Jeffrey R. Moore, Ph.D. - Research Interests

Research Interests

All the cells in your body experience forces. The research in our lab focuses on force production by myosin molecular motors and force transmission by cytoskeletal filaments. We study mutant versions of myosin to understand the underlying molecular basis of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and to shed light on the mechanism of myosin based force generation. We use laser trapping techniques and in vitro motility assays to study the effects of disease-linked mutations on myosin’s mechanical properties at the single molecule and ensemble (multiple molecule) levels.

We also strive to understand the fundamental molecular mechanism by which vascular smooth muscle cells sense and transduce mechanical information to bring about cytoskeleton remodeling. Specifically, we test the structural (In collaboration with Dr. Lehman) and mechanical impact of actin-binding proteins (ABPs) on smooth muscle cytoskeletal thin filaments. We use laser-trap methods and fluorescence microscopy to test the effects of force on ABP binding and the influence of combinations of ABPs on thin filament mechanics. The complementary approaches of structure determination and mechanical characterization provide a powerful combination, which gives us a thorough perspective on cytoskeletal mechanics.