Dan Resnicow

My aim is to study the kinetics of the six human skeletal muscle myosin II isoforms.  Previously, our lab has determined the existence, chromosomal organization, and expression profiles of six human skeletal muscle myosin II isoforms including two developmental isoforms: embryonic and perinatal, and four adult isoforms: the specialized extraocular isoform and three adult fast isoforms; IId/x, IIa, and IIb. The role of these six redundant genes in the functional diversity of skeletal muscles is not well defined, and further studies on individual isoform function and kinetic differences among the isoforms may help explain the evolutionary, physiological, and kinetic significance of this gene family.  I also plan to determine how sequence, length, and flexibility of the two variable loop structures of myosin affect the kinetics of the motor.