Assistant Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Program Focus
My laboratory investigates non-canonical mechanisms of protein translation initiation and their contribution to pathological alterations in intercellular communication in diseased hearts and during cancer progression. We are interested in RNA-protein interactions and in specifically targeting components of the ribosome to modulate the translational landscape of the cell and restore normal intercellular communication.
Selected Publications
James CC, Zeitz MJ, Calhoun PJ, Lamouille S, Smyth JW. (2018). Altered translation initiation of Gja1 limits gap junction formation during epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Molecular Biology of the Cell 29(7): 773-880.
Smyth JW, Zhang SS, Sanchez JM, Lamouille S, Vogan JM, Hesketh GG, Hong T, Tomaselli GF, Shaw RM. (2014). A 14-3-3 mode-1 binding motif initiates gap junction internalization during acute cardiac ischemia. Traffic 15(6): 684-699.
Smyth JW, Shaw RM. (2013). Autoregulation of connexin43 gap junction formation by internally translated isoforms. Cell Reports.
Hong TT, Smyth JW, Chu KY, Vogan JM, Fong TS, Jensen BC, Fang K, Halushka MK, Russell SD, Colecraft H, Hoopes CW, Ocorr K, Chi NC, Shaw RM. (2012). BIN1 is reduced and Cav1.2 trafficking is impaired in human failing cardiomyocytes. Heart Rhythm 9(5).
Horiuchi D, Kusdra L, Huskey NE, Chandriani S, Lenburg ME, Gonzalez-Angulo AM, Creasman KJ, Bazarov AV, Smyth JW, Davis SE, Yaswen P, Mills GB, Esserman LJ, Goga A. (2012). MYC pathway activation in triple-negative breast cancer is synthetic lethal with CDK inhibition. The Journal of Experimental Medicine 209(4): 679-96.
Smyth JW, Vogan JM, Buch PJ, Zhang SS, Fong TS, Hong TT, Shaw RM. (2012). Actin cytoskeleton rest stops regulate anterograde traffic of connexin 43 vesicles to the plasma membrane. Circulation Research 110(7).
Smyth JW, Shaw RM. (2012). The gap junction life cycle. Heart Rhythm 9(1): 151-3.
Lamouille S, Connonlly E, Smyth JW, Akhurst RJ, Derynck R. (2012). TGF-β-induced activation of mTOR complex 2 drives epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cell invasion. Journal of Cell Science 125: 1259-73.
Smyth JW, Shaw RM. (2012). Visualizing cardiac ion channel trafficking pathways. Methods in Enzymology 505: 187-202.