The fields of membrane biology and protein trafficking encompass a wide array of cellular processes pivotal to understanding basic cellular biology in all organisms from prokaryotes to mammals. Membrane biology entails studies on the biogenesis and metabolism of phospholipids as well as the biophysical dynamics of membrane and protein interactions. Although clearly integral to membrane biology, protein trafficking focuses on the molecular mechanisms controlling protein packaging into vesicular carriers and their delivery, together with membrane-associated proteins, to various organelles and the plasma membrane. The molecular control of membrane and protein trafficking is essential to understanding a multitude of cellular processes including, but not limited to, organelle biogenesis and remodeling, secretory transport carrier formation, exocytosis, endocytosis, cytokinesis, autophagy, phagocytosis, cell migration, and the development of cellular polarity. Abnormalities in these processes directly impact the pathobiology of a wide range of diseases from neurodegeneration to diabetes and are therefore essential to identify therapeutic targets to treat these disorders. Trainers in the Membrane Biology and Protein Trafficking focus group utilize an array of highly sophisticated molecular, microscopic and biophysical techniques to analyze cellular function. These approaches ultimately provide students with wide ranging experience allowing them to understand how single molecule/pathway alterations impact the overall physiology and health of plants and animals.
Focus Group Chair Guy Groblewski
Nutritional Sciences Department
Membrane trafficking in digestive epithelia
groby@nutrisci.wisc.edu
Focus Group Members
Alan Attie
Biochemistry Department
Molecular genetics of diabetes & insulin resistance; cell biology of lipoprotein assembly, cholesterol trafficking
Anjon Audhya
Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Mechanisms of membrane trafficking; live cell imaging techniques
Sebastian Bednarek
Biochemistry Department
Membrane trafficking, organelle biogenesis, cytokinesis, polarized growth
Cynthia Czajkowski
Neuroscience Department
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of pentameric ligand gated ion channel signaling
Meyer Jackson
Neuroscience Department
Electrophysiology and imaging techniques are used to explore the basic mechanisms of neuronal signaling
Timothy Kamp
Medicine Department
Cardiac ion channels function and regulation; basic mechanisms of heart failure and arrhythmias; stem cells and cardiac regeneration
Yoshihiro Kawaoka
Pathobiological Sciences Department
Molecular pathogenesis of influenza and Ebola viruses
Thomas Martin
Biochemistry Department
Mechanisms of hormone action; regulation of hormone/neurotransmitter secretion
Deane Mosher
Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Biochemistry of cell adhesion and the extracellular matrix
Marisa Otegui
Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology & Botany Department
Endosomal trafficking in plants
Randal Tibbetts
Human Oncology Department
DNA repair; gene expression; neurodegeneration; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
