Research

My scientific interests lie in determining the relationship between cell structure and function that defines the cell’s fate. This relationship encompasses the phenotypic and functional characterization of fundamental processes like metastasis, differentiation and host-pathogen interaction. In my prior work with Professor Tom Shenk at Princeton University’s Molecular Biology Department, I studied the virus-host cell interaction of Human Cytomegalovirus in fibroblasts from two related perspectives: (i) Functional Profile- a study of the function of the viral UL37 gene protein on the cell host by production of a mutant, lacking most of the UL37x1 coding region (Sharon-Friling et al., 2006), and (ii) Morphological Profile: a study of how the interaction between the membrane’s constituents, recruited to the cell membrane during infection, are translated into their cell 3D structure (Sharon-Friling R., Shenk T. (2014).
I will never forget my enthusiasm when I was introduced to the capability of the broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (BCARS) microscopy, created by Prof. Marc Cicerone, for studying how lipids and lipid-binding proteins mediate cellular membrane structure and function. Studies using this microscopy reveal that the specific lipids and lipid-associated proteins recruited to the plasma membrane during infection regulate the formation of a microdomain on the cell membrane (lipid raft, caveolin1-microdomain), thus facilitating the biogenesis of tubule/vesicle systems (vTVS) essential for viral morphogenesis (Sharon-Friling et al., 2019, Manuscript in preparation).
Taking advantage of this method moves us a step forward towards our ultimate goal of predicting the cell’s functional fate through its chemical signature. Non-invasive and label free BCARS technology will contribute to the cell therapy and regenerative medicine research. Furthermore, using the unique capability of BCARS in detecting the identity of lipids in living cells (e.g. cholesterol and sphingolipids) by monitoring their spatial localization, will give us insight into the regulatory role of membrane lipid composition and how it is correlated with a distinct assigned functional role for the cell.