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 How Stem Cell Fate Is Decided
Camilla Forsberg, Dept. of Biomolecular Engineering
Camila Forsberg's research group focuses on stem cell fate decisions that give rise to variant blood cell types. Are such decisions made by the stem cell itself, by its descendant multipotent progenitors, or both? To answer such questions, Forsberg's group conducts molecular lineage tracing of HSC differentiation in vivo. In order to elucidate the mechanisms of fate decisions, they employ global analyses, such as genome-wide gene expression analysis and chromatin remodeling assays. The ultimate goal of this research is to facilitate our ability to direct specific fates and improve clinical applications of hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic stem cell therapy. [More]
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 Marine Natural Products as Anti-Cancer Compounds
Phil Crews, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The Crews laboratory investigates the chemical structure and biological activity of chemical compounds that are derived from marine organisms. Among its many research projects, the laboratory collaborates with scientists at other research institutions and pharmaceutical industries to explore the identification and development of naturally occuring compounds in the fight against cancer. [More]
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 Lipooxygenase Inhibitors as Potential Anti-Cancer Drugs
Ted Holman, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Lipoxygenases are enzymes implicated in a broad range of human cancers, as well as cardiac and inflammatory diseases. Ted Holman's laboratory examines the enzymatic mechanism and biological function of lipoxygenase in the hopes of developing novel inhibitors. In collaboration with UCSC Professor Phil Crews, his laboratory has identified potent lipoxygenase inhibitors and is currently characterizing their structure/function reactivity. The results of this work will shed light on their potential as anti-cancer agents. [More]
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 A Small Molecule Approach for Studying Signaling Pathways Related to Cell Motility and Cancer
Scott Lokey, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The laboratory of Scott Lokey uses a small molecule approach, called chemical genetics, to study signaling pathways related to cell cycle checkpoints and the actin cytoskeleton. In one study, Lokey and his co-workers are developing screens of natural compounds that can be used to examine how cells detect their own DNA damage. Studies such as these might lead to development of a new class of chemotherapeutic agents. [More]
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 Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation and Cancer
Seth Rubin, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The Rubin laboratory uses a variety of structural and biochemical techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms that control the eukaryotic cell cycle. The aim is to elucidate detailed molecular pictures of protein-protein interactions and how these interactions are regulated by structural and chemical modifications. Improper regulation of these protein interaction networks is commonly associated with aberrant cell proliferation and cancer. [More]
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 Assembly, Structure, and Regulation of the Telomerase Ribonucleoprotein
Michael Stone , Chemistry and Biochemistry
The Stone Research Group combines the use of biochemical and structural methods with newly emerging single-molecule techniques to probe the dynamics of protein-nucleic acid interactions and the molecular mechanisms of biological motors. The lab's current area of focus is the structure and function of the telomerase ribonucleoprotein, an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase that maintains genomic stability by synthesizing repetitive DNA sequences at chromosome termini. These short DNA repeats provide the foundation for specialized chromatin structures, called telomeres, which prevent deleterious chromosome fusion events by differentiating chromosome ends from sites of DNA damage. It has been shown that telomere length typically decreases with every round of cell division, leading to the so-called "molecular clock" hypothesis, wherein telomere length serves as a signal to control cellular lifespan. This notion is consistent with the finding that active telomere DNA synthesis is normally restricted to rapidly dividing cell types, such as stem cells and the majority of human cancers. Stone's research seeks to elucidate physical mechanisms governing telomere length regulation and, in turn, establish a conceptual framework within which to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for human disease. [More] |
 The Application of Molecular and Nanomaterial Systems to the Detection and Treatment of Cancer
Jin Zhang , Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The Zhang research group is interested in the application of molecular and nanomaterial systems in conjunction with optical spectroscopy and related techniques for biomedical detection and treatment, with emphasis on cancer therapies and cancer biomarker detection. Specific projects include: 1) investigation of mechanisms of photodynamic therapy and catalytic therapy based on porphyrins, phthalocyanines, and related compounds; 2) detection of small molecule, protein, and DNA cancer biomarkers using fluorescence based on quantum dots (QDs) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based on metal nanostrutcures; and 3) photothermal imaging and therapy of cancer using unique metal nanostructures. This research involves systematic study of the structural, optical, and photophysical as well as photochemical properties of the materials using a combination of microscopy, x-ray, spectroscopy, and electrochemistry techniques. [More] |
 Use of Random Mutagenesis for Studies of Evolution and for Therapy
Manel Camps, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology
The Camps laboratory uses molecular genetic and computational approaches to study the biological consequences of random changes in genetic information (mutations) that occur spontaneously or as a result of environmental insults. They couple the generation of random mutant libraries with specific selections or screens to study the functional impact of point mutations and to establish how genes evolve in response to selective pressure. This work is relevant for the identification of risk factors of disease, for understanding the origins of drug resistance, and for engineering biological activities. The Camps laboratory also use induction of random genetic alterations (mutagenesis) as an indicator of DNA damage for high-throughput analysis of chemical libraries. Through this approach, the Camps laboratory aims at exploiting the particular susceptibility of rapidly replicating cells to DNA damage for therapeutic purposes with the hopes of identifying candidates that complement or enhance existing anti-tumor therapies. [More] |
 Loss of Growth Control and Cancer
Lindsay Hinck, MCD Biology
One in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Only about 15% of these cancers have been linked to specific gene mutations; therefore a major challenge in breast cancer research is to identify the causes of the disease. We have identified Slits as breast tumor suppressors that regulate several critical pathways controlling cell proliferation and migration. Current research focuses on developing therapeutic strategies to target these pathways. [More]
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 Structure and Functional Analysis of Spliceosomes
Melissa Jurica, MCD Biology
The Jurica lab uses the tools of structural biology and biochemistry to investigate the cellular machinery responsible for editing the information contained in the RNA transcripts of nearly all of human genes. This machinery, called the spliceosome, splices out intron sequences that interrupt gene transcripts and joins exon sequences to make messenger RNAs that correctly encode for proteins. The goal of Jurica's research is to understand how the spliceosome is assembled and how it catalyzes the splicing reaction, but this is ..... [More]
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 Mechanisms that Control Cell Division and Cell Growth
Doug Kellogg, Dept. of MCD Biology
Cells show extraordinary diversity in size and shape. The mechanisms by which cells control their growth and size are poorly understood and represent a fundamental unsolved problem in cell biology. The goal of the Kellogg laboratory's work is to elucidate these mechanisms. Their approach is to use biochemistry, genetics, and mathematical modeling to understand signaling networks that are required for control of cell size and cell growth. [More] |
 Cell Cycle, Cytoskeleton and Pathogenesis
Bill Sullivan, Dept. of MCD Biology
The Sullivan lab uses the Drosophila embryo as a model system to investigate the mechanisms that drive furrow invagination during cytokinesis. Through a combination of cellular and molecular genetic approaches, the Sullivan group has showed that furrow formation requires coordinated cell cycle regulated and endocytic-based vesicle recruitment. These studies have also identified a new role for cell cycle checkpoints in coordinating the nuclear cycle with cytokinesis. More recently, the lab has applied these approaches toward understanding the mechanisms by which the widespread intracellular insect pathogen, Wolbachia, influences host nuclear and cytoplasmic cell cycles. [More]
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 Regulation of Chromatin Structure and Gene Expression
John Tamkun, Dept. of MCD Biology
The Tamkun lab investigates regulation of chromatin's high order structure and its role in gene expression. Composed of DNA and proteins, chromatin's ability to fold enables the eukaryotic genome to be packaged into an extremely small space inside the nucleus of the cell. Proper transcription and replication of the genome also depend upon precise regulation of these dynamic structures, with defects in these processes believed to underly many human diseases. [More]
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 Cellular and Molecular Regulation of Antigen Presentation in Health and Disease
Martha Zuñiga, Department of MCD Biology
The Zúñiga lab is interested in the regulation of immune responses in health and disease. Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules (called HLA molecules in humans) present self, tumor, and pathogen-derived antigens to the T cells. The presentation of MHC molecules in different cellular contexts is of paramount importance in determining immune responsiveness versus tolerance. One major project in the lab focuses on mechanisms of immunological tolerance to cutaneous antigens. We have found that skin-derived regulatory T cells can induce ..... [More]
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