The research of faculty in the Biochemical Signaling area probes the molecular mechanisms accounting for changes in cell metabolism that mediate the physiological adaptation of living cells in response to alterations in their environment. Often these cellular responses involve sequential biochemical reactions that form signaling cascades to coordinately regulate multiple cell functions. Some of the biochemical mechanisms studied in these signaling cascades include post-translational modifications of proteins such as phosphorylation, methylation, lipidation, and ubiquitination. Other mechanisms involve allosteric regulation of molecular function, including protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions. The goal of all of these studies is to understand the principles of coordinated molecular regulation at a biochemical level and to demonstrate the importance of these biochemical regulatory mechanisms in a cellular context.
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The Weidmann lab seeks to illuminate transcriptome-proteome interaction networks that underlie cellular transformations, particularly networks that promote cancer metastasis.
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The Vojtek lab explores the roles of prenyl-binding proteins in trafficking and membrane localization of KRAS4b.
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Potential roles for Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Binding-Protein (CRH-BP) in the mammalian stress response are under investigation in the Seasholtz lab.
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The Goldman lab studies signaling pathways that drive central nervous system regeneration using the retina as a model system.
Primary Faculty
Ruma Banerjee, Ph.D.
Chemical biology of hydrogen sulfide signaling, regulation of mammalian sulfur metabolism in health and disease, structural enzymology of human B12 trafficking proteins
Uhn-Soo Cho, Ph.D.
Biochemical and structural studies of kinetochore assembly, histone chaperones, and Sestrin-mediated mTORC1 regulation
Daniel Goldman, Ph.D.
Identification of signaling pathways, chromatin alterations, and gene expression programs that drive central nervous system regeneration using the retina as a model system
Tom Kerppola, Ph.D.
Protein interactions and modifications in living cells and animals; mechanisms whereby cells and animals recognize and respond to synthetic chemicals
James Morrissey, Ph.D.
Biochemistry of the human blood clotting system; structural studies of protein-membrane complexes
Ruthann Nichols, Ph.D.
Structure-activity relationship and signaling pathways of neuropeptides and receptors of the RFamide peptide family and their role in regulating heart rate and muscle contractions
Stephen Ragsdale, Ph.D.
Molecular mechanisms of redox, heme, and gas signaling pathways
Audrey Seasholtz, Ph.D.
Molecular regulation of key mediators of the mammalian stress response: Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH), CRH receptors and binding protein, and corticosteroid receptors; dysregulation of the stress response in depression, anxiety disorders, and addiction
Raymond Trievel, Ph.D.
Chemical and structural biology of enzymes that covalently modify histones, transcription factors, and other nuclear proteins; current research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the specificities of histone methyltransferases and demethylases and on developing new assays and reagents to characterize them
Michael Uhler, Ph.D.
Neuronal signaling and gene expression in the context of human neurologic and psychiatric disorders
Anne Vojtek, Ph.D.
Molecular and biochemical analysis of signaling pathways that regulate cell proliferation and neural differentiation
Chase Weidmann, Ph.D.
Illuminating transcriptome-proteome interaction networks that underlie cellular transformations, particularly networks that promote cancer metastasis
Secondary Joint Faculty
Wei Cheng, Ph.D.
Using biochemical approaches aided by biophysical tools to mechanistically dissect the responses of B cells to particulate antigens both in vivo and in vitro, with a focus on the quantitative features of viral particles and their impact on B cells
Renny Franceschi, Ph.D.
Signals regulating the formation and functioning of osteoblasts, the cells that produce and mineralize the extracellular matrix of bone
Ursula Jakob, Ph.D.
Biochemical aspects of the bacterial response to oxidative stress
Brian Ross, Ph.D.
Molecular imaging of biological processes in living tissue, including noninvasive detection of molecular signaling events to investigate cancer growth and response to therapy
Debra Thompson, Ph.D.
Molecular studies of the function of the mammalian retina, including mechanisms that control signal transduction and tissue-specific gene expression in the retinal pigment epithelium