DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
Building D, Room
240, Medical Sciences I; (949) 824-6051
Robert Steele, Interim Department
Chair
Faculty
Bogi Andersen: Transcriptional regulation in Epithelial tissues
Pierre Baldi: Computation biology, bioinformatics, probabilistic modeling, machine learning
Phang-Lang Chen: Signal transduction in response to DNA damage and tumor genesis
Xing Dai: Signaling and transcriptional control in skin epithelia
Peter Donovan: The mechanisms by which pluripotent stem cells are formed in the embryo and the uses of such stem cells for transplantation therapy of human disease
John P. Fruehauf: Regulatory elements in cancer-related angiogenesis: prognosis and therapeutic targeting
Anand Ganesan: Disorders of pigmentation and melanoma
Sergei Grando: Non-neuronal cholinergic system
Peter Kaiser: Cell cycle regulation by ubiquitin
Eva Y.-H. P. Lee: Breast cancer etiology and DNA damage checkpoint control
Wen-Hwa Lee: Molecular cancer genetics, mainly the mechanism of tumor suppressor gene functions, cancer progression and novel therapy
Leonid Lerner: Retinal diseases, vitreoretinal surgery, uveitis and ocular inflammation
Ellis R. Levin: The plasma membrane estrogen receptor (ER) and its effects on the biology of estrogen action
Steven Lipkin: Cancer genetics and genomics
Haoping Liu: Signal transduction, cell cycle regulation, hypha development in yeast
Leslie Lock: Mammalian embryonic stem cells in studies of development and human disease
Frank Meyskens: Carcinogenesis and molecular biology of melanoma and chemoprevention of human cancer
Masayasu Nomura: RNA polymerase I, nucleolus and ribosome synthesis in yeast
Daniele Piomelli: Biochemistry and pharmacology of the endogenous cannabinoids and other lipid signaling systems
Suzanne B. Sandmeyer: Retrovirus-like elements in yeast
Robert E. Steele: Evolution of multicellular animals and their genomes
Leslie Michels Thompson: Molecular/biochemical analysis of multiple myeloma and Huntington's disease
Douglas C. Wallace: Molecular and mitochondrial medicine and genetics
Kyoko Yokomori: Chromosome structure organization and its role in genome function and stability
Yi-Hong Zhou: Tumor suppression pathways and molecular prognosis of brain tumor
Faculty research interests in the Department of Biological Chemistry are in the structure and function of chromosomes, signal transduction and its role in cell growth and differentiation control, regulation of gene expression (transcription, protein synthesis, and protein localization), and the molecular basis of development. Genome sequencing projects are making it possible for faculty to exploit information learned about gene function in model organisms for understanding human disease processes. Students are exposed to technical expertise in all facets of current research in molecular biochemistry from protein chemistry to genetic engineering and gene mapping. A newly established atomic force microscopy facility is available for structure research. Researchers in the Department are also using old DNA array technology and bioinformatics to understand global changes in gene expression in response to the environment.
The Department offers graduate study under the auspices of the School of Biological Sciences and in conjunction with the program in Cellular and Molecular Biosciences (CMB), which is described in a previous section. Students admitted into the combined program who select a research advisor in the Department begin thesis research in the second year. Students are required to attend and participate in the departmental research seminars. In addition, students are required to complete three advanced-level graduate courses subsequent to entering the Department's Ph.D. concentration. In the third year, students take the advancement-to-candidacy examination for the Ph.D. degree by presenting and defending a proposal for specific dissertation research. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years, and the maximum time permitted is seven years.
Courses in Biological Chemistry
200A, B, C Research in Biological Chemistry (2 to 12) F, W, S. Individual research under the supervision of a professor. May be repeated for credit.
200R Research in Biological Chemistry for First-Year Students (2 to 12) F, W, S. Independent research within the laboratories of graduate training faculty in the Department of Biological Chemistry for first-year Ph.D. students. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. May be taken for credit three times.
202A, B, C Laboratory Seminar Series (1, 1, 1) F, W, S. Study within a laboratory group including research and journal presentations. Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory only. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
207 Advanced Molecular Genetics (4) S. Lecture, two hours; quiz, two hours. Teaching genetics and genomics approaches in yeast. Covers cell-type determination, MAPK signaling, cell cycle, ubiquitin, genomics, transposons. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be taken for credit two times.
210A Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (12) F. Covers the following topics from a biomedical perspective: protein and nucleic acid biochemistry, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, purines and pyrimidines, genome structure, molecular mechanisms of development, and signal transduction.
212 Signal Transduction and Growth Control (4) S. Lecture, two hours; discussion, two hours. Covers various eukaryotic signaling pathways (tyrosine kinase, ras-raf-MAPK, TGF-ß, wnt, JAK-STAT, and FAS) with an emphasis on the experimental underpinnings. The material is covered in lectures and discussions of pertinent papers. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Same as Pathology 212. Offered every other year.
215 Mouse Developmental Genetics (4) S. Lecture, three hours. Introduction to the use of the mouse in contemporary biomedical research. The biology and development of the laboratory mouse, methods for manipulation of the mouse genome and embryos, and examples of application of these methods to understanding mammalian development and homeostasis. Prerequisite: graduate standing, advanced undergraduate standing, or consent of instructor. Same as Developmental and Cell Biology 207.
217 Human Evolution and Behavior (4) S. Lecture, three hours. Covers theories and empirical research concerning the evolutionary origins of human behaviors and their variations. An interdisciplinary course emphasizing both evolutionary psychology (e.g., mating strategies, kinship, and parenting) and molecular evolution (i.e., evolution of genes for various behaviors). Same as Psychology and Social Behavior P271. Offered every other year.
225 Chromatin Structure and Function (4) W. Lecture, three hours. Focuses on the role of chromatin/nuclear structure organization in eukaryotic genome regulation. The effects of histone and DNA modification, chromatin remodeling, higher order chromatin structure and nuclear organization on gene regulation, and DNA replication and repair are discussed. Prerequisites: graduate standing and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 203 and 204, or consent of instructor. Offered every other year.
291 Research Seminar (2) F, W, S. Student research-based colloquium covering current topics in gene organization and expression, cell cycle and differentiation, DNA repair, checkpoint control, and the physical, chemical, and biological properties of macromolecules. Students are encouraged to read critically and analyze recent literature. Prerequisite: graduate standing, advanced undergraduate standing, or consent of instructor. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. May be repeated for credit.
292A-B-C Scientific Communication (2-2-2) F, W, S. Seminar, two hours. Small group meetings for graduate students to practice scientific writing, debate, and presentation skills. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. May be repeated for credit.
293A, B, C Cancer Biology Journal Club (1, 1, 1) F, W, S. Focuses on molecular mechanisms that underlie the development and progression of cancers. Covers a variety of cancer-related research areas, such as cell cycle control, apoptosis, DNA repair, metastasis, angiogenesis, and others. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.