Credit: Craig Montell Lab

Cell biology faculty members in MCDB investigate the structure and function of cells and how cellular activity couples external/internal signals to various physiological and pathological events. Current research topics include microtubule dynamics, membrane trafficking, protein/lipid glycosylation, cell adhesion/migration, cell polarity, cell signaling, fertilization, cell differentiation, tumorigenesis/cancer metastasis, programmed cell death, mRNA translocation/local protein synthesis, organelle biogenesis, and pathogen-host interaction. Investigators employ a wide variety of model systems ranging from unicellular eukaryotes and cultured cells, to flies, worms, plants, and animals, bringing together a myriad of scientific approaches including molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, physiology, microscopy, computer modeling, bioinformatics, and nanotechnology. These combined areas of expertise create a stimulating and rich integrative research environment. Moreover, active collaborations among different research groups generate a more extensive and synergistic output.

Affiliated Faculty

Professor, Wilcox Family Chair in BioMedicine
Human stem cell research; Molecular mechanisms of stem cell differentiation; Derivation of ocular cells from stem cells; Soft tissue regeneration.
Professor
Molecular mechanisms of self/non-self recognition in non-vertebrates; characterization of stem cells and development processes underlying regeneration and aging.
Professor
Biochemistry and Cell Biology of Neuronal Development; Biochemistry of Neurodegenerative Diseases; Structure, Function and Regulation of the Microtubule Associated Protein, Tau; Cytoskeletal Regulation.
Research Professor
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Structure and function in the vertebrate retina with an emphasis on mechanisms underlying photoreceptor degeneration and the role of glial cells in normal and injured or diseased retina.
Professor Emeriti
Our research mission is to understand the molecular basis of gamete recognition and the fine tuning of one time only cellular activation events.
Assistant Professor
Combining biochemistry and cell biology to understand the regulation of membrane-bound organelles.
Molecular genetics and biochemistry of bacterial contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) systems; mechanisms of tmRNA- and ArfA-mediated ribosome rescue.
Harriman Professor of Neuroscience
Neural plasticity including the molecular basis of plasticity, the evolution of synapses, and disease-related impairments of plasticity such as occurs in Alzheimer's disease.
Associate Professor
Molecular mechanisms of signal transduction; Alzheimer's Disease and other protein aggregation/misfolding diseases; molecular biology, enzymology, and protein structure/function.
Duggan Professor and
Distinguished Professor
Molecular and cellular basis of animal behavior in flies and mosquitoes.
Duggan Professor and Distinguished Professor
Combination of molecular, genetic, and state-of-the-art imaging approaches to define and solve fundamental questions in cell and developmental biology with implications for neurodegenerative disease, ischemic diseases and cancer.
Research Professor
Professor Emeritus
Tetrahymena genetics and genomics; genetic, physical and sequence mapping of the germline and expressed genomes of the unicellular eukaryote, Tetrahymena thermophila.
Distinguished Professor
Wilcox Family Chair in Biotechnology
Director, Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program
Regulation of development and differentiation; regulation of programmed cell death and cell division; mechanisms of tumorigenesis.
Professor
Developmental genetics and morphogenesis of the primitive chordate Ciona.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Studies the self-renewal and pluripotency of stem cells.
Distinguished Professor
Structure-properties relationships in loadbearing marine biomolecular materials, e.g. from mussels, squid and whelks, at different length and time scales to design new materials.
Professor
Investigation of molecular mechanisms underlying polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and related renal diseases. Membrane trafficking and epithelial cell polarity.
Research Professor
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Mechanism and regulation of microtubule polymerization and dynamics; mechanism of action of microtubule-targeted anticancer drugs and microtubule-regulatory proteins.
Assistant Professor
Combines tools from Biology, Engineering, and Physics to understand the cell’s perceptual field.