Elizabeth Chen, Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Professor School Medical School Department Molecular Biology | Cell Biology Graduate Programs Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics, Development and Disease Biography Dr. Chen received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Peking University. After spending two years in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at UCLA, she moved to the Developmental Biology Department at Stanford University for her PhD studies. Her graduate research in Bruce Baker’s laboratory focused on pattern formation in Drosophila imaginal discs. She was a Helen Hay Whitney postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Eric Olson at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she initiated an independent project investigating the mechanisms underlying cell-cell fusion. In 2004, Dr. Chen joined the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to a Full Professor in 2016, when she was rescuited back to UT Southwestern. Her lab has discovered the asymmetric fusogenic synapse mediating muscle cell fusion in flies, zebrafish and mice, as well as the fusion of non-muscle cells. Using a multifaceted approach including genetics, cell biology, biochemistry and biophysics, her lab has also uncovered novel and general mechanisms underlying actin dynamics, actin bundling, invasive protrusion formation and mechanobiology. Together, Dr. Chen's research has established a new conceptual framework for cell-cell fusion and advanced our understanding of this important cellular process in the development, regeneration and physiology of multicellular organisms. Education Undergraduate Peking University (1990), Biochemistry Graduate School Stanford University (1998), Developmental Biology Research Interest Actin cytoskeletal dynamics Cell-Cell Fusion Mechanobiology Muscle development and regeneration Publications Featured Publications Spatiotemporal coordination of actin regulators generates invasive protrusions in cell-cell fusion. Lu Y, Walji T, Ravaux B, Pandey P, Yang C, Li B, Luvsanjav D, Lam KH, Zhang R, Luo Z, Zhou C, Habela CW, Snapper SB, Li R, Goldhamer DJ, Schmidtke DW, Pan D, Svitkina TM, Chen EH, Nat Cell Biol 2024 Nov 26 11 1860-1877 Inter-organ steroid hormone signaling promotes myoblast fusion via direct transcriptional regulation of a single key effector gene. Ruan ZR, Yu Z, Xing C, Chen EH, Curr Biol 2024 Mar The cellular architecture and molecular determinants of the zebrafish fusogenic synapse. Luo Z, Shi J, Pandey P, Ruan ZR, Sevdali M, Bu Y, Lu Y, Du S, Chen EH, Dev Cell 2022 Jun Dynamin regulates the dynamics and mechanical strength of the actin cytoskeleton as a multifilament actin-bundling protein. Zhang R, Lee DM, Jimah JR, Gerassimov N, Yang C, Kim S, Luvsanjav D, Winkelman J, Mettlen M, Abrams ME, Kalia R, Keene P, Pandey P, Ravaux B, Kim JH, Ditlev JA, Zhang G, Rosen MK, Frost A, Alto NM, Gardel M, Schmid SL, Svitkina TM, Hinshaw JE, Chen EH, Nat. Cell Biol. 2020 May Spectrin is a mechanoresponsive protein shaping fusogenic synapse architecture during myoblast fusion. Duan R, Kim JH, Shilagardi K, Schiffhauer ES, Lee DM, Son S, Li S, Thomas C, Luo T, Fletcher DA, Robinson DN, Chen EH Nat. Cell Biol. 2018 Jun 20 6 688-698 Mechanical tension drives cell membrane fusion. Kim JH, Ren Y, Ng WP, Li S, Son S, Kee YS, Zhang S, Zhang G, Fletcher DA, Robinson DN, Chen EH Dev. Cell 2015 Mar 32 5 561-73 Actin-Propelled Invasive Membrane Protrusions Promote Fusogenic Protein Engagement During Cell-Cell Fusion. Shilagardi K, Li S, Luo F, Marikar F, Duan R, Jin P, Kim JH, Murnen K, Chen EH Science 2013 Mar An invasive podosome-like structure promotes fusion pore formation during myoblast fusion. Sens KL, Zhang S, Jin P, Duan R, Zhang G, Luo F, Parachini L, Chen EH J. Cell Biol. 2010 Nov 191 5 1013-27 Spatiotemporal coordination of actin regulators generates invasive protrusions in cell-cell fusion Lu Y, Walji T, Ravaux E, Pandey P, Yang C, Li B, Luvsanjav D, Lam KH, Zhang R, Luo Z, Zhou C, Habela CW, Snapper SB, Li R, Goldhamer DJ, Schmidtke DW, Pan D, Svitkina TM, Chen EH Nat. Cell Biol. 2024 26 1860–1877 Loss of Myomixer Results in Defective Myoblast Fusion, Impaired Muscle Growth, and Severe Myopathy in Zebrafish. Wu P, Yong P, Zhang Z, Xu R, Shang R, Shi J, Zhang J, Bi P, Chen E, Du S, Mar Biotechnol (NY) 2022 Sep Results 1-10 of 32 1 2 3 4 Next Last Books Featured Books Cell Fusion E. Chen (Ed.) (2008). NJ, Humana Press Inc. Honors & Awards ASCB Fellow, American Society for Cell Biology (2022) WICB Mid-Career Award for Excellence in Research, American Society for Cell Biology (2018) HHMI Faculty Scholar (2016) National Established Investigator Award, American Heart Association (2012) Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award, March of Dimes (2006) Searle Scholar, The Chicago Community Trust (2006) David and Lucile Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering (2005) Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation Young Investigator Award (2005) National Scientist Development Award, American Heart Association (2005) The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2000) Professional Associations/Affiliations American Society for Cell Biology (2008) Biophysical Society (2012)
