Department of Molecular Biosciences

Faculty of the Department of Molecular Biosciences

Select a name to view the complete file and a photo.

Stephen H. Benedict
Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 1979
Associate Professor
7035 Haworth
(785) 864-4007; email: sbene@ku.edu: "We are studying proteins that interact with the regulatory region of c-fos and regulate its expression during T cell activation and we are studying two candidate tumor suppressor genes that regulate the ability of these proteins to bind DNA. We are in the process of purifying these proteins and obtaining molecular clones."
John C. Brown
Ph.D., Biochemistry, North Carolina State University
Professor
8041 Haworth
(785) 864-5157; email: jbrown@ku.edu: "The research in my laboratory has always concerned autoimmune diseases. Because of my interest in protein structure and function, the approach has been, and continues to be, the study of the influence of antibody and antigen structure on development and maintenance of autoimmunity. Over the past several years, my laboratory has been involved in a collaborative effort with Dr. Dean Stetler, in an investigation of the disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)."
Matthew Buechner
Ph.D., Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin (Madison)
Assistant Professor
8035 Haworth
(785) 864-4328; email: buechner@ku.edu: "A particularly interesting example of specialized epithelial structure is the long tubular shape of nephrons required for sorting and eliminating waste liquid. I am interested in discovering the molecular mechanisms used by an initially round cell to form and maintain these varied shapes. I have taken a genetic approach using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans ". I have discovered and characterized a new series of mutations in 12 genes named exc . By light and electron microscopy, we've found indication of a role for structural molecules at that surface for the formation and maintenance of cell shape."
Robert Cohen
Ph.D., University of Southern California, 1982
Associate Professor
4035 Haworth
(785) 864-3935; email: rcohen@ku.edu: "In Drosophila, proteins that direct the formation of the embryo's head and tail are prelocalized to the egg's anterior and posterior ends, respectively, during oogenesis. My lab is interested in understanding how such asymmetries arise. More than a dozen localized mRNAs have been identified in the Drosophila oocyte. Related projects include a study of the mechanisms that prevent the translation of mRNAs during localization, and the identification of genes that control microtubule organization."
Victoria Corbin
Ph.D., Harvard University, 1989
Associate Professor
4055 Haworth
(785) 864-3934; email: corbin@ku.edu: "My lab is interested in the molecular switches that control cell fate decisions during development. Our focus is muscle formation during embryogenesis of the fruit fly, D. melanogaster . In a second project, we are studying the structure-function relationship of the neurogenic gene, big brain (bib)."
William Dentler
Ph.D., Univ. of Minnesota, 1972
Professor
4011 Haworth
(785) 864-3490; email: wdent@ku.edu: "The goal of my lab is to understand the mechanisms that regulate cell and organelle growth. Most of our work is focused on the growth and disassembly of microtubules in eukaryotic cilia and flagella because these organelles can be approached with a variety of morphological, biochemical, and molecular biological techniques. "
Laurence R. Draper
Ph.D., Microbiology, University of Chicago
Professor
(785) 864-4394; email: lrdraper@ukans.edu: "My interest in the immune system has been rather organismal ... the system as a whole, comprising various interacting organs and tissues. My students and I are inquiring into the contribution of host immune reactivity to the development of periodontal disease, which results in tooth loss because the supporting alveolar bone is resorbed. There is considerable evidence that the inflammatory reactions associated with the disease (periodontitis) lead to this resorption; our interest is how the immune reactivity to oral microbes might actually induce the inflammation and, in effect, ultimately cause the disease."
Susan M. Egan
Ph.D., Microbiology, Cornell University
Associate Professor
8031 Haworth
(785) 864-4294; email: sme@ku.edu: "My primary research interest is understanding the regulation of gene expression (especially positive regulation) at a molecular level. In our lab we examine the molecular biology of gene regulation in E. coli, with a focus upon the L-rhamnose catabolic genes, and the association of L-rhamnose regulator genes with the AraC family of regulatory proteins. We are not interested in metabolism of the sugar L-rhamnose per se, but rather use this easy-to-manipulate system to investigate fundamental questions of gene regulation. By comparing the mechanism used by RhaS to activate transcription with that used by AraC, a more general picture of this family of proteins will be gained."
Erik Floor
Ph.D., Univ. of California, Davis, 1969
Associate Professor
5057 Haworth
(785) 864-4321; email: floor@ku.edu: "I am interested in how neuronal synapses work. Information transfer at synapses employs neurotransmitters, which are stored in synaptic vesicles prior to their release from the synapse. Using pure synaptic vesicles obtained from rat brain, we discovered that storage of dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate is very dynamic. An unknown protein channel seems to control the escape of these transmitters from the vesicles. It will be a major challenge to identify this protein that is potentially able to regulate synaptic transmission, and thus brain function."
T. Chris Gamblin
Ph.D., Vanderbilt Univ.
Assistant Professor
5055 Haworth
(785) 864-5065; email: gamblin@ku.edu: The major goal of this laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to the polymerization of the microtubule-associated protein tau into pathological structures observed in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Current interests include the effects of phosphorylation on this process and the mechanism of fatty acid binding to the tau protein.
Peter Gegenheimer
Ph.D., Washington University (St. Louis), 1979
Associate Professor
8012 Haworth
(785) 864- 3939 email: pgegen@ku.edu: "Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is the enzyme responsible for cleaving the 5'-leader sequence from precursor tRNA molecules. In bacteria, the catalytic subunit of RNase P is an RNA molecule or ribozyme ~400 nucleotides long; and in all other organisms studied, the enzyme also contains a catalytically-required RNA subunit. In contrast, we find that RNase P from plant chloroplasts appears to be a single protein. We are currently pursuing protein chemistry and genetic approaches to identify the chloroplast enzyme, and we are investigating whether other groups surrounding the scissile bond help bind metal ions during the RNase P reaction. Our lab is also investigating how structural interactions among the subunits of chloroplast ATP synthase generate its novel allosteric and regulatory properties."
Paul Kelly
Ph.D., Univ. of Colorado, 1974
Professor and Chair
4006 Haworth
(785) 864-3206; email: ptkelly@ku.edu: "Intracellular signaling mechanisms regulate synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. Mechanisms controlling synaptic transmission are believed to be critical for learning and memory in humans. We are answering key questions about molecular/cellular mechanisms responsible for short- and long-term changes in synaptic transmission in the mammalian brain. We examine the role of postsynaptic calcium, protein kinase and phosphatase pathways in controlling synaptic transmission in the hippocampus, a brain region important for learning in humans. We have discovered many reliable ways to enhance synaptic transmission by specific manipulations of intracellular signaling pathways."
Krzysztof Kuczera
Ph.D., Polish Academy of Sciences, 1985
Associate Professor
5088 Malott
(785) 864-4670; email: kkuczera@ukans.edu: "Computer simulations provide a wide range of information about molecular behavior, enabling the description of motions of individual atoms, but the practical application of simulations is limited by the accuracy of the approximations, the difficulty in relating simulations to observable properties, and the insufficient length of feasible simulations relative to biochemically interesting time scales. My studies include simulations of conformational thermodynamics and dynamics in peptide and protein systems to correlate simulations with experimental data as well as between flexibility and reactivity of peptide drugs; use of free energy simulation methods to investigate effects of point mutations in proteins, including influence on ligand binding, oxidation, hydrophobic interactions, macromolecular solvation and aggregation; and rational design of receptors that will efficiently and specifically bind cationic ligands, which can be used for environmental waste remediation. The work involves both using existing simulation programs and development of new methods and algorithms for molecular modeling."
Audrey L. Lamb
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Assistant Professor
5060 Haworth
(785) 864-5075; email:lamb@ku.edu: "Using X-ray crystallography and a variety of other biochemical and biophysical techniques, my laboratory will investigate how bioinorganic chemistry has an impact on human health and disease. Specifically, the major goal of this laboratory is to understand the enzymes of the iron-uptake pathways of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The proteins involved in these pathways are potential drug targets in the fight against early mortality in Cystic Fibrosis patients."
Erik A. Lundquist
Ph.D., Univ. of Minnesota, 1995
Assistant Professor
5049 Haworth
(785) 864-5853; email: erikl@ku.edu: "My lab is concerned with the molecular signaling events that underlie cellular morphogenesis. We use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to identify and characterize genes involved in neuron development and axon guidance. Current interests include signaling to the actin cytoskeleton via the actin-binding UNC-115 protein and regulation of axon development by the Rac family of signal transduction molecules."
Kristi Neufeld
Ph.D., University of Utah, 1994
Assistant Professor
7049 Haworth
(785) 864-5079; email: klneuf@ku.edu: The long-range goal of this laboratory is to reveal the underlying mechanisms for growth control of normal intestinal tissue, explaining how disruption of this normal state leads to tumor formation. Using cultured colon cells and mouse models, we study the tumor suppressor protein adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) to understand how loss of this particular protein leads to colon carcinogenesis. Our lab has demonstrated that nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of APC is critical for its function and we are now further defining both upstream triggers and downstream consequences of nuclear APC."
James A. Orr
Ph.D., Univ. of Wisconsin, 1974
Professor
Chair, Division of Biological Science
5061 Haworth
(785) 864-3859; email: jorr@ku.edu: "Following completion of a Ph.D. degree in physiology from the University of Wisconsin, I accepted a faculty position at the University of Kansas. Classes that I have taught include Mammalian Physiology, Human Physiology, and Respiratory Physiology. Currently I teach a large introductory biology course (Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology) in the fall semester and the circulatory and respiratory sections of Mammalian Physiology in the spring. Funding for our research has come principally from the American Heart Association. I am also involved in directing several federally funded grants that provide programs to increase the interest of minority students in the biomedical sciences. In addition to teaching and research, I have served as Chair of the Division of Biological Sciences since 1992."
William D. Picking
Ph.D., Microbiology, University of Kansas
Associate Professor
8047 Haworth
(785) 864-3299; email: picking@ku.edu: "We are exploring the molecular mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens elicit disease. The model systems currently in use in our laboratory are: 1) investigating the structure-function relationships for the secreted virulence proteins of Shigella flexneri; and 2) studying the protein-membrane interactions that occur for cholera toxin."
Sandra L. Quackenbush
Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1994
Assistant Professor
7047 Haworth
(785) 864-4022; email: squack@ku.edu: "We are interested in the regulation of viral gene expression of retroviruses and the roles that accessory viral proteins play in oncogenesis, and, in particular, the interaction of viral proteins with cellular proteins and the mechanism(s) with which normal cellular functions are altered and eventually contribute to disease. We are currently using lower vertebrate models to study viral-induced oncogenesis. Our studies of retroviruses are focused on piscine retroviruses that are etiologically associated with tumors."
Mark L. Richter
Ph.D., University of New South Wales
Professor
4031 Haworth
(785) 864-3334; email: richter@ku.edu: "Our research involves the application of gene engineering, biochemical and biophysical experiments aimed at elucidating the relationship between the structure and biological function of oligomeric proteins. Much of our work is focused on the ATP synthase enzymes from mitochondria, chloroplasts, and bacterial cytoplasmic membranes, as well as a family of transcription factors which utilize a structure similar to that of the ATP synthase to regulate procaryotic transcription. "
Robert Sanders
Ph.D., Michigan, 1964
Professor
3005 Haworth
(785) 864-4084; email: rsanders@ku.edu: "My research includes the biochemistry of hormone action, reproduction, and uterine biochemistry."
Dean A. Stetler
Ph.D., Kansas, 1980
Associate Professor
3043 Haworth
(785) 864-3549; email: dstetler@ku.edu: "RNA polymerase I (RNAPI), a complex enzyme composed of 9 subunits, is responsible for the transcription of the rRNA genes. In addition to its importance in transcription, RNAPI is also of interest because of its being targeted by autoantibodies produced by individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Anti-RNAPI antibodies were first demonstrated by this laboratory in both the sera and urine of SLE patients and the relative quantities of the urinary antibodies were found to correlate with severity of the disease. The lab recently cDNA cloned the largest subunit (S1) of human RNAPI and mapped the gene to chromosome 2. Determination of the position of the gene on this chromosome and identification of restriction fragment length polymorphisms, which will allow determination of the significance of particular RNAPI(S1) alleles to the SLE disease process, is a current effort in the lab."
Kathy A. Suprenant
Ph.D., University of Virginia, 1982
Professor
4010 Haworth
(785) 864-4580; email: ksupre@ku.edu: "Microtubules are directly responsible for the accurate segregation of chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis, and for the intracellular transport of several membrane-bounded organelles and macromolecular complexes. Failure to complete nuclear division can result in aneuploidy, which can lead to birth defects and cancer. Our research group takes a biochemical, cellular and molecular genetic approach to studying the function of microtubule proteins in the nematode, C. elegans, as well as mammalian tumor cells."
Fusao Takusagawa
Ph.D., Osaka City University, Japan, 1974
Professor
3042 Haworth
(785) 864-4727; email: xraymain@ku.edu: "Research in Dr. Takusagawa's group focuses on the structure-function relationships of the key biomacromolecules that are involved in various biological processes. Three dimensional structures of biomacromolecules have been determined at atomic resolution by a single crystal X-ray diffraction method. His group has two imaging plate detectors on a rotating anode X-ray generator. X-ray diffraction data can be measured at any temperature between ambient temperature and -180deg C. We also are studying the anticancer drug actinomycin D (AMD) by X-ray crystallography, chemical synthesis, spectroscopies, and inhibition measurement."
Lisa Timmons
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins
Assistant Professor
5041 Haworth
(785) 864-7363; email: timmons@ku.edu: "Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) elicits significant biological effects in many different species, including humans. These effects include systemic responses that prevent establishment of a foreign genome -- defenses against viral or transposon invasion, for example. dsRNA can also lead to sequence-specific gene silencing in many plants and animals, a process referred to as RNAi in Caenorhabditis elegans or post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) in other species. These effects are dependent upon entry of dsRNA into cells--dsRNA has an intrinsic ability to enter cells and spread throughout an organism. Our lab is investigating the mechanisms that mediate dsRNA cellular uptake and spreading using genetic, molecular, and cellular approaches in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans."
Jin Hui Wang
Ph.D., Shanghai Institute of Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1992.
Assistant Professor
4023 Haworth
(785) 864-4923; email: jinhwang@ku.edu: "The research project in my lab involves how intracellular signal molecules modulate the plasticity of CNS interneuron-related synapses (e.g., GABAergic synapses on principal neurons and glutamatergic synapses on interneurons) and synaptic facilitation. The information is demonstrated by combining patch clamp recording with pipette perfusion in neurons of brain slices."
Robert Ward
Ph.D., Duke University, 1998
Assistant Professor
4004 Haworth
(785) 864-5235; email: robward@ku.edu: "The primary interest of my lab is understanding the mechanisms that provide spatial and temporal specificity for morphogenesis. We study the elongation and eversion of the adult legs in Drosophila because of the relative simplicity of this system and the availability of powerful molecular and genetic tools. Leg morphogenesis is triggered by a steroid hormone and requires signaling through the Rho1 small GTPase. Our current efforts are aimed at understanding how hormonal signaling regulates Rho activity in the cell. "
Robert F. Weaver
Ph.D., Duke University, 1969
Professor, Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
3037 Haworth
(785) 864-3399; email: rweaver@ku.edu: "We are interested in the control of transcription in eukaryotes, particularly the great switch in transcription that occurs when viruses infect their host cells. We are studying a baculovirus -- a DNA virus that infects caterpillars. Transcription in insect cells infected by this virus occurs in three stages: early, late, and very late. The switch from early to late transcription occurs at the onset of viral DNA replication 6-7 hours post-infection."