{"686365":{"#nid":"686365","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Defense by Mary Kho","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDoctor of Philosophy in Biology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMary Kho\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWill defend her dissertation\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe role of septin filaments in neural crest cell migration\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENovember 20, 2025, at 11:00 AM ET\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKrone Engineered Biosystems Building (EBB), Room 4029\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeeting link:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/93852869197?pwd=1jee53HAr0qrcFdLAp5gjxJqdtMiOS.1\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/93852869197?pwd=1jee53HAr0qrcFdLAp5gjxJqdtMiOS.1\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EThesis Advisor:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShuyi Nie, Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee Members:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYuhong Fan, Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlberto Stolfi, Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJohn McDonald, Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDenis Tsygankov, Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EABSTRACT: Septin filaments are the fourth member of the cytoskeleton, along with actin microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. Since their discovery over 50 years ago, septin filaments have been found to play integral roles in different cellular processes. Recent studies in metastatic cancer cell lines have reported that septin filaments promote cell migration, but a mechanism for their regulation of directed cell migration is still unclear. In this thesis, we utilize the highly similar and established cell migration model of neural crest cells to answer this question.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis thesis is structured into three related projects that examine the relationship between septin filaments and their interaction partners in coordinating directed cell migration. The first project focuses on the requirement of septin filament assembly in neural crest cells and the interaction of septin filaments with actin and Cdc42ep1 in neural crest cell migration. Specifically, we found that Cdc42ep1 and septin filaments reciprocally regulate each other and that septin filaments regulate the persistent orientation of actin stress fiber formation and contraction necessary for neural crest cell migration. The second project investigates the role of the actin-binding protein myosin II as a mediator for the septin regulation of actin stress fibers. We found that the direct interaction between septins and myosin II is required to support the persistent migration of neural crest cells. The third project focuses on PAR-1 kinase and its regulation of Cdc42ep1 activity in neural crest cells. We found that PAR-1 kinase is required for neural crest cell migration and that PAR-1 phosphorylation regulates the subcellular organization of Cdc42ep1 in a manner reminiscent of the septin regulation of Cdc42ep1. Together, we propose a model in which septin filaments, Cdc42ep1, and actomyosin coordinate in directed and effective migration of neural crest cells. Importantly, this work reveals the fundamental role of septin filaments in coordinating cytoskeletal dynamics for directed cell migration. This activity is likely conserved during metastatic cancer cell migration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe role of septin filaments in neural crest cell migration\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The role of septin filaments in neural crest cell migration"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2025-11-11 17:30:33","changed_gmt":"2025-11-11 17:31:05","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2025-11-20T11:00:00-05:00","event_time_end":"2025-11-20T13:00:00-05:00","event_time_end_last":"2025-11-20T13:00:00-05:00","gmt_time_start":"2025-11-20 16:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2025-11-20 18:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2025-11-20 18:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Krone Engineered Biosystems Building (EBB), Room 4029","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"100811","name":"Phd Defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}