# Cytoskeletal functions in cell aging and disease

> **NIH NIH K02** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · 2021 · $83,743

## Abstract

7. PROJECT SUMMARY
Understanding how human cells organize, shape, and move their membrane-bound organelles is one of the
most fundamental problems in biology. To address this challenge, my laboratory studies how the actin and
microtubule cytoskeletons control membrane remodeling and organelle dynamics. As cells age, their ability to
properly regulate these processes changes. This is especially true for kidney cells and immune cells, as a
variety of renal and inflammatory diseases develop with age. However, the differences in cytoskeletal functions
that give rise to these cellular changes during the aging process are poorly understood. In human cells, actin
filament networks are assembled by proteins called nucleation factors from the Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome
Protein (WASP) family. Despite their importance in remodeling membranes during a wide range of processes,
these nucleation factors have not been well characterized, especially as they relate to aging and mechanisms
of human disease. I have a long-standing interest in determining how the cytoskeleton drives membrane
dynamics in normal cells, and how these functions are altered in the context of infectious and genetic diseases.
The immediate goal of this Career Development Award is to allow me to initiate another avenue of
investigation on the role of the cytoskeleton in cell aging so that I can achieve my long-term goal of leading a
lab which studies cytoskeletal functions in health, aging, and disease. These goals will be achieved by
completing four specific aims: (1) Define roles for actin nucleation factors and regulators of autophagy in
kidney disease, including Nephrocerebellar Syndrome (NCS); (2) Determine functional links between the
cytoskeleton, autophagy, cytokine secretion, and inflammation during infection and aging; (3) Deepen my
training in the biology of aging through collaborative training experiences at the Jackson Laboratory's Nathan
Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging and at the Center on Aging at the UConn Health
Center; (4) Develop into an independent investigator in the basic biology of cell aging. Given my expertise in
cytoskeletal biology, plus my existing grant on the role of actin nucleation in autophagy and disease, my lab is
uniquely positioned to provide key mechanistic insights into the relationships among actin nucleation factors,
autophagy, kidney function, inflammation, and aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10400494
- **Project number:** 3K02AG050774-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
- **Principal Investigator:** KENNETH G CAMPELLONE
- **Activity code:** K02 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $83,743
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-09-15 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10400494

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10400494, Cytoskeletal functions in cell aging and disease (3K02AG050774-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10400494. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*