DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL AND CELL BIOLOGY
5205A McGaugh
Hall; (949) 824-1721
Ken W.-Y. Cho, Department Chair
Faculty
Joseph Arditti (Emeritus): Developmental physiology of orchids
Kavita Arora: Drosophila development; TGF-β signal transduction; cell signaling
Lee Bardwell: Intracellular signaling in development and disease
Bruce Blumberg: Gene regulation by nuclear hormone receptors in vertebrate development and adult physiology
Hans R. Bode (Emeritus): Pattern formation and stem cell differentiation
Carrie Brachmann: Spatial and molecular regulation of developmental apoptosis
Peter J. Bryant: Tumor-suppressor genes of Drosophila and humans
Susan V. Bryant: Molecular basis of limb development and regeneration
Richard D. Campbell (Emeritus): Morphogenesis; biology of Hydra; fractal geometry of biological forms
Ken W.-Y Cho: Molecular mechanisms of axis specification in Xenopus
Olivier Cinquin: Mathematical modeling of networks, systems biology
Peter J. Donovan: Stem cell biology
Aimee L. Edinger: Cancer biology, cellular growth control, apoptosis
Donald E. Fosket (Emeritus): Regulation of cytoskeleton formation and function
Steven Gross: Force Generation by molecular motors in living cells
David Gardiner: Limb development and regeneration
Patrick L. Healey (Emeritus): Plant cellular differentiation and morphogenesis; ultrastructure and histochemistry of secretory systems; early reproductive development
Franz Hoffmann: Regeneration of cultured plant cells; somatic cell genetics
Lan Huang: Mass spectrometry/proteomics
Daniel J. Knauer (Emeritus): Human antithrombins and related serine protease inhibitors
Stuart M. Krassner (Emeritus): Developmental transitions of hemoflagellates
Arthur D. Lander: Molecular mechanisms of cell and axon guidance; proteoglycans
Eva Y.-H. P. Lee: DNA repair and tumor suppressor genes; cancer biology
Howard M. Lenhoff (Emeritus): Biology of Hydra; immobilized enzymes; history of experimental biology
Shin Lin: The combined use of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and molecular biophysics to study the structure and function of proteins involved in cytoskeletal/contractile functions and signal transduction in muscle and nonmuscle cells
Leslie Lock: Stem cell biology
Grant MacGregor: Mouse reproduction and development
J. Lawrence Marsh: Molecular genetics of development in Drosophila and humans
Ronald L. Meyer: Development of nerve connections, nerve injury and regeneration
R. Michael Mulligan: RNA editing in plant mitochondria and chloroplasts
Diane K. O'Dowd: Electrical excitability and synaptic connectivity during development
Thomas F. Schilling: Zebrafish development, vertebrate genetics, and craniofacial development
Christine Suetterlin: Golgi dynamics during the cell sumoylation
Rahul Warrior: Genetics and cell biology of nuclear migration of growth factor signaling
Tau-Mu Yi: G-protein signaling; systems biology
Research programs of the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology focus on molecular aspects of the development of eukaryotic organisms, on the molecular interaction of cells in tissue differentiation, and expression and function of genes related to the biogenesis of organelles and cellular constituents. The main emphasis of research training is in the molecular aspects of cells and development, and the utilization of biotechnology. The Department maintains facilities for research that include genetic, molecular, and biochemical techniques and also has facilities in advanced electron optics, microsurgery, microinjection, and neurophysiology.
The Department offers graduate study in conjunction with the program in Cellular and Molecular Biosciences (CMB), and the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, which are described in a previous section. Students admitted into the combined program who select a research advisor in the Department begin following the departmental requirements for the Ph.D. at the beginning of their second year. Students participate in the Developmental or Cell Biology Journal Club and the departmental seminar series, which meet weekly during the academic year. In the fall of their third year, students take the advancement-to-candidacy examination 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 Developmental and Cell Biology
200A-B-C Research in Developmental and Cell Biology (2 to 12 per quarter) F, W, S. Individual research supervised by a particular professor. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
200R Research in Developmental and Cell Biology for First-Year Students (2 to 12) F, W, S. Independent research within the laboratories of graduate training faculty in the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology for first-year Ph.D. students. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. May be taken for credit three times.
201A Advanced Topics in Developmental Biology (2). Seminar, two hours. Advanced study in various fields of organismic biology. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit.
202A-B-C Basic Training (2-2-2) F, W, S. Lecture, two hours. Provides students with skills and knowledge needed to make a rapid start in productive research in molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry. Includes experimental design; laboratory safety; literature management; microscopy; statistics; patents; grantsmanship; publication; presentation; teaching; and responsible conduct of research. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.
203A-B-C Graduate Tutorial in Developmental and Cell Biology (4-4-4) F, W, S. Advanced study in areas not represented by formal courses. May involve individual or small group study through discussion, reading, and composition. Time and subject matter arranged individually.
204 Advanced Topics in Developmental Neurobiology (2) F, W, S. Seminar, two hours. Discussion of recent papers in the area of molecular aspects of cellular and developmental neurobiology. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.
205 Molecular Motors and the Cytoskeleton (4) F, W, S. Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Cells use nano-machines (molecular motors) to organize themselves and transport cargo. This interdisciplinary course studies these motors and the rails they move along. Examines their biological function and how they function at the single-molecule level as machines. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences D103 or consent of instructor. Concurrent with Biological Sciences D115.
206A-C Advanced Topics in Cell Biology (2-2) . Seminar, two hours. Advanced study of various topics in cell biology. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit.
207 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 instructors Same as Biological Chemistry 215.
208 Balancing an Academic Workload (1) F. Seminar, one hour. Students receive formal training in balancing graduate-level biology research with other time commitments, including teaching. Recommended for graduate students who have an active research program and teaching or course work commitments.
209 Molecular Genetics Journal Club (2) F, W, S. Seminar, one and one-half hours. Advanced topics of current interest in molecular and developmental genetics. May be repeated for credit.
210 Advanced Development Genetics (4). Lecture, two hours; discussion, two hours. Focuses on discussion of critical concepts in developmental biology and regeneration, with emphasis on model organisms such as Drosophila, Zebrafish, and murine systems. Molecular mechanisms underlying key developmental decisions also discussed. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
211 Faculty Research Colloquium (2) F. Research interests of faculty participating in the graduate program in Cellular and Molecular Biosciences are presented in weekly meetings. Corequisite: enrollment in the CMB graduate program.
231B Cell Biology (4) F. Lecture, two hours; discussion, two hours. A broadly based course including topics in extracellular matrix, cytoskeleton, organelle biogenesis, receptor-mediated endocytosis, signal transduction, cell cycle, and developmental biology. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
232 Systems Cell and Developmental Biology (4) W. Lecture, three hours. Introduces concepts needed to understand cell and developmental biology at the systems level, i.e., how the parts (molecules) work together to create a complex output. Emphasis on using mathematical/computational modeling to expand/modify insights provided by intuition. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Concurrent with Biological Sciences D155. Same as Biomedical Engineering 213.
233 Topics in Corporate and Translational Research (1) S. Speakers are drawn from biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and university faculty. Emphasis is on basic and applied research in a corporate environment, and academic research with strong potential for clinical and commercial applications. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. May be repeated for credit.
245 Stem Cell Biology (4) F. The basic characteristics and development roles of embryonic, adult, and cancer stem cells in the human body and in model systems and the use of experimental and genetic methods to analyze and manipulate their properties.
252L Stem Cell Laboratory (4) S. Designed to prepare M.S. Biotechnology program students for a career in stem cell research. Laboratory training utilizes tissue culture, mouse and human embryonic stem cells, and is enhanced with didactic material and discussion. Prerequisites: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 250L and 251L. Limited to M.S. Biotechnology program students in the Stem Cell emphasis, or consent of instructor.
290A-B-C Colloquium in Developmental and Cell Biology (2-2-2) F, W, S. Colloquium, one and one-half hours. Contemporary research problems. Research students, faculty, and other invited speakers introduce research and review topics.
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.
293 Seminar in Interactive Teaching in Biology (2) F. Students receive formal training in use and assessment of interactive teaching strategies in university-level biology classes. Additional aspects of course design and implementation are covered. Recommended for graduate students who have or will be teaching discussion sections. May be taken for credit two times.
399 University Teaching (4-4-4) F, W, S. Limited to Teaching Assistants. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.