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
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
Sebastian Bednarek
Credentials: Biochemistry Department
Position title: Membrane trafficking, organelle biogenesis, cytokinesis, polarized growth
Email: sybednar@wisc.edu
Briana Burton
Credentials: Bacteriology Department
Position title: Macromolecule transport across membranes
Email: briana.burton@wisc.edu
Edwin Chapman
Credentials: Neuroscience Department
Position title: Exocytosis, synaptic transmission, neuronal cell biology
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
Donna Fernandez
Credentials: Botany Department
Position title: Chloroplast protein targeting and organelle biogenesis
Email: dfernand@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
Mrinalini Hoon
Credentials: Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Department
Position title: Mechanisms regulating retinal circuit organization
Email: mhoon@wisc.edu
Meyer Jackson
Credentials: Neuroscience Department
Position title: Electrophysiology and imaging techniques are used to explore the basic mechanisms of neuronal signaling
Email: mbjackso@wisc.edu
Timothy Kamp
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Cardiac ion channels function and regulation; basic mechanisms of heart failure and arrhythmias; stem cells and cardiac regeneration
Email: tjk@medicine.wisc.edu
Yoshihiro Kawaoka
Credentials: Pathobiological Sciences Department
Position title: Molecular pathogenesis of influenza and Ebola viruses
Email: kawaokay@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu
Michelle Kimple
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Regulation of pancreatic beta-cell biology
Email: mkimple@medicine.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
David Pagliarini
Credentials: Biochemistry Department
Position title: Mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism; cell signaling; proteomics
Email: pagliarini@wisc.edu
Luigi Puglielli
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration
Email: lp1@medicine.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
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