Kenneth Campellone

Associate Professor

Molecular and Cell Biology / Cell and Developmental Biology / Genetics and Genomics / Microbiology


Education: Postdoc, Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley; Ph.D., Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UMass Medical School; B.S., Biology, Providence College

Research Interests: Our research goals are to determine (1) how the cytoskeleton controls the organization, shape, and movement of cells and their internal components; (2) how cytoskeletal remodeling is altered by infectious microbes and genetic mutations; and (3) how cytoskeletal functions affect biological aging.  We use a combination of bioinformatic, genetic, biochemical, molecular, cellular, and organismal approaches to study these processes.

Selected Publications:

King VL and Campellone KG.  2023.  F-actin-rich territories coordinate apoptosome assembly and caspase activation during DNA damage-induced intrinsic apoptosis.  Mol Biol Cell.  34(5):ar41.  doi: 10.1091/mbc.E22-04-0119. Cover

Kenneth G. Campellone, Nadine M. Lebek, Virginia L. King, Branching out in different directions: Emerging cellular functions for the Arp2/3 complex and WASP-family actin nucleation factors, European Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 102, Issue 2, 2023, 151301, ISSN 0171-9335, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151301.

Genomic instability caused by Arp2/3 complex inactivation results in micronucleus biogenesis and cellular senescence. Haarer EL, Theodore CJ, Guo S, Frier RB, and Campellone KG. PLoS Genetics 2023. 19(1):e1010045. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010045.

King VL, Leclair NK, Coulter AM, Campellone KG (2021) The actin nucleation factors JMY and WHAMM enable a rapid Arp2/3 complex-mediated intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. PLoS Genet 17(4): e1009512. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009512

Nadine M. Lebek, Kenneth G. Campellone; Adding SNX to the mix: SNX9 drives filopodia biogenesis. J Cell Biol 6 April 2020; 219 (4): e202002086. doi: https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202002086

Kabrawala S, Zimmer MD, Campellone KG (2020) WHIMP links the actin nucleation machinery to Src-family kinase signaling during protrusion and motility. PLoS Genet 16(3): e1008694. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1008694

Velle KB and Campellone KG (2018). Enteropathogenic E.coli relies on collaboration between the formin mDia1 and the Arp2/3 complex for actin pedestal biogenesis and maintenance. PLoS Pathogens. 14:e1007486 Epub. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1007485.

Velle KB and Campellone KG (2017). Extracellular motility and cell-to-cell transmission of enterohemorrhagic E. coli is driven by EspFU-mediated actin assembly. PLoS Pathogens. 13:e1006501 Epub. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1006501.

Mathiowetz AJ, Baple E, Russo AJ, Coulter AM, Carrano E, Brown J, Jinks RN, Crosby AH, and Campellone KG (2017). An Amish founder mutation disrupts a PI(3)P-WHAMM-Arp2/3 complex driven autophagosome remodeling pathway. Mol Biol Cell. 28:2492-2507 Epub. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E17-01-0022.

Russo AJ, Mathiowetz AJ, Hong S, Welch MD, and Campellone KG (2016). Rab1 recruits the actin nucleation machinery but limits filament assembly during membrane remodeling. Mol Biol Cell. 27(6):967-978. (Cover)

Shen QT, Hsiue PP, Sindelar CV, Welch MD, Campellone KG, and Wang HW (2012). Structural insights into WHAMM-mediated cytoskeletal coordination during membrane remodeling. J Cell Biol. 199:111-124.

Campellone KG, Siripala AD, Leong JM, and Welch MD (2012). Membrane-deforming proteins play distinct roles in actin pedestal biogenesis by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem 287: 20613-20624

Huang J, Birmingham CL, Shahnazari S, Shiu J, Zheng YT, Smith AC, Campellone KG, Heo WD, Gruenheid S, Meyer T, Welch MD, Ktistakis NT, Kim PK, Klionsky DJ, and Brumell JH. (2011) Antibacterial autophagy occurs at PI(3)P-enriched domains of the endoplasmic reticulum and requires the Rab1 GTPase. Autophagy. 7(1):17-26.

Vingadassalom D*, Campellone KG*, Brady MJ, Skehan B, Battle SE, Robbins D, Kapoor A, Hecht G, Snapper SB, and Leong JM (2010). Enterohemorrhagic E. coli requires N-WASP for efficient type III translocation but not for EspFU-mediated actin pedestal formation. PLoS Pathog. 6:e1001056 Epub.

Campellone KG, Cheng HC, Robbins D, Siripala AD, McGhie EJ, Hayward RD, Welch MD, Rosen MK, Koronakis V, and Leong JM (2008). Repetitive N-WASP-binding elements of the enterohemorrhagic effector EspFU synergistically activate actin assembly. PLoS Pathog. 4:e1000191 Epub.

Cheng HC, Skehan BM, Campellone KG, Leong JM, and Rosen MK (2008). Structural mechanism of WASP activation by the enterohaemorrhagic E. coli effector EspFU. Nature. 454(7207):1009-1013.

Campellone KG, Webb NJ, Znameroski EA, and Welch MD (2008). WHAMM is an Arp2/3 complex activator that binds microtubules and functions in ER to Golgi transport. Cell. 134(1):148-161.

Campellone KG, Roe AJ, Lobner-Olesen A, Murphy KC, Magoun L, Brady MJ, Donohue-Rolfe A, Tzipori S, Gally DL, Leong JM, and Marinus MG (2007). Increased adherence and actin pedestal formation by dam-deficient enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Mol Microbiol. 63(5):1468-1481.

Campellone KG, Brady MJ, Alamares JG, Rowe DC, Skehan B, Tipper DJ, and Leong JM (2006). Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Tir requires a C-terminal 12-residue peptide to initiate EspFU-mediated actin assembly and harbors N-terminal sequences that influence pedestal length. Cell Microbiol. 8(9):1488-1503.

Campellone KG and Leong JM (2005). Nck-independent actin assembly is mediated by two phosphorylated tyrosines within enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Tir. Mol Microbiol. 56(2): 416-432.

Campellone KG, Robbins D, and Leong JM (2004). EspFU is a translocated EHEC effector that interacts with Tir and N-WASP and promotes Nck-independent actin assembly. Dev Cell. 7(2): 217-228.

Campellone KG, Rankin S, Pawson T, Kirschner MW, Tipper DJ, and Leong JM (2004). Clustering of Nck by a 12-residue Tir phosphopeptide is sufficient to trigger localized actin assembly. J Cell Biol. 164(3): 407-416.

Review Articles

Gupton SL, Campellone KG (2018). Actin dynamics and function. Mol Biol Cell. 29: 696-697. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E18-01-0010.

Rottner K, Hanisch J, and Campellone KG (2010). WASH, WHAMM, and JMY: Regulation of Arp2/3 complex and beyond. Trends Cell Biol. 20(11): 650-661.

Campellone KG (2010). Cytoskeleton-modulating effectors of enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli: Tir, EspFU, and actin pedestal assembly. FEBS J. 277(11): 2390-402.

Campellone KG and Welch MD. (2010). A nucleator arms race: Cellular control of actin assembly. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 11(4): 237-251.

Campellone KG (2010). Phosphoinositides influence pathogen surfing: EPEC rights the SHIP. Cell Host Microbe 7(1):1-2.

Hayward RD, Leong JM, Koronakis V and Campellone KG (2006). Exploiting pathogenic Escherichia coli to model transmembrane receptor signaling. Nat Rev Microbiol. 4(5): 358-370.

Sean Flynn
Contact Information
Emailkenneth.campellone@uconn.edu
Phone860- 486-3326 (office)
860-486-2497
Fax860- 486-1936
Mailing Address67 North Eagleville Road, Unit 3197 Engineering Science Building 306B Storrs, CT 06269 -3197
Office LocationESB 206B
Linkhttps://campellonelab.uconn.edu/