Graduate Study in Comparative Biochemistry

Members of the Executive Committee

Jack F. Kirsch (Chair of the Group)
Bing K. Jap (Chair of the Executive Committee)
George F. Sensabaugh (Head Graduate Advisor)
Mina J. Bissell
Judith Campisi
Fenyong Liu
Barry Shane

Members of the Graduate Group
(* Designates non-members of the Berkeley Academic Senate)

Thomas C. Alber (Molecular and Cell Biology)
tom@ucxray6.berkeley.edu
Defining the molecular logic of regulatory circuits in physiology and disease, protein-protein interaction.
Link to: further description of his research interests and the Alber Lab.

Bruce N. Ames (Molecular and Cell Biology; LBNL)
bnames@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Aging and cancer mechanisms; oxidants and antioxidants in aging.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

Nancy K. Amy (Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology)
nkamy@nature.berkeley.edu
Gene functions necessary for utilization of trace metals; regulation of metalloenzyme synthesis.
Link to: further description of her research interests.

Mina J. Bissell* (LBNL)
mjbissell@lbl.gov
Regulation of tissue-specific gene expression in normal and malignant breast cells with specific emphasis on signal transduction by extracellular matrix (ECM). Relation of cellular structure and function.
Links to: the Bissell Lab.

George A. Brooks (Integrative Biology)
gbrooks@socrates.berkeley.edu
Biochemistry and energetics of human muscular performance.
Links to: further description of his research interests and his CV.

Bob. B. Buchanan (Plant & Microbial Biology)
view@nature.berkeley.edu
Plant biochemistry, seed germination, cereal technology, bioremediation.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

Judith Campisi* (LBNL)
jcampisi@lbl.gov
Molecular, cellular and evolutionary biology of aging and cancer. Roles of cellular senescence and apoptosis. DNA damage and repair, and telomeres and genomic instability.
Links to: further description of her research interests and Campisi Lab.

John E. Casida (Environmental Science, Policy, & Management; and Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology)
ectl@nature.berkeley.edu
Mode of action and metabolism of pesticides and other organic toxicants.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

George W. Chang (Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology)
changlab@nature.berkeley.edu
Metabolism of E. coli and innovative methods for assessing the microbial safety of food and water.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

Douglas S. Clark (Chemical Engineering)
clark@cchem.berkeley.edu
Biochemical engineering, with emphasis on enzyme technology and stabilization, thermophilic bacteria and high-temperature bioprocesses, and noninvasive methods for studying metabolism.
Link to: Clark Lab.

Benito O. de Lumen (Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology)
nitto@nature.berkeley.edu
Biochemistry and molecular biology of seed development in legumes and cereals (rice) as food sources; molecular biosynthesis of methionine-rich proteins, galactose oligosaccharides and starch in seeds.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

Kenneth H. Downing* (LBNL)
khdowning@lbl.gov
Development and application of electron microscopy in high-resolution structural studies of proteins. Electron crystallographic study of tubulin and associated ligands, and of G-protein coupled receptors.
Link to: Downing Lab.

Peter Duesberg (Molecular and Cell Biology)
duesberg@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Genetic basis of viral and chemical carcinogenesis, particularly by non-genotoxic carcinogens. Structure and replication of retroviruses and mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and oncogenesis.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

Trudy Forte* (LBNL)
tmforte@lbl.gov
The role of apoprotein AI (apoAI) and high density lipoproteins (HDL) in atherosclerosis. Use of transgenic mouse models to investigate the mechanism protecting against atherosclerosis. Use of cell model systems to determine how lipid-free apoAI, and specific mutations in apoAI, affect cholesterol removal from foam cells.
Link to: Forte Lab.

Joe W. Gray* (LBNL)
JWGray@lbl.gov
Coming soon.
Link to: Gray Lab.

Bing K. Jap* (LBNL)
bkjap@lbl.gov
Structure biology and functional mechanisms of selected membrane proteins such as water channels, respiratory complexes and g-secretase, and soluble protein complexes such as proteasomes, protein 4.1 with its associeted proteins and DNA-PK.
Link to: Jap Lab.

Sung-Hou Kim (Chemistry; LBNL)
shkim@lbl.gov
Structural biology of: (1) molecules involved in cell growth, cell cycle, and signal transduction; (2) proteins and RNA's from hyperthermal organisms.
Link to: Kim Lab.

Jack F. Kirsch (Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology; LBNL)
jfkirsch@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Genetic engineering approaches to enzyme mechanisms, protein design, and antigen/antibody recognition.
Link to: Kirsch Lab

Judith P. Klinman (Chemistry)
klinman@socrates.berkeley.edu
The overall focus of research concerns fundamental principles in enzyme-catalyzed reactions; the research utilizes broadly based and combines kinetic, spectroscopic, stereochemical and molecular biological techniques.
Link to: Klinman Lab.

Terumi Kohwi-Shigematsu* (LBNL)
Tkohwi-Shigematsu@lbl.gov
Study the role of SATB, which predominantly expressed in the T-cell lineage, in regulating the expression of numerous genes and chromatin structure during T-cell development.
Link to: Kohwi-Shigematsu Lab.

Daniel Koshland (Molecular and Cell Biology)
dek@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Molecular mechanisms in memory and learning; structure and function in enzymes and receptors; biochemistry of Alzheimer's Disease.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

Isao Kubo (Environmental Science, Policy, & Management; and Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology)
ikubo@uclink.berkeley.edu
Natural product research with emphasis on structure-activity relationships of enzyme mechanisms.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

Stuart M. Linn (Molecular and Cell Biology)
slinn@socrates.berkeley.edu
Oxidative DNA damage and repair; mitochondrial DNA damage. Mammalian DNA polymerases.
Link to: further description of his research interests and Linn Lab.

Fenyong Liu (Public Health)
liu_fy@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Biochemistry of nucleic acids and RNA enzymology (ribozymes). Biology of human herpes viruses and development of nucleic acid-based antiviral therapeutic agents.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

Anastasios Melis (Plant & Microbial Biology)
melis@nature.berkeley.edu
Biochemistry and molecular biology of a damage and repair process in chloroplasts; hydrogen production in green algae by a process of photosynthesis; chloroplast acclimation mechanisms to the prevailing environmental conditions.
Link to: further description of his research interests

Joseph L.Napoli (Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology)
jna@uclink4.berkeley.edu
The vitamin A metabolite retinoic acid regulates gene expression from conception through death. This lab studies regulation of retinoic acid biosynthesis during mammalian development and aging.
Link to: further description of his research interests

George F. Sensabaugh (Public Health)
sensaba@uclink.berkeley.edu
Genetic variation in humans at the protein and DNA levels; forensic biology; microbial population genetics.
Link to: further description of his research interests

Barry Shane (Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology)
bandie@socrates.berkeley.edu
Nutritional biochemistry; regulation of genes and enzymes involved in one carbon and vitamin metabolism. Genetic heterogeneity and nutrient requirements.
Link to: further description of his research interests.

Martyn Smith (Public Health)
martynts@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Toxicology; mechanisms of cellular and genetic damage; biological markers.
Link to: Smith Lab.

Hei Sook Sul (Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology)
hsul@nature.berkeley.edu
Transcriptional regulation of lipogenesis and the role of USF and SREBP in the activation of fatty acid synthase promoter. Regulation of adipocyte differentiation, Pref-1 and ADSF/resistin, factors which are secreted from adipose tissue and inhibit adipogenesis. 3T3-L1 cells in culture and transgenic/ knockout mice are used to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying these processes which contribute to obesity.
Link to: further description of her research interests

Christopher Vulpe (Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology)
vulpe@berkeley.edu
Genetic/Genomic approaches to the identification of genes involved in copper and iron metabolism and characterization of the corresponding proteins is the primary focus of my laboratory.
Link to: further description of his research interests

(* Designates non-members of the Berkeley Academic Senate)