Department of Medicine

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Faculty

Elena G. Yarmola, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Basic Science Faculty

Other professional activities
Director of Gene Expression Core Laboratory and Equipment Committee member at Malcom Randall VAMC, Gainesville, FL

Education
M.S.: Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 1980
Ph.D.: Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and Moscow State University, 1986

Areas of interest
Biochemistry, biophysics, structural biology, biomedical research and biotechnology.

Research Interests
Dynamic remodeling of actin cytoskeleton is vital for development and immune system function. Actin-binding proteins tightly regulate actin cytoskeleton in response to extracellular stimuli. Each of the numerous actin-regulating proteins produces its own set of specific effects, and many of them work in tandem modulating each others function. In addition, there are specific features indicating important role of cytoskeletal proteins for immune cells and neurodevelopment. We study molecular mechanisms both theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical study includes molecular dynamics simulations and mathematical and computer modeling. Please visit http://abakus.medicine.ufl.edu/ to see our recent model. Experimental methods include fluorescence spectroscopy, gel electrophoresis, chromatography, ultracentrifugation and optical microscopy.

Contact information:
University of Florida Department of Medicine
P.O. Box 100221, Gainesville, FL 32610
Tel. (352) 376-1611 ext. 4305 (o) or 6488 (lab),
FAX (352) 271-4547
E-mail: yarmola@ufl.edu

Recent publications:

• Yarmola, E.G., Somasundaram, T., Boring, T.A., Spector, I., Bubb, M.R. (2000) Actin-Latrunculin A Structure and Function: Differential modulation of actin-binding protein function by latrunculin A. J. Biol. Chem., 275, 28120-28127.
• Yarmola, E.G., Edison, A.S., Lenox, R.H., Bubb, M.R. (2001) Actin filament cross-linking by MARCKS: Characterization of two actin-binding sites within the phosphorylation-site domain. J. Biol. Chem., 276, 22351-22358.
• Yarmola, E.G., Parikh, S., Bubb, M.R. (2001) Formation and implications of a ternary complex of profilin, thymosin b4, and actin. J. Biol. Chem., 276, 45555-45563.
• Hertzog, M., Yarmola, E.G., Didry, D., Bubb, M.R., and Carlier, M.-F. (2002) Control of actin dynamics by proteins made of b-thymosin repeats: The actobindin family. J. Biol. Chem., 277 14786-14792.
• Bubb, M.R., L. Govindasamy, Yarmola, E.G., Vorobiev, S.M., Almo, S.C., Somasundaram, T., Chapman, M.S., McKenna, M.A. McKenna, R. (2002). Polylysine induces an antiparallel actin dimer that nucleates filament assembly: Crystal structure at 3.5-A resolution. J. Biol. Chem., 277, 20999-21006.
• Bubb, M. R., Yarmola, E. G., Gibson, B.G., Southwick, F.S. (2003) Depolymerization of Actin Filaments by Profilin: Effects of Profilin on Capping Protein Function. J. Biol. Chem., 278, 24629-24635.
• Chen, S.-H., Bubb, M. R., Yarmola, E.G., Zuo, J., Jiang, J., Lee, B.S., Lu, M., Gluck, S.L., Hurst, I.R., and Holliday L.S. (2004). Vacuolar H(super)+-ATPase binding to microfilaments: regulation in response to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity and detailed characterization of the Actin binding site in subunit B. J. Biol. Chem., 279, 7988 – 7998.
• Reutzel R, Yoshioka C., Govindasamy L., Yarmola E.G., Agbandje-McKenna M., Bubb M.R., McKenna R. (2004). Actin crystal dynamics: structural implications for F-actin nucleation, polymerization, and branching mediated by the anti-parallel dimer. J. Struct. Biol. 146, 291-301.
• Yarmola, E.G., Bubb, M.R. (2004). Effects of profilin and thymosin β4 on the critical concentration of actin demonstrated in vitro and in cell extracts with a novel direct assay. J. Biol. Chem., 279, 33519 – 33527.
• Tapp, H., M. Al-Naggar, I., Yarmola, E.G., Harrison, A., Shaw, G. Edison, A.S. and Bubb, M.R. (2005) MARCKS is a natively unfolded protein with an inaccessible actin-binding site: Evidence for long-range intramolecular interactions in MARCKS. J. Biol. Chem., 280, 9946–9956.
• Yarmola E.G. and Bubb M.R. (2006) Profilin: emerging concepts and lingering misconceptions. Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 31, 197-205.
• Zhang, Y., Vorobiev, S.M., Gibson, B.G, Hao, B., Sidhu, G.S., Mishra, V,S., Yarmola, E.G., Bubb, M.R., Almo, S.C., and Southwick, F.S. (2006) A CapG gain-of-function mutant reveals critical structural and functional determinants for actin filament severing. The EMBO Journal 25, 4458–4467.
• R.S. Fischer, R.S., Yarmola, E.G., Weber, K.L., Speicher, K.D., Speicher D.W., Bubb, M.R., and Fowler, V.M. (2006) Tropomodulin 3 binds to actin monomers. J. Biol. Chem., 2801, 36454–36465.
• Yarmola, E. G., Klimenko, E. S., Fujita, Go, and M. R. Bubb. (2007) Thymosin β4: actin regulation and more. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1112, 76–85.