Office Address
United States
Lab Address
United States
Emily
Blythe
Assistant Professor
Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development
*Dr. Blythe will join the department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development in early 2025.*
Robust signal transduction relies upon the precise spatiotemporal coordination of biochemical processes within the cell. Our lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underpinning this coordination, using G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) as a model system to understand how subcellular organization encodes signal transduction.
Research statement
Nearly every biological process depends on a cell’s ability to accurately detect and appropriately respond to cues from its environment and from other cells. While these cues are incredibly diverse, ranging from photons to chemicals to peptides and proteins, information processing within the cell is achieved using a limited number of common signal transduction pathways. How these processes are regulated in space and time to encode stimulus-specific responses remains poorly understood.
The overarching goal of our lab is to investigate how the biochemical organization of the cell precisely regulates signal transduction. Our research focuses on signaling mediated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest and most diverse family of transmembrane receptors. Upon activation at the plasma membrane, many GPCRs undergo endocytosis, and this trafficking has profound effects on downstream cellular responses. Using a combination of biochemistry, cell biology, and proteomics approaches, we aim to characterize the molecular mechanisms by which GPCRs and their associated proteins translocate during signaling and explore how this dynamic organization encodes the appropriate physiological responses to stimuli.
Selected publications
Polacco BJ, Lobingier BT, Blythe EE, Abreu N, Khare P, Howard MK, Gonzalez-Hernandez AJ, Xu J, Li Q, Novy B, Naing ZZC, Shoichet BK, Coyote-Maestas W, Levitz J, Krogan NJ, Von Zastrow M, Hüttenhain R. (2024) Profiling the proximal proteome of the activated μ-opioid receptor. Nat Chem Biol. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38528119.
Blythe EE, von Zastrow M. (2024) β-Arrestin-independent endosomal cAMP signaling by a polypeptide hormone GPCR. Nat Chem Biol 20: 323-332. PMID: 37749347.
Dai SA, Hu Q, Gao R, Blythe EE, Touhara KK, Peacock H, Zhang Z, von Zastrow M, Suga H, Shokat KM. (2022) State-selective modulation of heterotrimeric Gαs signaling with macrocyclic peptides. Cell 185:3950-3965. PMID: 36170854.
Education and background
- Pathway to Independence (K99/R00), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (2023-2028).
- Postdoctoral scholar, University of California, San Francisco
- PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, California Institute of Technology (2019)
- MPhil in Biological Science, University of Cambridge (2014)
- BA in Biological Chemistry, Grinnell College (2012)