Faculty Contact Info
Yulia Komarova, PhD
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PHARMACOLOGY
B.S. Moscow State University, Russia; Physiology (1991).
Ph.D. Moscow State University, Russia; Cell Biology (1997).
Postdoc, Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago; Cell Biology & Imagine (2003).
Research Interests
The focus of my research is on the cross-talk between microtubule cytoskeleton and VE-cadherin-mediated adhesions in microvascular endothelial cells. Dynamic interaction between cytoskeleton and adherens junctions is known to be important for maintenance of basal endothelial barrier permeability and underlies changes in endothelial permeability in response to different mediators. I am investigating the molecular and signaling mechanisms regulating microtubule cytoskeleton downstream of adherens junction and how changes in microtubule dynamics affect integrity of endothelial monolayer in response to extracellular stimuli. By establishing how MTs mediate increased lung vascular permeability we will be in a position to define novel therapeutic targets to treat inflammatory diseases.
Selected Publications
Komarova YA, Huang F, Geyer M, Daneshjou N, Garcia A, Idalino L, Kreutz B, Mehta D, Malik AB. VE-cadherin signaling induces EB3 phosphorylation to suppress microtubule growth and assemble adherens junctions. Mol Cell.48:914-25, 2012.
Vandenbroucke St Amant E, Tauseef M, Vogel SM, Gao XP, Mehta D, Komarova YA, Malik AB. PKCα activation of p120-catenin serine 879 phospho-switch disassembles VE-cadherin junctions and disrupts vascular integrity. Circ Res.111:739-49, 2012.
Siddiqui MR, Komarova YA, Vogel SM, Gao X, Bonini MG, Rajasingh J, Zhao YY, Brovkovych V, Malik AB. Caveolin-1-eNOS signaling promotes p190RhoGAP-A nitration and endothelial permeability. J Cell Biol. 193:841-50, 2011.
Lee HS, Komarova YA, Nadezhdina ES, Anjum R, Peloquin JG, Schober JM, Danciu O, van Haren J, Galjart N, Gygi SP, Akhmanova A, Borisy GG. Phosphorylation controls autoinhibition of cytoplasmic linker protein-170. Mol Biol Cell.21:2661-73, 2010.
Komarova Y, Malik AB. Regulation of endothelial permeability via paracellular and transcellular transport pathways.Annu Rev Physiol. 72:463-93, 2010. Review.
Komarova Y, De Groot CO, Grigoriev I, Gouveia SM, Munteanu EL, Schober JM, Honnappa S, Buey RM, Hoogenraad CC, Dogterom M, Borisy GG, Steinmetz MO, Akhmanova A. Mammalian end binding proteins control persistent microtubule growth. J Cell Biol. 184:691-706, 2009.
Komarova Y, Malik AB. FGF signaling preserves the integrity of endothelial adherens junctions. Dev Cell. 15:335-6, 2008.
Komarova YA, Mehta D, Malik AB. Dual regulation of endothelial junctional permeability. Sci STKE. (412):re8, 2007. Review.