Barbara Barylko, PhD

Assistant Professor
Pharmacology

Contact Information

UT Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Boulevard
Dallas, Texas 75390

Office Phone: 214-645-6127
Office Fax: 214-645-6131

barbara.barylko@utsouthwestern.edu

Biography

I received my PhD from the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology based on studies of troponin, a protein which regulates skeletal muscle contraction. My interest in the cytoskeleton, mainly in the regulation of non-muscle myosin, began during a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD). I continued this research upon returning to the Nencki Institute as an adjunct professor.

Since coming to UT Southwestern in 1989, I have focused on trying to understand how unconventional (i.e., non-filamentous) myosin generates force for the lateral movement of proteins in the plasma membrane and for the translocation of endocytic and exocytic vesicles through the cytoplasm. At present, I am examining the possible role of a single-headed myosin, myo 1c, in stimulus-dependent trafficking of the cell surface receptors. This myosin has already been implicated in the translocation of ion channels of the ear during auditory adaptation, and in insulin-stimulated mobilization of glucose transporter (GLUT4) in adipocytes. Recently, we demonstrated that myo 1c associates with low buoyant density subdomains of the plasma membrane, often termed lipid rafts. Our current focus is to determine the mechanism of this association and, more importantly, its functional significance in cells.

Education

Graduate SchoolNencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Biology (1974)
Graduate SchoolUniversity of Lodz, Poland, Biology (1965)

Research Interests

Actin-dependent motility
Myosin

Publications

Featured
A novel family of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase conserved from yeast to humans.

Barylko, B., Gerber, S.H., Binns, D.D., Grichine, N., Khvotchev, M. , Sudhof, T.C., Albanesi, J.P. , J. Biol. Chem. , 2001; (276/11):7705-7708

Featured
Tissue distribution and subcellular localization of mammalian myosin I.

Wagner, MC., Barylko, B., Albanesi, JP. , J Cell Biol. , October 1992; (119(1)):163-170

Featured
Purification and characterization of mammalian myosin I.

Barylko, B., Wagner, M.C., Reizes, O., and Albanesi, J.P. , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. , 1992; (89):490-494

Featured
Proteolytic fragmentation of brain myosin and localization of the heavy-chain phosphorylation site.

Barylko, B., Tooth, P., and Kendrick-Jones, J. , Eur. J. Biochem. , 1986; (158):271-282

Featured
Phosphorylation and actin activation of brain myosin.

Barylko, B., and Sobieszek, A. , EMBO J , 1983; (2):369-374

Molecular determinants of activation and membrane targeting of phosphoinositol 4-kinase IIbeta.

Jung, G., Wang J., Wlodarski, P., Barylko, B., Binns, DD., Shu, H., Yin, HL., Albanesi, JP. , Biochem J. , January 2008; (409(2)):501-509

Structure, function, and regulation of myosin 1C.

Barylko, B., Jung, G., Albanesi, JP. , Acta Biochim Pol. , May 2005; (52(2)):373-380

Saccharomyces cervisiae contains a type II phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase.

Shelton, S.N., Barylko, B., Binns, D.D., Horazdovsky, B.F., Albanesi, J.P., and Goodman, J.M. , Biochem. J. , April 2003; (37(1)):533-540

Type II phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase beta is a cytosolic and peripheral membrane protein that is recruited to the plasma membrane and activated by Rac-GTP.

Wei, Y.J., Sun, H.Q., Yamamoto, M., Wlodarski, P., Kunii, K., Martinez, M., Barylko, B., Albanesi, J.P., and Yin, H.L. , J. Biol. Chem. , 2002; (277/48):46586-46593

Analysis of the catalytic domain of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase type II.

Barylko, B., Wlodarski, P., Binns, D.D., Gerber, S.H., Earnest, S., Sudhof, T.C., Grichine, N., Albanesi, J.P. , J. Biol. Chem. , 2002; (277/46):44366-44375