This project will investigate the effects of acrylamide as an agent for disrupting normal distributions of intermediate filaments in cultured epithelial cells. Part of the work is designed to understand the mechanism by which acrylamide causes alterations in intermediate filament distribution. Effects of acrylamide on keratin phosphoryation will be investigated, using both living acrylamide-treated cells and a cell-free phosphorylation system. The effects of phosphorylation on keratin structure will be studing by cross polarization magic angle spinning 13-C NMR. Other work will focus on effects of acrylamide on living cells in culture, e.g., effects on motility, cytoplasmic organization, and cell division. Acrylamide will be used in conjunction with other cytoskeleton inhibitors to investigate interactions among different cytoskeletal elements. These studies should provide new information about the potential uses of acrylamide as an intermediate filament inhibitor, as well as provide data about the function of these cytoskeletal elements.
