Cell division, adhesion and migration are tightly regulated during embryonic development. Dysregulation of these processes often lead to developmental diseases or malignant transformation. Our lab uses the cutting-edge microscopy, multi-omics and gene-editing approaches to decipher the underlying mechanisms of mitosis, cell adhesion and their interplay. We aim to understand the biological relevance of these mechanisms in the three-dimensional environment and tumor progression.

1. Deciphering the molecular mechanism underlying focal adhesion disassembly at mitotic entry

2. The role of human phosphatase CDC14A in cell migration and adhesion

Representative papers:

Nan-Peng Chen#; Jonas Aretz; Reinhard Fässler#; CDK1–cyclin-B1-induced kindlin degradation drives focal adhesion disassembly at mitotic entry, Nature Cell Biology, 2022, 24: 723-736. (#corresponding authors)(Faculty Opinions recommended: https://facultyopinions.com/article/742068317)

Nan-Peng Chen; Zhiqi Sun; Reinhard Fässler; The Kank family proteins in adhesion dynamics, Current Opinion In Cell Biology, 2018, 54(1): 130-136

Nan-Peng Chen; Borhan Uddin; Robert Hardt; Wen Ding; Marko Panic; Ilaria Lucibello; Patricia Kammerer; Thomas Ruppert; Elmar Schiebel; Human phosphatase CDC14A regulates actin organization through dephosphorylation of epithelial protein lost in neoplasm, PNAS, 2017, 114(20): 5201-5206

Nan-Peng Chen; Borhan Uddin; Renate Voit; Elmar Schiebel; Human phosphatase CDC14A is recruited to the cell leading edge to regulate cell migration and adhesion, PNAS, 2016, 113(4): 990-995

Borhan Uddin*; Nan-Peng Chen*; Marko Panic; Elmar Schiebel ; Genome editing through large insertion leads to the skipping of targeted exon, BMC genomics, 2015, 16(1): 1-10. (#co-first authors)

Patrick Partscht; Alexander Simon; Nan‐Peng Chen; Sylvia Erhardt; Elmar Schiebel; The HIPK2/CDC14B-MeCP2 axis enhances the spindle assembly checkpoint block by promoting cyclin B translation, Science Advances, 2023, 9(3)