Transmembrane Signaling in Development and Disease
Welcome to the Myers lab! We study a key aspect of cell communication: how extracellular signals are transmitted across the membrane to the cell interior. We are tackling this problem from membrane biochemistry, cell biology, physiology, embryology, and a range of related approaches to better understand how cellular identity is specified during development and how mistakes in this process drive cancer and other diseases.
Check out our recent publications!
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Structural mechanism for noncanonical GPCR signaling in the Hedgehog pathway
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2026)
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GRK2 kinases in the primary cilium initiate SMOOTHENED-PKA signaling in the Hedgehog cascade
PLOS Biology (2024)
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A PKA inhibitor motif within SMOOTHENED controls Hedgehog signal transduction
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2022)
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Smoothened transduces Hedgehog signals via activity-dependent sequestration of PKA catalytic subunits
PLOS Biology (2021)
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Smoothened stimulation by membrane sterols drives Hedgehog pathway activation
Nature (2019)