Research in the Department of Medical Genetics And Molecular Biochemistry (MG & MB) is focused around three broad themes:

Membrane Signaling

Areas under study include mechanisms underlying store-operated calcium entry, including structure and function of STIM/Orai proteins and TRPC channels, calcium-activated K+ channels, nuclear receptors, glutamate transporters and lipid membrane structure and organization. Experimental approaches include high-resolution fluorescence imaging of Ca2+ signals; confocal imaging; quantitative measurement of cellular O2 consumption and cellular metabolites; fluorescence spectroscopy; and a variety of state-of-the-art biochemical, genetic, and electrophysiological techniques.

Faculty:

• Parkson Lee-Gau Chong, PhD
• Kathleen M. Giangiacomo, PhD
• Raymond Habas, PhD
• Vladimir M. Kolenko, MD, PhD
• Brad Rothberg, PhD
• Jonathan Soboloff , PhD
• Dianne R. Soprano, PhD

Protein Structure and Function

X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy approaches are used to enable structural study of enzymes, regulatory proteins, receptors, and ion channels. Several faculty use these and other tools of structural biology, including molecular modelling and visualization, in conjunction with functional approaches that include pre-steady state and steady state kinetics, 1H, 15N and 31P NMR, hydrogen/deuterium exchange, electrophysiology of reconstituted ion channels, and protein modification through mutagenesis.

Faculty:

• Mark Andrake, PhD
• Richard H.G. Baxter, PhD
• Kathleen M. Giangiacomo, PhD
• Dale Haines, PhD
• Eileen Jaffe, PhD
• Heinrich Roder, PhD
• Brad Rothberg, PhD
• Jonathan Soboloff , PhD

Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Genetics

Several faculty members are engaged in research on: cancer biology, antiviral mechanisms, cell cycle control, cell differentiation, control of gene expression, mitochondrial function, nuclear hormone receptors, DNA replication, DNA repair, mechanism of oncogene activation, tumor suppressors, genomics, next generation sequencing, oxidative stress and carcinogenesis. Model systems used in this work include mammalian cell lines, zebrafish, and transgenic animals.

Faculty:

• Siddharth Balachandran, PhD
• Denise Connolly, PhD
• Margret Einarson, PhD
• Greg H. Enders, MD, PhD
• Nora Engel, PhD
• Ana Gamero, PhD
• Glenn S. Gerhard, MD
• Antonio Giordano, MD, PhD
• Erica Golemis, PhD
• Xavier Grana, PhD
• Raymond Habas, PhD
• Dale Haines, PhD
• Vladimir M. Kolenko, MD, PhD
• Dan Liebermann, PhD
• Alana O’Reilly, PhD
• Matthew Robinson, PhD
• José Russo, MD, FACP
• Jonathan Soboloff , PhD
• Dianne R. Soprano, PhD
• Stephen Sykes, PhD
• Ling Yang, PhD
• Zengjie Yang, PhD
• M. Raza Zaidi, PhD