Roberto Dominguez

Professor

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215-573-4559
droberto@pennmedicine.upenn.ed

728 Clinical Research Building

415 Curie Boulevard

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Research Description

The actin cytoskeleton plays an essential role in multiple cellular functions, including cytokinesis, vesicular trafficking and the maintenance of cell shape and polarity. To accomplish these functions, the cytoskeleton undergoes constant remodeling into various forms of structural and functional networks, such as lamellipodia, filopodia, stress fibers and focal adhesions. Remodeling of the cytoskeleton is a tightly regulated process, involving hundreds of actin-binding and signaling proteins. The main focus of the research in our lab is to understand the molecular basis for how protein-protein interaction networks bring together cytoskeleton scaffolding, nucleation, elongation, and signaling proteins to accomplish specific cellular functions.

Our primary research tool is protein X-ray crystallography. The atomic “snapshots” resulting from the X-ray crystal structures of proteins provide a wealth of knowledge, but lack information about the dynamic aspects of protein-protein interactions. To obtain this kind of information we also use a host of other approaches, including mutagenesis, bio-informatics, biophysical and biochemical methods.

Degrees & Education

PhD, Pasteur Institute and Paris-Sud University, France, 1996

MS, Odessa State University, formerly-USSR, 1987

Honors & Awards

2006-2010 NIH Study Section (MSFC),

2006 Co-Chair Motility Subgroup of the Biophysical Societ

2002 American Heart Association, Established Investigator Award

1999 American Heart Association, Grant-in-Aid Junior Investigator Award

1998 March of Dimes, Basil O’Connor Scholar

1992 Fellow of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

1989 Fellow of the Société Française de Belgique

Member of the Editorial Board of Biophysical Journal

Other Perelman School of Medicine Affiliations

Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group

Pennsylvania Muscle Institute

Professional Affiliations

Professional Affiliations

The American Society for Cell Biology

American Crystallographic Association

Biophysical Society

American Heart Association

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Recent Publications
November 8, 2023
Interaction between the mitochondrial adaptor MIRO and the motor adaptor TRAK
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D., Erika Holzbaur, Ph.D.
Elana E Baltrusaitis, Erika E Ravitch, Adam R Fenton, Tania A Perez, Erika L F Holzbaur, Roberto Dominguez - DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105441
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June 30, 2023
Single particle cryo-EM analysis of Rickettsia conorii Sca2 reveals a formin-like core
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
Carman PJ, Rebowski G, Dominguez R, Alqassim SS. J Struct Biol. doi: 10.1016/j.jsb.2023.107960. Epub 2023 Apr 5. PubMed PMID: 37028467; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10200769.
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May 25, 2023
Structures of the free and capped ends of the actin filament
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
PETER J. CARMAN, KYLE R. BARRIE, GRZEGORZ REBOWSKI, AND ROBERTO DOMINGUEZ Science0,eadg6812DOI:10.1126/science.adg6812
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March 15, 2023
Drosophila Tropomodulin is required for multiple actin-dependent processes within developing myofibers.
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
Zapater CIM, Carman PJ, Soffar DB, Windner SE, Dominguez R, Baylies MK (2023) Development. DOI: 10.1242/dev.201194
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February 1, 2023
Ensembles of human myosin-19 bound to calmodulin and regulatory light chain RLC12B drive multi-micron transport
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D., Erika Holzbaur, Ph.D., Michael Ostap, Ph.D.
Pollard LW, Coscia SM, Rebowski G, Palmer NJ, Holzbaur ELF, Dominguez R , Ostap EM (2023) J Biol Chem. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.102906
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January 12, 2023
Ensembles of human myosin-19 bound to calmodulin and regulatory light chain RLC12B drive multi-micron transport
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D., Michael Ostap, Ph.D., Erika Holzbaur, Ph.D.
Pollard LW, Coscia SM, Rebowski G, Palmer NJ, Holzbaur ELF, Dominguez R, Ostap EM. J Biol Chem. 2023 Jan 12:102906. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.102906. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36642185.
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October 11, 2022
A solution to the long-standing problem of actin expression and purification
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
Ceron RH, Carman PJ, Rebowski G, Boczkowska M, Heuckeroth RO, Dominguez R. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Oct 11;119(41):e2209150119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2209150119. Epub 2022 Oct 5. PubMed PMID: 36197995; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9565351.
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February 2, 2022
Molecular mechanism of Arp2/3 complex inhibition by Arpin
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
Fregoso FE, van Eeuwen T, Simanov G, Rebowski G, Boczkowska M, Zimmet A, Gautreau AM, Dominguez R - DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28112-2
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November 23, 2021
Nucleation, stabilization, and disassembly of branched actin networks
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
Gautreau AM, Fregoso FE, Simanov G, Dominguez R - doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2021.10.006.
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September 1, 2021
Novel human cell expression method reveals the role and prevalence of posttranslational modification in nonmuscle tropomyosins
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
Carman PJ, Barrie KR, Dominguez R. - doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101154
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May 20, 2021
Sequential dynein effectors regulate axonal autophagosome motility in a maturation-dependent pathway
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D., Erika Holzbaur, Ph.D.
Cason SE, Carman PJ, Van Duyne C, Goldsmith J, Dominguez R, Holzbaur ELF.J Cell Biol. 2021 Jul 5;220(7):e202010179. doi: 10.1083/jcb.202010179. Epub 2021 May 20. PMID: 34014261
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June 5, 2020
Cryo-EM Structure of NPF-Bound Human Arp2/3 Complex and Activation Mechanism
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
Zimmet A, Van Eeuwen T, Boczkowska M, Rebowski G, Murakami K, Dominguez R - DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz7651
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April 8, 2020
Mechanism of actin N-terminal acetylation. Science Advances
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
Rebowski G, Boczkowska M, Drazic A, Ree R, Goris M, Arnesen T, Dominguez R - DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay8793
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March 9, 2020
Tropomodulins control the balance between protrusive and contractile structures by stabilizing actin-tropomyosin filaments
Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D.
Kumari R, Jiu Y, Carman PJ, Tojkander S, Kogan K, Varjosalo M, Gunning PW, Dominguez R, Lappalainen P - DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.12.049
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