Khameeka Kitt-Hopper

Research interests center around the mechanisms of initial cell-cell adhesion and membrane trafficking at the molecular level in mammalian epithelial cells. My current research goals aim to determine how Rho GTPases are involved in stabilizing epithelial cell-cell adhesions and their upstream and downstream binding partners using cell imaging and biochemical techniques. Rho GTPases are molecular switches that can be turned on and off by GEFs (guanine nucleotide exchange factors) and GAPs (GTPase activating proteins), respectively to regulate various cellular processes. Determining the GEFs and GAPs involved in initiating, maturing, and maintaining cell-cell adhesion remains elusive. My current postdoctoral work focuses on the GEF Asef, which appears to have a role in the maturation and maintenance of endothelial (blood vessel) cell-cell adhesion. My current studies aim to determine whether Asef is involved in regulating endothelial adherens junctions, tight junctions, or both.