Sabine ElowePh.D.

Dr. Sabine Elowe received her PhD from the University of Toronto in 2005, where she studied tyrosine kinase receptor signaling with Dr. Tony Pawson at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (formerly the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute). She then completed a postdoctoral internship at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich, Germany where she worked from 2005 to 2009 on the molecular mechanisms of cell division with Dr. Erich Nigg. She established her own laboratory at the CHU de Québec/Laval University in 2010. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including a CIHR New Investigator Salary Award, and FRQS Salary Awards.

The research

Aneuploidy is a pathological condition defined by an aberrant number of chromosomes. Dr. Elowe’s lab is interested in the characterization of signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms of action that ensure the precision of cell division, and thus the prevention of aneuploidy. Specifically, we are interested in a highly conserved kinase group known as the « Spinde Assembly Checkpoint » or « SAC » kinases, which collectively provides normal cell division by two distinct mechanisms: 1) ensuring the attachment of the chromosome to the cell division apparatus 2) delaying the division process until all elements of the division system are in position.

Our research focuses on the following questions:

1. What are the mechanisms of activation and inactivation of SAC kinases?
2. What are the endogenous substrates of SAC kinases?
3. Is SAC differentially regulated in cell lines with chromosomal instability?
4. How does aneuploidy contribute to cancer?

We will use a multidisciplinary approach to identify the signaling pathways involved, including RNA interference coupled with restoration approaches, mass spectrometry, generation and use of phospho-specific antibodies, indirect immunofluorescence, and high resolution video microscopy.