Michael A. McMurray

Coiled-coil homo-oligomerization and disaggregase Hsp104 act in parallel to stabilize orphan septins

The paper shows that orphan septins form coiled-coil homomers and are stabilized by Hsp104 to prevent degradation and maintain subunit stoichiometry.

Roles for the canonical polarity machinery in the de novo establishment of polarity in budding yeast spores

The paper identifies Bud8 and Bud5 as key components of the spore polarity site in budding yeast, showing their role in de novo polarity establishment independent of mating cues.

Wild yeast isolation by middle school students reveals features of North American oak populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces lactis

Middle school students isolated wild yeast from oak bark, sequenced HO alleles, and found limited HO diversity in North American oak isolates but high diversity in Kluyveromyces lactis.

Chaperone Requirements for De Novo Folding of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Septins

The paper shows that budding yeast septins require chaperone assistance for native folding and complex assembly, with Cdc12 being highly dependent on chaperonins.

Chemical rescue of mutant proteins in living cells by naturally occurring small molecules

The paper identifies naturally occurring small molecules that can rescue mutant protein function in yeast, highlighting their potential as therapeutic agents and evolutionary drivers.

Selective functional inhibition of a tumor-derived p53 mutant by cytosolic chaperones identified using split-YFP in budding yeast

The paper identifies cytosolic chaperone interactions with a tumor-derived p53 mutant using split-YFP in budding yeast, showing temperature-sensitive nuclear exclusion and dominant-negative effects.

Guanidine hydrochloride reactivates an ancient septin hetero-oligomer assembly pathway in budding yeast

The paper shows that guanidine hydrochloride reactivates an ancient septin hexamer assembly pathway in yeast by mimicking a missing arginine sidechain in Cdc3.