Molecular and Cellular Physiology

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology faculty share a common interest in the molecular mechanisms of cell signaling and behavior. A central goal of physiology in the post-genomic era is to understand how thousands of encoded proteins serve to bring about the highly coordinated behavior of cells and tissues. Research in the department approaches this goal at many levels of organization, ranging from single molecules and individual cells to multicellular systems and the whole organism. Areas of study include the structure/function analysis of ion channels and G-protein coupled receptors, and their roles at the cellular, organ, and whole-organism levels; the molecular basis of sensory transduction, synaptic transmission, plasticity and memory; the role of ion channels and calcium in controlling gene expression in neural and immune cells; and the regulation of vesicle trafficking and targeting, cell polarity, and cell-cell interactions in the nervous system and in epithelia. Research programs employ a wide range of approaches, including molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, biophysics, x-ray crystallography and solution NMR, electrophysiology, and in vitro and in vivo imaging with confocal and multi-photon microscopy.
       In addition to a major emphasis on laboratory research, the graduate training program offers graduate level courses in cell biology and physiology, synaptic transmission, ion channels, transmembrane signal transduction, and advanced microscopy; seminars by outside speakers; research seminars by MCP graduate students and postdocs; and an annual 3-day retreat with research presentations by all departmental laboratories. A high degree of interaction among the faculty, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students in the department offers abundant opportunities for collaboration.

For more information contact:
Schantae Wright
Beckman Center, B100
Stanford, CA 94305-5345
(650) 725-7554
(650) 725-8021 (fax)
schantae@stanford.edu
http://mcp.stanford.edu

Faculty and their Research Interests

Axel Brunger. Structural and biophysical studies of the protein machinery underlying neurotransmission. X-ray crystallography and solution NMR studies of proteins involved in synaptic vesicle exocytosis and endocytosis, and receptor clustering in the post-synaptic neuron. Single-molecule studies of the protein complexes in the context of biological membranes.

K. Christopher Garcia. Molecular immunology. Biochemical and structural studies of cell-surface receptor/ligand interactions with relevance to human health and disease. Applying biophysical and protein engineering approches to molecular problems in T-cell recognition, B-cell differentiation, innate immunity, and emerging molecules at the interface of immune and nervous systems.

Miriam Goodman. Mechanisms of mechano- and thermo-transduction in C. elegans. Sensory transduction is studied at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels, building on the complete wiring diagram of the C. Elegans nervous system, the genome sequence, and on mutants that alter sensory function. Analysis of mutations in sensory transduction complexes using patch clamp recordings of identified neurons in vivo. Structure-function and pharmacological studies of putative transduction channel proteins.

Brian Kobilka. Molecular structure of adrenergic receptors and conformational changes that mediate signal transduction. Intracellular targeting and trafficking of adrenergic receptors. Analysis of adrenergic subtype diversity in transgenic mice.

Richard Lewis. Calcium signaling mechanisms in lymphocytes. Gene-ration of calcium dynamics by channels, pumps and organelles, and effects of on the specificity of gene expression. Biophysics and regulation of store-operated calcium channels. Imaging T-cell signaling and development in vivo with 2-photon microscopy.

Daniel Madison. Mechanisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity in mammalian hippocampus using electrophysiological techniques. Study of long-term potentiation and mechanisms underlying memory formation in the central nervous system.

Merritt Maduke. Structure and function of ClC-type chloride ion channels. Direct structural studies of overex-pressed bacterial ClC homologues. Mechanistic studies, using macroscopic techniques and single-channel analysis, of eukaryotic ClC channels

James Nelson. Mechanisms involved in the development and maintenance of epithelial cell polarity. Molecular and cellular analysis of protein sorting, cell-cell adhesion proteins, and interactions with the cytoskeleton.

Stephen Smith. Cellular mechanisms of brain development and function. Analysis of dynamic structural aspects of synaptogenesis, synaptic plasticity and patterning of electrical activity in the brain using sophisticated optical imaging techniques.

Richard Tsien. Presynaptic signaling involving calcium channels, vesicular fusion and recycling. Molecular communication between synaptic activity, local protein synthesis and long-range control of nuclear transcription. Mechanisms of memory at the molecular, cellular and systems levels.

William Weis. Molecular interactions underlying the establishment and maintenance of cell and tissue structure. Biochemical, biophysical and structural analysis of signaling pathways that govern cell fate determination, the architecture and dynamics of intercellular adhesive junctions, and mechanisms of intracellular vesicle trafficking. Carbohydrate-based cell recognition and adhesion in the immune system.