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• Glenn Millhauser (Chem) Remarkable Protein Structures... and Where They Go Wrong in Disease
• Bill Saxton (MCD) Organelle Transport and Neurodegeneration
• Don Smith (METX) Organismal Responses and Therapeutic Treatment of Toxins
• Yi Zuo (MCD) Glia-neuron Interaction and Structural Plasticity of the Synapse

Prof MillhauserRemarkable Protein Structures... and Where They Go Wrong in Disease

Glenn Millhauser, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

In modern biochemistry, structural determination is essential for understanding the function of biomolecules. Scientists in Glenn Millhauser's laboratory use peptide synthesis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and electron paramagnetic spin resonance spectroscopy (EPR) to examine the structure and analyze the function of proteins that have been implicated in several debilitating diseases. This includes the prion protein, which is responsible for mad cow disease and the related human affliction, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. They have also examined a novel signaling molecule, called AGRP, which is involved in energy balance and metabolic pathologies, such as diabetes and obesity. [More]

Prof Bill SaxtonOrganelle Transport and Neurodegeneration

Bill Saxton, Dept. MCD Biology

The Saxton lab studies mechanisms that drive intracellular transport and cytoplasmic organization, using Drosophila as a model organism. To generate and maintain proper cytoplasmic order and thus their complex functions, cells use microtubules and force-generating motor proteins to transport RNAs, proteins, mitochondria and other organelles to appropriate locations. Neurons are especially dependent on such microtubule-based cytoplasmic transport, because their signaling functions rely on extraordinarily long cytoplasmic extensions (axons and dendrites) that require import of many components from their cell bodies ..... [More]


Prof Donald Smith

Organismal Responses and Therapeutic Treatment of Toxins

Don Smith, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology

It is becoming clear that exposures to environmental toxins, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic can cause or contribute to the development of diseases in humans. For example, some neurobehavioral and neurodegenerative disorders, such as learning deficits and Parkinsonism have been linked to elevated lead and manganese exposures in children and manganese exposures in adults, respectively. The Smith lab explores basic mechanisms underlying how toxic metal exposures contributes to cellular effects and disease. [More]


Prof XXXGlia-neuron Interaction and Structural Plasticity of the Synapse

Yi Zuo, Dept. of MCD Biology

Neurons communicate with each other at a specialized structure called the synapse. The Zuo lab focuses on how the interactions of two types of cells - glia and neurons - affect synapse formation and plasticity. Zuo's studies are providing insight into the involvement of glia in learning and memory. Furthermore, because glial malfunctions are characteristic of many neurodegenerative diseases, her lab's results may also point us in the direction of potential treatments for neurological diseases.( [More]


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Biomedical Research Website by William Sullivan and David M. States | Last reviewed 11/24/08 by David States.