Cell Identity and Signaling

cell Identity and Signaling

The program unites investigators with expertise in cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, and developmental biology who are using these approaches to identify molecules and pathways that function to control the growth of cells. The research of program participants emphasizes three areas of investigation:

> Reversible Phosphorylation – Identifying and characterizing the molecular components of intracellular signaling
   cascades that impact cell growth and transformation.

> Signaling to the Nucleus – Understanding how gene expression is controlled and manipulating this regulatory
   machinery to alter cellular phenotypes.

> Cell-Cell Communication – Characterizing molecules that regulate the behavior of cells as they function within a
   developing and/or differentiating tissue, and investigating the status of these molecules in neoplastic disease.

Although the majority of the program’s participants utilize mammalian model systems (including genetically engineered mice) in their research, the Cell Growth and Differentiation Program also includes key members of the Purdue faculty whose research on the molecular basis of eukaryotic growth control takes advantage of the classical genetic approaches available in yeast, fish, C. elegans and Arabidopsis. This breadth of research and the availability of model systems provide the program with unrivaled opportunities for cancer target discovery, validation, and functional integration within pathways critical for “cell growth and differentiation.”

Program Members:

Claudio R. Aguilar, BIOL
Ourania M. Andrisani, BMS
Scott D. Briggs, BCHM, Co-Leader
Ignacio G. Camarillo, BIOL
Henry Chang, BIOL
Harry Charbonneau, BCHM
Donna M. Fekete, BIOL
James C. Fleet, F&N
Robert L. Geahlen, MCMP
Stanton B. Gelvin, BIOL
Marietta L. Harrison, MCMP
Chang-Deng Hu, MCMP
Chang H. Kim, VPTH
Julia Kirshner, BIOL
Ann L. Kirchmaier, BCHM
Stephen F. Konieczny, BIOL
Shihuan Kuang,  AS
Sophie A. Lelièvre, BMS
Xiaoqi Liu, BCHM
Susan Mendrysa, BMS
Tim Ratliff, VPTH
Sandra S. Rossie, BCHM
Arnold Stein, BIOL
Elizabeth J. Taparowsky, BIOL, Leader
Dorothy Teegarden, F&N