The Molecular Biology program offers opportunities to develop research training in cell or developmental biology, genetics, and molecular biology. The Molecular Biology Program is a member of the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology (BCMB) Allied Program, an alliance of three programs that includes Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Cell Biology and Genetics, and Molecular Biology.

Graduate Program Chairpersons

Erik Falck-Pedersen, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Cornell Medical College, Room B-309, 1300 York Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10021, 212-746-6505.

Stewart Shuman, Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Room 1017C, Rockefeller Research Laboratories, 430 E. 67th Street, New York, NY 10021, 212- 639-7145.

Graduate Program Directors

David Eliezer, Department of Biochemistry,  Joan & Sanford I. Weill Cornell Medical College, Room E-505, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, 212-746-6557, E-mail: dae2005@med.cornell.edu

Scott Keeney, Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Room RRL-1101B, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, 212-639-5182, E-mail: s-keeney@ski.mskcc.org

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Overview of Research Activities

A ring of transformed mammary epithelial cells induced by growth of the cells in proximity to a central colony of fibroblasts expressing Wnt-1 protein. (Brown Laboratory)

Regulation of cell growth is a shared and unifying research interest to members of the Molecular Biology program. The molecular pathways involved in control of cell growth have proven to be remarkably intricate, tying together nearly all the fundamental processes of cellular metabolism. For example, the products of oncogenes and tumor-suppressing and tumor-enhancing genes have been discovered to participate in pathways as seemingly diverse as signal transduction, repair of damaged DNA, regulation of gene expression, and control of the cell cycle. The research efforts of the faculty of Molecular Biology can be grouped under three broad topics: (1) mechanisms of differentiation, growth control and development (2) mechanisms of DNA replication, DNA repair and chromosome maintenance and (3) transcriptional control of gene expression and mRNA biosynthesis.

Signal transduction is a critical step in the control of cell growth and proper developmental regulation. Kathryn Anderson, who studies the manner in which the maternal-effect genes regulate pattern formation in the developing embryo, and Mary Baylies, who is investigating how the Twist gene product controls cell fate determination in the mesoderm, use Drosophila as a model system to analyze development. Songhai Shi is focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of the mammalian central nervous system. Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis is interested in the events that direct and orchestrate the establishment of the mammalian body plan. Jennifer Zallen studies how tissues are remodeled during development by studying the integration of cell polarity, motility, and adhesion.Another major experimental system for the study of development is the mouse. Elizabeth Lacy has been isolating genes required for early development. Andrew Koff has developed a mouse model system that allows him to study the effects of deregulation of cell cycle control in a complex organism. Licia Selleri utilizes knock-out mice to evaluate the developmental contributions of human proto-oncogenes. Boalin Wang investigates the molecular mechanisms by which the Hedgehog signal is transduced and to determine the role of Hedgehog signaling in pattern specification and tumor formation. How activated receptor complexes transmit information to control the growth state of a cell is under study by several investigators. Peter Besmer studies the mechanism of action of the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase, whereas Lorraine Gudas is interested in the effects of retinoids on cell growth. Anthony Brown is elucidating the intracellular signaling pathways through which the Wnt family of proteins act. Eric Lai's lab is interested in the mechanisms that control developmental patterning in Drosophila by Notch signaling and microRNAs. Often, only very small amount of proteins involved in such pathways are available for analysis. Paul Tempst develops methods for ultra-microsequencing of proteins. Chris Sander utilizes computational biology to gain insights into signal transduction pathways that are involved in human cancer.

The biological mechanisms that mediate chromosome duplication are addressed in a variety of systems ranging from bacteria to humans. Kenneth Marians is investigating the protein-protein interactions required to make the E. coli replisome a super-efficient protein machine. Prasad Jallepalli is interested in the mechanisms that control the fidelity of chromosome transmission in human cells. Tom Kelly studies the regulation of chromosome replication in both mammalian cells and in fission yeast. Jerard Hurwitz is defining the proteins required for eukaryotic replication and how they interact with the cell cycle machinery. The molecular basis of DNA recognition by DNA binding proteins is under study in Francis Barany's lab. John Petrini is focused on understanding the molecular transactions that govern chromosome stability and replication. Several laboratories are combining the power of genetics and biochemistry to study aspects of DNA metabolism. The enzymatic machinery involved in repairing damaged DNA is studied in the laboratory of William Holloman. Xiaolan Zhao is interested in systems that are involved in chromosomal organization and function and in the revelation of the molecular mechanisms that govern these transactions. Scott Keeney is characterizing the genes and mechanisms that are essential to chromosome rearrangement during meiosis. Neal Lue is dissecting the enzymatic machinery required for telomere maintenance and replication in yeast. Pengbo Zhou utilizing a combination of biochemical, genetic and cell biological approaches to study how ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis regulates the cell cycle, signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, apoptosis, and DNA repair.

Basic aspects of gene expression are studied by a number of different investigators. The nature of protein/protein complexes that bind to DNA and act as transcriptional regulators is studied by Mark Ptashne. C. David Allis studies the mechanisms underlying epigenetic codes in the genome, primarily with respect to histone modification. Using a variety of model systems, several laboratories are studying the essential pathways of mRNA processing. Stewart Shuman investigates the enzymatic mechanisms of transcription initiation, elongation and termination using yeast and Vaccinia virus as a model. Beate Schwer uses yeast genetics and biochemistry to dissect the biochemistry of mRNA splicing. Erik Falck-Pedersen uses another eukaryotic virus, adenovirus, as a model to study gene transduction and regulation of mRNA 3´-end formation in mammalian transcription units.

Several laboratories are focused on systems that address cellular pathogens and immunity. Carl Nathan is interested in the molecular mechanisms of innate immunity. Luis Quadri is focused on understanding the molecular basis of infectious diseases, primarily through study of human pathogens. Dirk Schnappinger's primarily goal is to integrate functional genomics with molecular genetics and biochemistry to understand bacterial virulence mechanisms. Kirk Deitsch studies antigenic variation and transcriptional regulation in malaria parasites.

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