James L. Maller Professor/Investigator Pharmacology Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1974 Postdoc, University of Washington SOM, Seattle, 1978 Campus Box 0236 4200 East 9th Avenue Denver CO 80262 Phone: (303) 315-7075 Fax: (303) 315-7160 Jim.Maller@uchsc.edu

Dr. Maller's laboratory studies the molecular regulation of decision points in the cell cycle during which commitments are made to enter DNA synthesis and enter or exit mitosis. Checkpoint decisions are regulated by integrated signals that control the activity of protein kinases and phosphatases which regulate the phosphorylation state of key enzymes involved in cell cycle control. The overall goal is to learn how the cellular decision to proceed in the cell cycle is elaborated at these decision points. Dr. Maller is also interested in signal transduction pathways that utilize sequential phosphorylation and activation of several protein kinases, resulting in a cascade of signalling modules important for growth control and integrated cellular function.

Selected Publications

Liu J, Maller JL. Calcium elevation at fertilization coordinates phosphorylation of XErp1/Emi2 by Plx1 and CaMK II to release metaphase arrest by cytostatic factor. Curr Biol. 2005 Aug 23;15(16):1458-68.

Eyers PA, Churchill ME, Maller JL. The Aurora A and Aurora B protein kinases: a single amino acid difference controls intrinsic activity and activation by TPX2. Cell Cycle. 2005 Jun;4(6):784-9. Epub 2005 Jun 7.

Eyers PA, Liu J, Hayashi NR, Lewellyn AL, Gautier J, Maller JL. Regulation of the G(2)/M transition in Xenopus oocytes by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. J Biol Chem. 2005 Jul 1;280(26):24339-46. Epub 2005 Apr 27.

Liu J, Maller JL. Xenopus Polo-like kinase Plx1: a multifunctional mitotic kinase. Oncogene. 2005 Jan 10;24(2):238-47. Review.

Silverman E, Frodin M, Gammeltoft S, Maller JL. Activation of p90 Rsk1 is sufficient for differentiation of PC12 cells. Mol Cell Biol. 2004 Dec;24(24):10573-83.

Latest Publications in PubMed