kinetochore proteins within

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

, the Caenorhabditis elegans worm and human cells. He has focused particularly on the proteins that are required to generate connections with spindle microtubules. He recently demonstrated a critical and direct role for a protein complex called Ndc80 (coded for by the gene

NDC80 Kinetochore protein NDC80 homolog is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NDC80'' gene. Function Ndc80 is one of the proteins of outer kinetochore. It forms a heterotetramer with proteins NUF2, SPC25, and SPC24. This protein complex has ...

) in directly associating with microtubules. Because many cancers may be driven by errors in chromosome segregation, it is hoped that Cheeseman’s studies will provide payoffs in cancer research. Certain cancer drugs target the connection between chromosomes and spindle microtubules, and some of the major proteins in the kinetochore complex have been implicated in

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

and other diseases. Cheeseman is currently a junior Faculty Member at

Whitehead Institute Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a non-profit research institute located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States that is dedicated to improving human health through basic biomedical research. It was founded as a fiscally indepen ...

and a professor at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

. He did his undergraduate training at Duke University, and his graduate work at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, where he earned a doctorate in 2002. Cheeseman carried out his postdoctoral work in the lab of Arshad Desai at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in San Diego and the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

. He is a member of the Editorial Board for ''

Current Biology ''Current Biology'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers all areas of biology, especially molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, neurobiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. The journal includes research articles, ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheeseman, Iain Cell biologists Whitehead Institute faculty Duke University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)