简介

The overall goals of our laboratory are to understand the signaling cues that regulate cell growth, differentiation, and development. Our laboratories in the Department of Molecular Medicine, and the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology use a combination of biophysical, chemical, and genetic-based approaches to obtain a comprehensive picture of how growth factor receptors work together with their signaling partners, in particular Rho GTPases and the GTP-binding/acyl transferase, transglutaminase, to trigger signals that impact a wide range of cellular activities. X-ray crystallographic analysis is also being used to obtain detailed information regarding the protein interfaces involved in signaling interactions. The ultimate goal is to utilize the information obtained from our studies to design small molecules that will serve as powerful reagents for cellular studies, as well as for mouse model systems for cancer. Recently, two important areas of emphasis have been to identify and characterize protein-protein interactions that underlie the metabolic changes required for oncogenic transformation and the determination of the roles of non-traditional secretory vesicles (microvesicles, exosomes) in cancer progression and stem cell biology •Ph D, Biochemistry, Rutgers University, 1979 •BA, Biochemistry, Rutgers College, 1973