Mission The Cell Signaling Training Track encompasses the study of both normal and pathophysiologic processes related to signal transduction at an organismal, cellular, or biochemical level. Such processes include receptor-based systems, second messenger pathways, carcinogenesis, transcriptional regulation, and pharmacology.
Requirements
Courses:
All students are required to take 9 units of classes by the end of their first year in the Programs (second year in DBS). This includes 3 Units of Track-required courses, 3 Units of courses from within the Cell Regulation or Biological Chemistry Programs, and 3 Units of free choice. The required course for the Cell Signaling Track is Signal Transduction (3 units). For current class schedules and descriptions please click here.
Works-in-Progress (WIPs):
All students are expected to participate in a weekly WIPs, and will present their on-going research once a year. Each Track has its own WIPs. WIPs are designed to provide a format in which students are encouraged to think critically about their own research and how it relates to a broader area of Biology. Faculty within the Track are strongly encouraged to attend. The WIPs for the Cell Signaling Training Track meets on Fridays, 11 a.m. in ND7.218.
Journal Club:
All students are expected to participate in a weekly Journal Club. These Journal Clubs will be focused around particular topics and will be led by faculty within the Programs. The Cell Regulation and Biological Chemistry programs jointly sponsor 5-7 Journal Clubs each semester, which will be open to all students in both programs. Current and upcoming Journal Clubs, advisors and times can be found by clicking here.
Dissertation Committees:
The requirement for the Dissertation Committee is the same throughout all Tracks.
Qualifying Exam:
The requirement for the Qualifying Exam is the same throughout all Tracks. Students are expected to pass their Qualifying Exam by June of their first year in the Programs (second year in DBS).
Faculty
Track Chair: Paul Sternweis
James Bibb -- Protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation related to neural function.
Kathlynn Brown -- Cell-specific targeting; receptor-ligand interactions; cancer targeting; drug delivery; cancer biomarker identification.
David Chen -- Role of DNA-PK in DNA double-strand break repair; Ku, telomere maintenance and cellular senescence; transgenic mouse models for DNA damage sensing and signaling; DNA damage responses induced by HZE particles in human cells.
Cheng-Ming Chiang-- Mechanisms of transcriptional regulation and epigenetic control; chromatin remodeling and histone tail modification; sumoylation and ubiquitination; functional interplay between oncoproteins and tumor suppressor proteins; general transcription factors and cofactors.
Melanie Cobb -- Protein kinase cascades; MAP kinases; signal-transduction mechanisms.
Russell DeBose-Boyd -- Regulation of HMG-CoA reductase and sterol metabolism.
J. R. Falck -- Total synthesis of natural products; synthetic methodology; organometalics; eicosanoids; medicinal chemistry.
Alfred Gilman -- Hormonal regulation of cyclic AMP metabolism; mechanisms of control of hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclase; regulatory GTP-binding proteins.
Joseph Goldstein -- Genetics and biochemistry of lipoprotein and cholesterol metabolism; cell-surface receptor function; regulation of gene expression.
Stephen Hammes -- Analysis of nongenomic steroid signaling; progesteronemediated maturation of oocytes.
Lily Huang -- Cytokine receptor; signal transduction; hematopoiesis; structure-function analysis of protein; cancer.
Steven Kliewer -- Physiology of nuclear receptors.
Mark Lehrman -- Informational carbohydrates in the endoplasmic reticulum: roles in protein folding, stress responses and human disease.
David Mangelsdorf -- Mechanism of nuclear hormone receptor action; role of retinoids in cancer; transcriptional regulation of lipid metabolism.
Carole Mendelson -- Molecular mechanisms in tissue-specific, developmental and hormonal regulation of eukaryotic gene expression.
John Minna -- Molecular genetics of human cancer; growth factors and signal transduction in human tumors.
Marc Mumby -- Signaling pathways controlling cell growth and transformation.
Matthew Porteus -- Regulation of DNA double-stranded break repair; regulation of homologous recombination.
Elliott Ross -- Mechanisms and regulatory behavior of G-protein signaling; regulated protein-protein interactions in signal transduction.
David Russell -- Steroid and bile-acid metabolism; molecular genetics; gene regulation; protein structure-function.
Dean Smith -- Sensory transduction in Drosophila melanogaster.
Paul Sternweis -- Regulation of intracellular events by cell-surface receptors; structure and function of GTP-dependent regulatory proteins and their effectors.
Ronald Taussig -- G protein-mediated signaling.
Lance Terada -- Vascular biology; oxidant biochemistry; signal transduction; acute lung injury.
Philip Thorpe -- Development of novel angiogenesis inhibitors and agents for inducing thrombosis of tumor blood vessels for cancer treatment.
Michael White -- Molecular mechanisms for control of cell growth and differentiation.
Thomas Wilkie -- Signal-transduction pathways in mammalian development and energy homeostasis.
Masashi Yanagisawa -- Identification and characterization of new signaling molecules that regulate vital functions such as sleep, appetite and blood pressure.
Hongtao Yu -- Study of cell division cycle.
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