Department News
Laura Olsen
- Director of the Program in Biology
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of MCDB
Professor of EEB
Contact information
- University of Michigan
4103C Kraus Natural Science Building
830 North University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048 - Phone: (734) 763-0976
- Email: ljo@umich.edu
Research interests
Research in the Olsen lab focuses on peroxisome biogenesis and degradation. More specifically, we study peroxisome assembly, peroxisome proteomics, and peroxisomal proteases in plants.
Proteins synthesized in the cytoplasm must be targeted to their proper subcellular location and transported across the appropriate organellar membrane boundaries. Our research focuses on the assembly of peroxisomes, which are small organelles present in all eukaryotes. A combination of cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology are used to investigate the mechanisms of protein transport into peroxisomes. Recent projects have included the development of an in vitro assay to reconstitute import, characterization of the energetics and chaperones involved in the process, and studies on the molecular mechanisms responsible for import of proteins along different import pathways. Most recently, the Olsen lab has begun a collaborative project to define the proteome of plant peroxisomes and to investigate the novel proteins discovered with this approach. In addition to being an intrinsically interesting basic biological problem, an understanding of protein trafficking in cells is critical as scientists design strategies to genetically engineer crop plants. It also provides an experimental vehicle to investigate the mistargeting of peroxisomal proteins, which is the cause of many severe neurological disorders in humans.
