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Research in Cell Biology |
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All organisms are composed of one or more cells, so understanding cell structure and function is a key to understanding life. In recent years cell biology has greatly influenced the study of animal and plant development, and in turn has been influenced by advances in biochemistry, molecular, structural, and neurobiology. Students and faculty in the Department of Biology use a range of classical and modern techniques (including molecular genetics, X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and confocal and electron microscopy) and a variety of model organisms (from bacteria and yeast through humans) to investigate the structure and function of cells and their components. Markus Babst Protein trafficking in eukaryotic cells; organelle biogenesis Mike Bastiani Cell adhesion and signaling in neuronal development in grasshoppers, nematodes, and mice Mary Beckerle Cell adhesion, signaling, and the actin cytoskeleton David Blair The mechanism of bacterial flagellar rotation Colin Dale Evolution of insect-bacterial associations; microbial diversity; ecology and evolution of symbiosis Gary Drews Molecular and genetic analysis of female gametophyte development in Arabidopsis Dave Gard The cytoskeleton in oogenesis and development; microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins Laura Hoffman Protein binding properties in cellular adhesion of the protein zyxin Ted Gurney Molecular analysis of cell transformation by SV40 Tucker Gurney Molecular analysis of cell transformation by SV40 Erik Jorgensen Vesicle targeting and fusion in neurotransmission in C. elegans Darryl Kropf Cell polarization and the cytoskeleton in brown algae Villu Maricq Structure and function of the synapse in C. elegans Sandy Parkinson Signal-transduction pathways in bacterial chemotaxis Leslie Sieburth Molecular and genetic analysis of leaf patterning in Arabidopsis Stan Williams Signal transduction and circadian rhythms in bacteria |