Cell Biology-Department of Biological Sciences - Carnegie Mellon University

Cell Biology

Marcel P. Bruchez

Associate Professor

The Bruchez Group has developed a family of genetically targeted environmentally sensitive reporters that respond to the local pH of a specific protein.  Our initial pH sensitive reporters are being used to study the trafficking, recycling and degradation of ion channels and cell surface receptors.  In addition, we are extending this sensor framework to establish local measurements of subcellular physiology at high spatial and temporal resolution in living cells. 
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Charles A. Ettensohn

Professor

The Ettensohn laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms of morphogenetic processes (cell migration, epithelial folding, cell-cell fusion, and biomineralization) in the sea urchin embryo. The laboratory also studies the role of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway in early embryonic polarity.
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David D. Hackney

Professor

Research focuses on the investigation of the biochemical and biophysical properties of biological molecular motors, both in free solution and at the single molecule level. This includes studies of the mechanism and regulation of kinesin superfamily members, helicases and other ATPases.
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Chien Ho

Professor

Using rodent models for organ transplantation, the Ho laboratory studies the migration and accumulation of immune cells within rejecting kidney, heart, and lung tissues. Non-invasive MRI methods are used to analyze cellular behavior.
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Jonathan W. Jarvik

Associate Professor

The Jarvik group is developing gene-tagging methods that enable the observation and quantitation of the location, abundance, and dynamics of individual protein species in living cells and tissues.
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Sandra J. Kuhlman

Assistant Professor

The Kuhlman laboratory is identifying the cell signaling events responsible for the differential integration and recruitment of excitatory (glutamatergic) versus inhibitory (GABAergic) neurons into functional circuits.
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Frederick Lanni

Associate Professor

Regulation of mechanical activity in the actin-based cytoskeleton is a major interest area in the Lanni laboratory.
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Tina H. Lee

Associate Professor

Research in the Lee lab focuses on the structure and function relationship of the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum. We apply biochemical and imaging approaches to investigate this question in cultured cells.
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Adam D. Linstedt

Professor

The Linstedt group is investigating molecular mechanisms that establish and maintain the membrane-bounded compartments of the secretory and endocytic pathways. Approaches include permeabilized cell assays, biochemical reconstitutions, cell imaging techniques and molecular genetic experiments.
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A. Javier López

Associate Professor

The López laboratory uses various model systems to study how splicing of pre-mRNA is regulated in vivo and how alternative splicing influences development and cellular function. Recursive splicing mechanisms and their role in expression of very large transcription units are major areas of study.
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Brooke M. McCartney

Associate Professor

Investigating mechanisms of signal transduction and cytoskeletal organization using the APC family of tumor suppressors as a model is a principal interest in the McCartney laboratory.
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Jonathan S. Minden

Professor

The Minden laboratory is using proteomics and time-lapse microscopy to study how cells change shape during Drosophila embryogenesis.We are also using the same methods to study early protein changes during developmentally regulated cell death.
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Aaron P. Mitchell

Professor

The Mitchell laboratory is interested in diverse signal transduction pathways that govern environmental sensing, biofilm formation, and pathogenesis in the fungal pathogen C. albicans and the model yeast S. cerevisiae.
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Robert F. Murphy

Professor

The Murphy group focuses on location proteomics, using fluorescence microscopy and computational methods to analyze subcellular location on a proteome-wide basis.
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Manojkumar A. Puthenveedu

Assistant Professor

The Puthenveedu laboratory studies how membrane trafficking regulates receptor-mediated signaling in living cells. We focus on trafficking events that regulate signaling by G protein-coupled receptors involved in drug addiction.
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Alan S. Waggoner

Maxwell H. and Gloria C. Connan Professor of Life Sciences

Research has focused on the development of fluorescence-based detection systems for biology and biotechnology. Our current focus applies the Fluorogen-Activating Protein (FAP) technology to develop novel biosensors of protein interactions and pathway regulation within living cells.
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John L. Woolford

Professor

Researchers in the Woolford group investigate mechanisms of ribosome assembly and how control of cell growth and cell proliferation are regulated in concert with ribosome biogenesis.
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