Associate Professor
Contact Information
Room 1469, UNMC College of Dentistry
4000 East Campus Loop South
Lincoln, NE 68583-0740
402-472-2511
bkwok@unmc.edu
Education
- BSc, Chemistry & Biochemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York
- MS, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- MPhil, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- PhD, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemistry & Cell Biology, Rockefeller University, New York
Research/Professional Interests
- Dissecting the molecular mechanisms of cell division using chemical & cell biology tools
- Exploring the roles of microtubule-based systems in cell biology and their roles in cancer development
Honors & Awards
- 2004-2007 Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Award
- 2010-2013 Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) Junior 1 Investigator Award
- 2013-2017 Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Award
- 2017-2019 Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS) Junior 2 Investigator Award
Selected Publications
- Uriarte M, Sen Nkwe N, Tremblay R, Ahmed O, Messmer C, Mashtalir N, Barbour H, Masclef L, Voide M, Viallard C, Daou S, Abdelhadi D, Ronato D, Paydar M, Darracq A, Boulay K, Desjardins-Lecavalier N, Sapieha P, Masson JY, Sergeev M, Kwok BH, Hulea L, Mallette FA, Milot E, Larrivée B, Wurtele H, Affar EB. Starvation-induced proteasome assemblies in the nucleus link amino acid supply to apoptosis. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 30;12(1):6984. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27306-4. PubMed PMID: 34848715; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8633328.
- Benoit MPMH, Asenjo AB, Paydar M, Dhakal S, Kwok BH, Sosa H. Structural basis of mechano-chemical coupling by the mitotic kinesin KIF14. Nat Commun. 2021 Jun 15;12(1):3637. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-23581-3. PubMed PMID: 34131133; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8206134.
- Vincent E, Villiard E, Sader F, Dhakal S, Kwok BH, Roy S. BMP signaling is essential for sustaining proximo-distal progression in regenerating axolotl limbs. Development. 2020 Jul 31;147(14). doi: 10.1242/dev.170829. PubMed PMID: 32665245.
- Gilet JG, Ivanova EL, Trofimova D, Rudolf G, Meziane H, Broix L, Drouot N, Courraud J, Skory V, Voulleminot P, Osipenko M, Bahi-Buisson N, Yalcin B, Birling MC, Hinckelmann MV, Kwok BH, Allingham JS, Chelly J. Conditional switching of KIF2A mutation provides new insights into cortical malformation pathogeny. Hum Mol Genet. 2020 Mar 27;29(5):766-784. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddz316. PubMed PMID: 31919497; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7104682.
- Zhu S, Paydar M, Wang F, Li Y, Wang L, Barrette B, Bessho T, Kwok BH, Peng A. Kinesin Kif2C in regulation of DNA double strand break dynamics and repair. Elife. 2020 Jan 17;9. doi: 10.7554/eLife.53402. PubMed PMID: 31951198; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7012618.
- Coutinho de Oliveira L, Volpon L, Rahardjo AK, Osborne MJ, Culjkovic-Kraljacic B, Trahan C, Oeffinger M, Kwok BH, Borden KLB. Structural studies of the eIF4E-VPg complex reveal a direct competition for capped RNA: Implications for translation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Nov 26;116(48):24056-24065. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1904752116. Epub 2019 Nov 11. PubMed PMID: 31712417; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6883836.
- Reilly ML, Stokman MF, Magry V, Jeanpierre C, Alves M, Paydar M, Hellinga J, Delous M, Pouly D, Failler M, Martinovic J, Loeuillet L, Leroy B, Tantau J, Roume J, Gregory-Evans CY, Shan X, Filges I, Allingham JS, Kwok BH, Saunier S, Giles RH, Benmerah A. Loss-of-function mutations in KIF14 cause severe microcephaly and kidney development defects in humans and zebrafish. Hum Mol Genet. 2019 Mar 1;28(5):778-795. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddy381. PubMed PMID: 30388224; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6381319.
- Trofimova D, Paydar M, Zara A, Talje L, Kwok BH, Allingham JS. Ternary complex of Kif2A-bound tandem tubulin heterodimers represents a kinesin-13-mediated microtubule depolymerization reaction intermediate. Nat Commun. 2018 Jul 6;9(1):2628. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05025-7. PubMed PMID: 29980677; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6035175.
- Jananji S, Risi C, Lindamulage IKS, Picard LP, Van Sciver R, Laflamme G, Albaghjati A, Hickson GRX, Kwok BH, Galkin VE. Multimodal and Polymorphic Interactions between Anillin and Actin: Their Implications for Cytokinesis. J Mol Biol. 2017 Mar 10;429(5):715-731. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2017.01.020. Epub 2017 Jan 29. PubMed PMID: 28147230.
- Gerby B, Veiga DF, Krosl J, Nourreddine S, Ouellette J, Haman A, Lavoie G, Fares I, Tremblay M, Litalien V, Ottoni E, Kosic M, Geoffrion D, Ryan J, Maddox PS, Chagraoui J, Marinier A, Hébert J, Sauvageau G, Kwok BH, Roux PP, Hoang T. High-throughput screening in niche-based assay identifies compounds to target preleukemic stem cells. J Clin Invest. 2016 Dec 1;126(12):4569-4584. doi: 10.1172/JCI86489. Epub 2016 Oct 31. PubMed PMID: 27797342; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5127686.
- Orr B, Talje L, Liu Z, Kwok BH, Compton DA. Adaptive Resistance to an Inhibitor of Chromosomal Instability in Human Cancer Cells. Cell Rep. 2016 Nov 8;17(7):1755-1763. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.10.030. PubMed PMID: 27829147; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5130158.
- Kachaner D, Pinson X, El Kadhi KB, Normandin K, Talje L, Lavoie H, Lépine G, Carréno S, Kwok BH, Hickson GR, Archambault V. Interdomain allosteric regulation of Polo kinase by Aurora B and Map205 is required for cytokinesis. J Cell Biol. 2014 Oct 27;207(2):201-11. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201408081. Epub 2014 Oct 20. PubMed PMID: 25332165; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4210448.
- Laflamme G, Tremblay-Boudreault T, Roy MA, Andersen P, Bonneil É, Atchia K, Thibault P, D'Amours D, Kwok BH. Structural maintenance of chromosome (SMC) proteins link microtubule stability to genome integrity. J Biol Chem. 2014 Oct 3;289(40):27418-31. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M114.569608. Epub 2014 Aug 18. PubMed PMID: 25135640; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4183782.
- Arora K, Talje L, Asenjo AB, Andersen P, Atchia K, Joshi M, Sosa H, Allingham JS, Kwok BH. KIF14 binds tightly to microtubules and adopts a rigor-like conformation. J Mol Biol. 2014 Aug 26;426(17):2997-3015. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2014.05.030. Epub 2014 Jun 17. PubMed PMID: 24949858.
- Talje L, Ben El Kadhi K, Atchia K, Tremblay-Boudreault T, Carreno S, Kwok BH. DHTP is an allosteric inhibitor of the kinesin-13 family of microtubule depolymerases. FEBS Lett. 2014 Jun 27;588(14):2315-20. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2014.05.024. Epub 2014 May 22. PubMed PMID: 24859087.
- Solinet S, Mahmud K, Stewman SF, Ben El Kadhi K, Decelle B, Talje L, Ma A, Kwok BH, Carreno S. The actin-binding ERM protein Moesin binds to and stabilizes microtubules at the cell cortex. J Cell Biol. 2013 Jul 22;202(2):251-60. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201304052. Epub 2013 Jul 15. PubMed PMID: 23857773; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3718980.
Selected Grants
- National Institutes of Health (Subcontract), The novel role of microtubule regulators in DNA damage response and cancer therapy, Co-PI; 2021/1 - 2025/12
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR, Project Grant), Examining chemical modulation of kinesin-13 activities: From mechanism to validation; PI; 2017/04-2022/03
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC, Discovery Grant), Catalytic modulation of microtubule polymerization (by KIF14): A molecular and biochemical dissection, PI; 2015/4 - 2020/03
- Cancer Research Society (CRS), Targeting kinesin-13 family of microtubule depolymerases as a cancer therapeutic strategy, PI; 2015/9 - 2017/08
- Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (CCSRI, Innovation Grant), Targeting the oncogenic kinesin motor protein KIF14 for cancer therapy, PI; 2015/2 - 2017/1
- Open Operating grant Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Title: Regulation and Dynamics of Mitotic Spindle Assembly, PI; 2009/10-2014/9