Cell biology is a dynamic discipline that combines the interests and methods of a wide variety of scientific fields. Studies of cell function are central to modern biological research as they focus upon investigating the basic structural and functional unit of life: the cell. By applying a wide range of experimental approaches to the study of cellular processes, including biochemical and physical analysis of molecules and cells in culture, and morphological methods, cell biologist have made major discoveries that have had a dramatic impact on human health. This key link between fundamental studies of cell function and their relevance to disease is highlighted by the work of the Cell Biology Faculty within the Graduate Program in Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Development. Ongoing studies in the areas of membrane trafficking, membrane dynamics, cell signaling, motility, organelle composition and function, studies of the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix provide important insights and information that is ultimately crucial for developing effective treatments for cancer, heart disease, AIDS, and a host of other diseases that disrupt normal cell function.

Name	Research Interests
James Crapo	Molecular regulation of superoxide dismutases in lung biology
Brian Doctor	Molecular interactions of actin cytoskeleton and membranes in mammalian hepatobiliary system
Joan Hooper	Cell determination, developmental patterning and hedgehog signaling in drosophila
Kathryn Howell	Structure/function of the Golgi complex using mass spectrometry, proteomics, functional assays, and high resolution 3D structure
John Hutton	Secretory granule biogenesis and exocytosis in the endocrine pancreas: role in human diabetes
Karen King	Cellular response to mechanical loading in skeletal tissues
Peter Koch	Cell adhesion molecules in embryonic development and diseases
Karl Pfenninger	Regulation of pseudopod attachment in nerve growth cones/cancer cells
Rytis Prekeris	Molecular mechanisms regulating the establishment and maintenance of cellular polarity in epithelial cells and neurons
Mary Reyland	Role of protein kinase C signaling in programmed cell death
Pepper Schedin	Stromal-epithelial interactions in mammary gland development, carcinogenesis and breast cancer prevention
Claude Selitrennikoff	Mechanisms of fungal wall assembly; development of antifungal therapy
Alexander Sorkin	Molecular basis of endocytosis and trafficking of growth factor receptors

All animals begin life as a single cell, the result of a fusion between sperm and egg. Through a staggering multitude of molecular, cellular and tissue level events, a properly organized, multicellular embryo is formed. In the last decade, our understanding of many of these processes has expanded dramatically due to the advent of cellular, molecular biological and genetic approaches. Intriguingly, many of these processes first recognized in developmental contexts have also been implicated in human disease. These types of fundamental studies form the core of cutting edge research in Developmental Biology by faculty of the Graduate Program in Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Development at the University of Colorado Denver.

Name	Research Interests
Kristin Artinger	Molecular, genetic and developmental mechanisms involved in the patterning of the early spinal cord (neural plate) during vertebrate embryogenesis
Linda Barlow	Developmental neurobiology; patterning and formation of sensory organs
Neil Box	Mouse modeling of ribosomal protein loss
Steve Britt	Visual system development and function using molecular/genetic approaches in Drosophila
John Caldwell	Functional regulation of ion channels in plasma membranes and Golgi membranes using electrophysiology and molecular biology
David Clouthier	Signaling pathways regulating craniofacial and cardiovascular development
Thomas Evans	Molecular and cellular mechanisms of early embryonic development in C. elegans using genetic and biochemical approaches
Thomas Finger	Development and organization of taste and smell
Eva Grayck	Hypoxia and pulmonary hypertension
Joan Hooper	Cell determination, developmental patterning and hedgehog signaling in drosophila
Peter Koch	Cell adhesion molecules in embryonic development and diseases
Maranke Koster	Signaling pathways that control epidermal development and differentiation
Susan Majka	Mesenchymal stem cells in pulmonary hypertension
Margaret Neville	Mammary gland biology and the molecular switch between pregnancy and lactation
Lee Niswander	Genetic mechanisms of limb, lung, and neural development
Karl Pfenninger	Regulation of pseudopod attachment in nerve growth cones/cancer cells
Dennis Roop	Skin development and disease
Trevor Williams	Transcriptional regulation of mouse embryonic development and the role of transcription factors in mammary gland development and breast cancer
Virginia Winn	Human Placental Development, Preeclampsia Pathogenesis

Research in the area of human disease is a special interest among the faculty in the Graduate Program in Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Development. Although all of the faculty in the program are conducting research that may be relevant to the basis and treatment of disease, the work of the faculty below has the most clear and direct connection.

These faculty members are examining the anatomical, cellular and molecular bases of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, infection, metabolic disorders, developmental malformations, and disorders of specific organ systems such as the lung, liver, nervous system and heart disease. Research approaches include the full range of biochemical, cell biological, molecular, genetic, physiological and morphological techniques.

These integrative studies apply a rigorous analysis of fundamental biological processes to understanding the underpinnings of the disease state. Determining the underlying origins of human disease can then be applied to the development of effective therapies.

Name	Research Interests
Neil Box	Mouse modeling of ribosomal protein loss
David Clouthier	Signaling pathways regulating craniofacial and cardiovascular development
James Crapo	Molecular regulation of superoxide dismutases in lung biology
Frank Frerman	Biochemistry of electron transport protein mutations: role in human metabolic disease
Stephen Goodman	Biochemistry and genetics of the human diseases glutaric acidemia types I and II
Eva Grayck	Hypoxia and pulmonary hypertension
John Hutton	Secretory granule biogenesis and exocytosis in the endocrine pancreas: role in human diabetes
Karen King	Diabetes co-morbidity in orthopaedics
Peter Koch	Cell adhesion molecules in embryonic development and diseases
Maranke Koster	Signaling pathways that control epidermal development and differentiation
Jan Kraus	Molecular basis of inherited mitochondrial disease
Susan Majka	Mesenchymal stem cells in pulmonary hypertension
Margaret Neville	Mammary gland biology and the molecular switch between pregnancy and lactation
Lee Niswander	Genetic mechanisms of limb, lung, and neural development
Mary Reyland	Role of protein kinase C signaling in programmed cell death
Dennis Roop	Skin development and disease
Pepper Schedin	Stromal-epithelial interactions in mammary gland development, carcinogenesis and breast cancer prevention
Claude Selitrennikoff	Mechanisms of fungal wall assembly; development of antifungal therapy
Trevor Williams	Transcriptional regulation of mouse embryonic development and the role of transcription factors in mammary gland development and breast cancer
Virginia Winn	Human Placental Development, Preeclampsia Pathogenesis

The tools and concepts of molecular and structural biology form the foundation for understanding the function of all biological systems. Higher order questions in biology are only truly understood at the molecular and, ultimately, the atomic levels of resolution. Cell growth, differentiation or death is the outcome of a series of signalling events that impinge upon a variety of effector pathways. A molecular understanding of the full range of these events provides not only a basis for understanding normal and disease processes, but also for interventions, including those of therapeutic importance.

Name	Research Interests
Brad Bendiak	Structural analysis of protein glycosylation using NMR and mass spectrometry
Steve Britt	Visual system development and function using molecular/genetic approaches in Drosophila
Thomas Evans	Molecular and cellular mechanisms of early embryonic development in C. elegans using genetic and biochemical approaches
Frank Frerman	Biochemistry of electron transport protein mutations: role in human metabolic disease
Joan Hooper	Cell determination, developmental patterning and hedgehog signaling in drosophila
Kathryn Howell	Structure/function of the Golgi complex using mass spectrometry, proteomics, functional assays, and high resolution 3D structure
Rytis Prekeris	Molecular mechanisms regulating the establishment and maintenance of cellular polarity in epithelial cells and neurons
Mary Reyland	Role of protein kinase C signaling in programmed cell death
Trevor Williams	Transcriptional regulation of mouse embryonic development and the role of transcription factors in mammary gland development and breast cancer

Neuroscience Research is a relatively new discipline that has merged many aspects of biology, medicine, psychology and other fields. This merger has come about in an effort to understand how the brain works in development, function and disease.

The study of neural development aims to understand how an initially homogenous population of cells matures to form the diverse types of neurons and glia in the brain and spinal cord of the central nervous system, as well as neurons of the peripheral nervous system and specialized sensory organs. This process requires a complex interplay of cellular processes including induction and patterning of neuronal cell types, neuronal differentiation, migration, axon outgrowth and targeting, formation of synapses and the establishment and maintenance of connections.

Functional diversity and specialization within the nervous system is a product of this developmental program, but is also dependent upon the biophysical properties and chemical processes that differ in different cell types. For example, different cell types have distinct profiles of ion channel, receptor and neurotransmitter expression that confer differences in responsiveness to different stimuli. Furthermore, neurons having specific biochemical and metabolic activities are adapted for different functions. A detailed understanding of these specializations is required in order to have a comprehensive picture of neuronal diversity and function.

Finally, both neural development and function have a direct relationship to nervous system disease. Ultimately, both the specializations that are unique to different types of neurons and the developmental processes that generate them are a potential source of neurological disorders. These may range from neurodegenerative diseases such Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease to Mental Retardation, to a variety of psychiatric disorders. A rigorous analysis of normal nervous system development and function provides an important framework in which to examine disease states, as well as insights into potentially useful therapeutic interventions.

The Neuroscience faculty within the Graduate Program in Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Development at the University of Colorado Denver have widely diverse interests and are engaged in research projects examining many exciting aspects of neurodevelopment, function and disease.

Name	Research Interests
Bruce Appel	Development and repair of the vertebrate nervous system
Kristin Artinger	Molecular, genetic and developmental mechanisms involved in the patterning of the early spinal cord (neural plate) during vertebrate embryogenesis
Linda Barlow	Developmental neurobiology; patterning and formation of sensory organs
Steve Britt	Visual system development and function using molecular/genetic approaches in Drosophila
John Caldwell	Functional regulation of ion channels in plasma membranes and Golgi membranes using electrophysiology and molecular biology
Thomas Finger	Development and organization of taste and smell
Stephen Goodman	Biochemistry and genetics of the human diseases glutaric acidemia types I and II
Jan Kraus	Molecular basis of inherited mitochondrial disease
Lee Niswander	Genetic mechanisms of limb, lung, and neural development
Karl Pfenninger	Regulation of pseudopod attachment in nerve growth cones/cancer cells
Diego Restrepo	Olfactory signal transduction and olfactory sensory coding using electrophysiological, morphological and molecular techniques

Stem Cell Biology Research offers enormous therapeutic potential for a wide range of clinical disorders including Parkinson's disease, diabetes, chronic heart disease, end-stage renal disease, liver failure and cancer. Realizing the promise of using stem cells in treating human disease will ultimately depend upon defining the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. These fundamental principles are at the heart of modern Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Development and highlight the dynamic interdisciplinary work being undertaken by the faculty and graduate students in the Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Development Graduate Program at the University of Colorado Denver.

Name	Research Interests
Bruce Appel	Development and repair of the vertebrate nervous system
Kristin Artinger	Molecular, genetic and developmental mechanisms involved in the patterning of the early spinal cord (neural plate) during vertebrate embryogenesis
Linda Barlow	Developmental neurobiology; patterning and formation of sensory organs
Neil Box	Mouse modeling of ribosomal protein loss
Peter Koch	Cell adhesion molecules in embryonic development and diseases
Maranke Koster	Signaling pathways that control epidermal development and differentiation
Susan Majka	Mesenchymal stem cells in pulmonary hypertension
Dennis Roop	Skin development and disease
Trevor Williams	Transcriptional regulation of mouse embryonic development and the role of transcription factors in mammary gland development and breast cancer