Membrane Biology and Protein Trafficking

Tomogram illustrating early secretory pathway organization in metazoans

Membrane Biology and Protein Trafficking

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.

Headshot

Focus Group Chair Sebastian Bednarek
Biochemistry Department
Membrane trafficking, organelle biogenesis, cytokinesis, polarized growth
sybednar@wisc.edu

Focus Group Members

Francisco Alvarado

Credentials: Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine

Position title: Regulation of cardiac ion channels and calcium signaling; cellular and molecular mechanisms of arrhythmias and heart failure.

Email: falvarad@medicine.wisc.edu

Matthew Anderson

Credentials: Genetics

Position title: Genetic diversity of microbial systems

Email: mzanderson@wisc.edu

Alan Attie

Credentials: Biochemistry Department

Position title: Molecular genetics of diabetes & insulin resistance; cell biology of lipoprotein assembly, cholesterol trafficking

Email: adattie@wisc.edu

Anjon Audhya

Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department

Position title: Mechanisms of membrane trafficking; live cell imaging techniques

Email: audhya@wisc.edu

Arash Bashirullah

Credentials: Pharmacy Department

Position title: Developmental regulation of endocrine and exocrine biology

Email: bashirullah@wisc.edu

Briana Burton

Credentials: Bacteriology Department

Position title: Macromolecule transport across membranes

Email: briana.burton@wisc.edu

Edwin Chapman

Credentials: Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Position title: Ricardo Miledi Professor of Neuroscience

Email: chapman@wisc.edu

Cynthia Czajkowski

Credentials: Neuroscience Department

Position title: Molecular and cellular mechanisms of pentameric ligand gated ion channel signaling

Email: cmczajko@wisc.edu

Erik Dent

Credentials: Neuroscience Department

Position title: Regulation of the cytoskeleton in neuronal differentiation

Email: ewdent@wisc.edu

Katie Drerup

Credentials: Integrative Biology Department

Position title: Cellular Neuroscience

Email: drerup@wisc.edu

Lee Eckhardt

Credentials: Medicine Department

Position title: Functional genomics approach to understand cardiac-arrhythmia

Email: lle@medicine.wisc.edu

Alexey Glukhov

Credentials: Medicine Department

Position title: Cardiac electrophysiology, biophysics, cellular and molecular biology of cardiomyocytes, cardiac arrhythmias and pathophysiology

Email: aglukhov@medicine.wisc.edu

Wei Guo

Credentials: Animal Health & Biomedical Sciences

Position title: Muscle Structure and Function, RNA Biology

Email: wguo2@wisc.edu

Mrinalini Hoon

Credentials: Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Department

Position title: Mechanisms regulating retinal circuit organization

Email: mhoon@wisc.edu

Timothy Kamp

Credentials: Medicine Department

Position title: Mechanisms of arrhythmias and cardiac regeneration

Email: tjk@medicine.wisc.edu

Yoshihiro Kawaoka

Credentials: Pathobiological Sciences Department

Position title: Molecular pathogenesis of influenza and Ebola viruses

Email: yoshihiro.kawaoka@wisc.edu

Robert Kirchdoerfer

Credentials: Biochemistry Department

Position title: Single-particle cryo-electron microscopy of viral proteins

Email: rnkirchdoerf@wisc.edu

Thomas Martin

Credentials: Biochemistry Department

Position title: Mechanisms of hormone action; regulation of hormone/neurotransmitter secretion

Email: tfmartin@wisc.edu

Marisa Otegui

Credentials: Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology & Botany Department

Position title: Endosomal trafficking in plants

Email: otegui@wisc.edu

Luigi Puglielli

Credentials: Medicine Department

Position title: Molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration

Email: lp1@medicine.wisc.edu

Claire Richardson

Credentials: Genetics

Position title: Cellular & molecular neurobiology, aging

Email: Claire.richardson@wisc.edu

Gail Robertson

Credentials: Neuroscience Department

Position title: Molecular mechanisms of ion channel disease

Email: garobert@wisc.edu

Raunak Sinha

Credentials: Neuroscience Department

Position title: Neural signaling in the retina

Email: raunak.sinha@wisc.edu

Vanessa Sperandio

Credentials: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department

Position title: Chemical signaling between bacteria and host

Email: vsperandio@wisc.edu

Randal Tibbetts

Credentials: Human Oncology Department

Position title: DNA repair; gene expression; neurodegeneration; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Email: rstibbetts@wisc.edu

Deric Wheeler

Credentials: Human Oncology Department

Position title: Mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies

Email: dlwheeler@wisc.edu