Assistant Professor

Department of Biology
Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies

Education and Training

A.B. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Biology, Biochemistry concentration, magna cum laude

M.S. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Ph.D. Yale University, New Haven, CT.
Cell Biology

Research Fellow, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Dr. Finger received her Ph.D. with Peter Novick at Yale University, and performed postdoctoral research with Barry M. Gumbiner at Sloan-Kettering Insititute and with John G. White at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She joined Rensselaer in 2003.

Contact

Office: Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies Rm. BCHM-2

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 8th Street
Troy, NY 12180

Research Interests

C. elegans septins, emphasizing functions in nervous system and organ development, and crosstalk between the septin and actin cytoskeletons; C. elegans Asf1 histone chaperones; microscopy

A crucial aspect of nervous system development is the extension of axons, which find their correct targets and form synapses that enable the neurons to communicate. Morphogenesis of neurons is mediated by translation of signaling pathways into dynamic changes in neuronal shape. Although the cytoskeleton is crucial to axon development, how axons grow and are maintained is still not fully understood. Our previous in vivo studies in the nematode worm C. elegans identified the septins, an evolutionarily conserved family of GTP-binding proteins, as important for extension of neuronal processes. The septins have been most studied for their role in cytokinesis in fungi and animals, and are also implicated in a number of human cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Surprisingly, the only two worm septins, UNC-59 and UNC-61, are not required for embryonic cell divisions, enabling their other functions to be studied.

To explore the roles of septins in various aspects of cell function required for animal development, my laboratory uses a combination of approaches from classical and molecular genetics, cell biology and biochemistry to study the C. elegans septins. We use a variety of techniques, including microscopy, classical genetic analysis, analysis of locomotory behavior, primary cultures of worm neurons, structure-function studies of the septins, and screens for septin interactors. Our research is largely focused on understanding how the septins function in cellular and axonal migrations during nervous system and organ development, with particular emphasis on crosstalk between the septin cytoskeleton and the actin cytoskeleton.

Current projects focus on:

• Septin functions in neuronal process extension and neuronal migration.
• Screens for septin interactors
• Structure-function studies of septins
• Septin function in development of the pharynx.
• Developmental functions of C. elegans Asf1 histone chaperones.

We also collaborate with the Badri Roysam Group (ECSE) on development of software for analysis of C. elegans locomotion, and with Benjamin Potsaid and John Wen (CATS) on use of the Adaptive Scanning Optical Microscope for biomedical research.

Selected Publications

Potsaid, B., F.P. Finger and J.T. Wen. (2007). Automation of challenging spatial-temporal biomedical observations with the Adaptive Scanning Optical Microscope (ASOM). IEEE Trans. Automation Sci. Eng. Submitted.

Roussel, N., C.A. Morton, F.P. Finger and B. Roysam (2007). A computational model for C. elegans locomotory behavior: application to multi-worm tracking. IEEE Trans. Biomedical Eng. 54:  1786-1797.

Finger, F.P. (2005). Reining in cytokinesis with a septin corral. BioEssays 27 (1): 5-8.

Finger, F.P. (2003). Interdependence of the contractile ring and spindle midzone in cleavage plane maintenance. Cell Cycle 2: 553-4.

Finger, F.P., K.R. Kopish and J.G. White (2003). A role for septins in cellular and axonal migration in  C. elegans. Dev. Biol. 261: 220-234.

Finger, F.P. (2002). One ring to bind them. Septins and actin filaments. Dev. Cell 3: 761-763.

Finger, F.P. and J.G. White (2002). Fusion and fission: membrane trafficking in animal cytokinesis.  Cell 108: 727-730.

Finger, F.P. and P. Novick (2000). Synthetic interactions of the post-Golgi sec mutations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics 156: 943-951.

Finger, F.P. and P. Novick. (1998). Spatial regulation of exocytosis: lessons from yeast. J. Cell Biol. 142: 609-612.

Finger, F.P., T.E. Hughes, and P. Novick (1998). Sec3p is a spatial landmark for polarized secretion in budding yeast. Cell 92: 559-571.