Department(s): Biochemistry Microbiology and Immunology
Education: Lafayette College, BA 1987U. Washington, PHD 1996
Programs: Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Programs
Contact Information:
Dartmouth Medical School HB 7200 Hanover NH 03755
Selected Publications:
Gauvin TJ, Fukui J, Peterson JR, Higgs HN Isoform-selective chemical inhibition of mDia-mediated actin assembly. Biochemistry 2009 Oct 13; 48(40):9327-9 PMID: 19764708 [PubMed - in process]
Chhabra ES, Ramabhadran V, Gerber SA, Higgs HN INF2 is an endoplasmic reticulum-associated formin protein. J Cell Sci 2009 May 1; 122(Pt 9):1430-40 PMID: 19366733 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Nicholson-Dykstra SM, Higgs HN Arp2 depletion inhibits sheet-like protrusions but not linear protrusions of fibroblasts and lymphocytes. Cell Motil Cytoskeleton 2008 Nov; 65(11):904-22 PMID: 18720401 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Chhabra ES, Higgs HN The many faces of actin: matching assembly factors with cellular structures. Nat Cell Biol 2007 Oct; 9(10):1110-21 PMID: 17909522 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Chhabra ES, Higgs HN INF2 Is a WASP homology 2 motif-containing formin that severs actin filaments and accelerates both polymerization and depolymerization. J Biol Chem 2006 Sep 8; 281(36):26754-67 PMID: 16818491 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Harris ES, Rouiller I, Hanein D, Higgs HN Mechanistic differences in actin bundling activity of two mammalian formins, FRL1 and mDia2. J Biol Chem 2006 May 19; 281(20):14383-92 PMID: 16556604 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Harris ES, Higgs HN Biochemical analysis of mammalian formin effects on actin dynamics. Methods Enzymol 2006; 406():190-214 PMID: 16472659 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Higgs HN Formin proteins: a domain-based approach. Trends Biochem Sci 2005 Jun; 30(6):342-53 PMID: 15950879 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Nicholson-Dykstra S, Higgs HN, Harris ES Actin dynamics: growth from dendritic branches. Curr Biol 2005 May 10; 15(9):R346-57 PMID: 15886095 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Professional Interests:
Microvilli cover the surface of circulating blood lymphocytes. Lymphocytes use these finger-like projections to segregate adhesion receptors, as certain receptors localize to microvilli while others are excluded from them. Adhesion receptor segregation is crucial because cells use these receptors sequentially when moving from the bloodsteam to specific tissues. Little is known about the architecture of microvilli, nor about their relationship to similar structures from other cells. My lab will identify protein components crucial to microvillar structure, test how mutation of these proteins affect microvillar structure and function, and characterize how these proteins function biochemically and biophysically.
