Cells must continuously maintain integrity and compartmentalization with changes in cell size and shape that occur in development, immunity, aging and disease. How cellular spatiotemporal organization is achieved with remodeling is therefore a fundamental problem of broad significance. Our laboratory is studying central roles for novel membrane trafficking processes, under control of spatiotemporal lipid regulation, that coordinate dynamic cell structure. Using a foundation in genetic and cell biology experiments in the fruit fly, Drosophila, we are linking specific lipid kinase and phosphatase activities to cell remodeling. Our work aims to identify conserved mechanisms of membrane regulation in immune and muscle cell functions, and provide insights into related human diseases.

Our research is currently focused in three major areas:

1. (1)roles for phosphoinositide lipid regulation in cellular remodeling,
   

2. (2)roles for autophagy in cellular remodeling, and
   

3. (3)systems-biology approaches to understand cellular remodeling.
   

To address these problems, we are investigating questions specific to the dynamic organization of two distinct cell types, immune cells and muscle cells. The different elaborated morphologies and functions of immune cells and muscle cells are helping us to illuminate both broadly conserved and tissue-specific requirements in cellular remodeling.