Royle Lab

Research Summary

The lab researches cell biology at the molecular level. We are interested in the processes of membrane trafficking and mitosis.

Mitosis
The mitotic spindle is a tiny machine whose purpose is to accurately segregate the chromosomes during cell division. We are trying to understand how the microtubules of the mitotic spindle are stabilised by non-motor proteins, and how stability is altered in cancer.

Membrane trafficking
Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is the main route of entry into mammalian cells and it controls numerous cellular processes from cell motility and signalling to synaptic transmission and organelle identity. We are trying to understand the molecular mechanisms of this process and also how it is controlled by the cell cycle.

Steve is a Senior Cancer Research Fellow for Cancer Research UK.

Lab webpage | Profile/Contact | Papers | Pubmed

Selected Publications

Kaur, S., Fielding, A. B., Gassner, G., Carter, N. J., Royle, S. J. (2014) An unmet actin requirement explains the mitotic inhibition of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. doi: 10.1101/001701 eLife3: e00829 Pubmed

Hood, F.E., Williams, S.J., Burgess, S.G., Richards, M.W., Roth, D., Straube, A., Pfuhl, M., Bayliss, R. and Royle, S.J. (2013) Coordination of adjacent domains mediates TACC3–ch-TOG–clathrin assembly and mitotic spindle binding. J Cell Biol. 202:463-78 Pubmed

Cheeseman, L.P., Harry, E.F., McAinsh, A.D., Prior, I.A. and Royle, S.J. (2013) Specific removal of TACC3-ch-TOG-clathrin at metaphase deregulates kinetochore fiber tension. J. Cell Sci. 126: 2102-13 Pubmed

Willox, A.K. and Royle, S.J. (2012) Stonin 2 is a major adaptor protein for clathrin-mediated synaptic vesicle retrieval. Curr Biol. 22:1435-9 Pubmed

Fielding, A.B., Willox, A.K., Okeke, E. and Royle, S.J. (2012) Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is inhibited during mitosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 109:6572-7 Pubmed

Willox, A.K. and Royle, S.J. (2012) Functional analysis of interaction sites on the N-terminal domain of clathrin heavy chain. Traffic. 13:70-81 Pubmed

Lab Members and Projects

	Nicholas Clarke \| PhD Student I am investigating the role of intermicrotubule bridges in kinetochore fibre stability. Prior to starting my PhD in the Royle lab, I studied at University of Leicester.
	Cristina Gutiérrez-Caballero \| Research Fellow My project centres on how kinetochore fibres in the mitotic spindle are stabilised by non-motor proteins. I am using imaging and biochemistry to understand how the spindle is stabilised and how this is changed in cancer.
	Satdip Kaur \| Research Fellow I am working on the regulation of clathrin-mediated endocytosis during mitosis and on moonlighting functions for membrane trafficking proteins. I did my undergraduate studies at University of Birmingham and stayed there for my PhD with David Sansom.
	Rachel Jones \| Research Assistant I am working on mitotic spindle stability. I am supporting a number of projects in the lab and generating key reagents using molecular biology and biochemical techniques.
	Faye Nixon \| PhD Student I am interested the proteins that crosslink microtubules in the mitotic spindle. I am using electron microscopy and 3D rendering to understand how kinetochore fibres are stabilised.
	Sourav Sarkar \| Research Fellow I am working on mitotic spindle stability and how this is altered in cancer. Before joining the Royle lab, I was a postdoc with Prakash Arumugam working on meiosis in yeast.
	Cecilia Velasco Dominguez \| ERASMUS student I am an undergraduate student from Barcelona and I am visiting the Royle Lab for a 6-month project on membrane trafficking. Previously, I did a research project with Artur Llobet at IDIBELL on synaptic vesicle recycling.
	Laura Wood \| PhD Student I am interested in the molecular mechanisms of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. For my Masters project I looked at the regulation of endocytosis by the cell cycle in the Royle Lab. My undergraduate degree was from University of Bath.