Mara C. Duncan

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Assistant Professor

Contact Information

Office: 304 Coker Hall
Email: mduncan[at]bio.unc.edu
Office Phone: (919) 843-8435
Lab Phone: (919) 843-8434

Duncan Lab Website

Research Description

In the Duncan lab, we study the molecular mechanisms of membrane traffic in the endosomal system. In this process, the cell directs trans-membrane proteins to specific locations within the cell. This central feature of eukaryotic cell biology is important for functions of the human body including the ability to recognize and destroy infective agents such as bacteria and viruses, sugar uptake in response to insulin and the proper reaction of cells to growth factors-a feature important in normal development and that is often inappropriately regulated in cancer.  We are studying the biophysics of how proteins in the cell perform the complex processes required to direct proteins to sub-cellular locations. Another major project in the lab investigates how oncogenic mutations in signal transduction cascades can initiate the global coordinated changes in diverse aspects of cell physiology that are required to generate a tumor.

We use number of approaches in these projects including advanced microscopic, biochemical, genetic, and cell biological techniques.  We use the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisae as a model organism for much of our work, this easy to grow and genetically tractable organism is a powerful first line of attack to many problems.

 

Courses Taught

Biol 205-Cell and Developmental Biology Spring semester

Biol 531-HIV drug discovery Fall semesters on even years

Biol 591/831-Membrane traffic in human disease

 

Selected References

• Hung CW, Aoh QL, Joglekar AP, Payne GS Duncan M.C (2012) Adaptor autoregulation promotes coordinated binding within clathrin coats. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 287:17398-407.
• Aoh Q.L., Graves L.M.,. Glucose regulates clathrin adaptors at the trans-Golgi network and endosomes. (2011) Mol Biol Cell. 223671-83.
• Duncan, M.C., Peifer M. Regulating polarity by directing traffic: Cdc42 prevents adherens junctions from crumblin’ aPart. (2008) J Cell Biol 183, 971-4
• Duncan, M. C., Ho, D. G., Huang, J., Jung, M. E. & Payne, G. S. Composite synthetic lethal identification of membrane traffic inhibitors.(2007) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104, 6235-40.

• Costaguta, G., Duncan, M. C., Fernandez, G. E., Huang, G. H. & Payne, G. S. Distinct roles for TGN/endosome epsin-like adaptors Ent3p and Ent5p.(2006) Mol Biol Cell 17, 3907-20.
• Duncan M.C., Payne G.S. Cell biology: protein choreography. (2005) Nature. 438 571-3.

• Xie, M. W., Jin, F., Hwang, H., Hwang, S., Anand, V., Duncan, M. C. & Huang, J. Insights into TOR function and rapamycin response: chemical genomic profiling by using a high-density cell array method.(2005) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102, 7215-20.

• Duncan, M. C., Costaguta, G. & Payne, G. S.Yeast epsin-related proteins required for Golgi-endosome traffic define a gamma-adaptin ear-binding motif.(2003) Nat Cell Biol 5, 77-81.

• Duncan, M. C. & Payne, G. S.ENTH/ANTH domains expand to the Golgi. (2003) Trends Cell Biol 13, 211-5.