UH Hilo’s Tao featured on cover of Science Signaling

A University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo faculty member has a new study on cytokinesis featured in this month’s Science Signaling.

Dr. Li Tao, associate professor in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, is corresponding author of “Centralspindlin-mediated transport of RhoGEF positions the cleavage plane for cytokinesis,” which positions centralspindlin as an ideal target for anti-cancer drug designs. The article was featured on the July 4, 2023 cover of the journal. Lead author is Brandt Warecki, who has a postdoctoral position between UH Hilo and University of California Santa Cruz.

“Cell division is of tremendous interest to the biomedical research community due to its connection to various human diseases, including cancer,” Tao noted. “Understanding the regulation of cell division is crucial to combating cancer. Cytokinesis, as the last stage of cell division, represents the final opportunity to control this process.

“Recent findings from my lab highlight that centralspindlin plays a pivotal role in dictating cytokinesis by transporting essential components required to initiate this process.,” he added.

The article is available at: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scisignal.adh0601.