BBMB - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Student in Immunobiology / Chen Lab
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- Graduate Program Coordinator
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- Student in Genetics and Genomics / MacIntosh Lab
Dr. Beitz's research activities include the etiology and prevention of ketosis in dairy cows, and nutritional and genetic control of milk and meat animal composition. Dr. Beitz's research program is related to the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition and is conducted partly as a joint effort with animal and human nutritionists.
Study of the etiology and prevention of prevention of fatty liver and ketosis is a major emphasis of Beitz's research program. The technology to use glucagon to treat and prevent fatty liver and ketosis in peripartal dairy cattle is being developed.
A second project involves studies of feeding distillers grains to dairy cows to evaluate effects on milk composition and cheese quality.
A third major project is designed to evaluate the role of specific regulators of fat deposition in beef cattle and of milk fat synthesis by dairy cattle. Nutritional and genetic impacts on milk and meat composition with emphasis on fatty acids and the subsequent eating qualities of dairy and meat products are being evaluated.
Job Titles:
- Student / Chen Lab
- Student in Immunobiology / Chen Lab
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- Associate Teaching Professor
- Undergraduate Program Coordinator
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- Postdoc Research Associate
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- Student in Plant Biology / MacIntosh Lab
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- Student
- Student / Potoyan Lab
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- Caldwell Assistant Professor of Theoretical Chemistry
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- Student
- Student / Venditti Lab
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- Student
- Student / Yandeau - Nelson Lab
Dr. Nikolau's research interests focus on the biochemistry and molecular biology of biotin and biotin-containing enzymes and the regulation of plant lipid metabolism.
Biotin and biotin-containing enzymes: Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that is biosynthesized by plants and some bacteria and fungi. Its biochemical function is as a covalently-bound cofactor on a family of enzymes that catalyze reactions in a variety of crucial metabolic processes. Examples of such enzymes are acetyl-CoA carboxylase, methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase and geranoyl-CoA carboxylase, which are required for lipogenesis, leucine metabolism and isoprenoid metabolism, respectively. In the last five years Dr. Nikolau's laboratory, in collaboration with Dr. Eve S. Wurtele, has made major advances in the isolation and characterization of the genes coding for biotin-containing enzymes and the enzymes required for biotin biosynthesis.
Lipid metabolism: Research is focused on the understanding the biosynthesis of unusual plant lipids; specifically, cuticular waxes. Cuticular waxes are the surface lipids that act as a water-barrier for the ariel parts of plants. These lipids are derivatives of very long-chain fatty acids that are synthesized by the epidermal cells of the plant. Molecular genetic approaches are being taken to isolate genes required for the normal biosynthesis of the cuticular waxes. Research is now focused on elucidating the biochemical function of the proteins encoded by these isolated genes. The long term goal is to fully elucidate the cuticular wax biosynthetic pathway and its biochemical and genetic regulation.
Genome structure and meiotic recombination: Meiotic recombination is a major mechanisms by which genetic diversity is generated in a genome. Such diversity is a prerequisite for selection, by which, the evolutionary development of a genome occurs. Although meiotic recombination is dependent upon the physical organization of the genome, this interrelationship is undefined. Dr. Nikolau's laboratory, in collaboration with Dr. Patrick S. Schnable, is undertaking research to examine the relationship between genome structure and meiotic recombination.
Job Titles:
- Student
- Student / Sashital Lab
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- University Professor Emeritus
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- Procurement & Expense Specialist
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- Administrative Specialist
- Nilsen - Hamilton Administrative Specialist I
Job Titles:
- Student in Genetics and Genomics / MacIntosh Lab
- Student in MCDB / Macintosh Lab
- Student in Plant Biology / MacIntosh Lab
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- Student in Genetics & Genomics / Nilsen - Hamilton Lab
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- Administrative Specialist II for BBMB & GDCB
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- Postdoc Research Associate
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- Education
- Student / Moss Lab
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- Adjunct Assistant Professor
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- Teaching Laboratory Specialist II
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- Budget and Finance Specialist III
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- Student in MCDB / Macintosh Lab
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- Manager, Molecular Biology Building
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- Manager, Cryo EM Facility
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- Carver Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
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- Chairman and University Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
- Department Chair of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Finely tuned signal transduction cascades control all aspects of cell renewal and cell death in normal, healthy cells. Altered gene products introduce the possibility of imbalance within the tightly controlled signaling networks that regulate cell growth and proliferation. This is evident in the malignant form of the src tyrosine kinase, the viral oncogene v-src. For this protein it has been shown (both biochemically and structurally) that a single amino acid mutation disrupts the intramolecular interactions responsible for inactivating the enzyme, thus rendering the protein constitutively active(1). Aberrant signaling due to excess phosphorylation ensues, leading to dire consequences for the cell and, ultimately, for the organism. While the molecular details of the regulation of some families of kinases (i.e. Src) have now been clarified, it is not understood how the substrate binding and catalytic activity of other families of protein tyrosine kinases are controlled. We are particularly interested in a family of intracellular signaling molecules that is exclusively expressed in hematopoeitic cells, and we have focused our attention on the IL2-inducible tyrosine kinase (Itk), a member of the Tec family of tyrosine kinases that is restricted to the T-cell lineage.
Job Titles:
- Postdoc Research Associate
Job Titles:
- Postdoctoral Research Associate