May 9, 2008

BMS Home
About Our Program
Faculty
Facilities
Students & Alumni
Course Resources
Events and Links
How to Apply

Contact Us

Genetics and Genomics
Microbiology/Immunology
Molecular Cell Biology
Molecular Pathology
Molecular Pharmacology
Physiology
Focus Areas and Custom Option

M.D./Ph.D. Program


  News

>>Akassoglou lab identifies critical receptor in liver regeneration

>>Kolodner honored with Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research

>>Three more at UC San Diego receive California stem cell grants

>>Karin lab uncovers key role of inflammation in prostate cancer metastasis

>>UCSD’s Ajit Varki to receive glycobiology’s highest international honor

>>Goldstein Lab debates on NBC News

>>Seven at UCSD receive California stem cell grants

>>Desai lab solves two central mysteries of genome inheritance

>>Bourne and SDSC Colleagues Establish Connection Between Life Today and Ancient Changes in Ocean Chemistry

From UCSD SOM

>>UCSD School of Medicine ranks second in nation for faculty-member funding

>> Cavenee wins National Foundation for Cancer Research prize

>> Cleveland lab identifies new drug targets for cancer

>>Kelsoe to lead bipolar disorder association study

Annual BMS Newsletter
 


   Featured Publications

While you wolf down that supersized burger, receptors on your cells are busy clearing the remnant lipoproteins that build up in your blood. These cholesterol-rich particles are extremely atherogenic, so unraveling the mechanisms behind remnant lipoprotein clearance will impact our understanding of diseases caused by high cholesterol and lipids. BMS student Jennifer MacArthur in the Esko lab has found that heparan sulfate proteoglycans are critically important in the clearance of remnant lipoproteins.

Read the paper at the Journal of Clinical Investigation

Healthy livers have the amazing ability of regeneration. Understanding the molecular details of liver regeneration may lead to new treatments for liver disease and will likely serve as an important reference system as we move into an era of stem cells and regenerative medicine. In the Akassoglou lab, BMS student Melissa Passino has recently published that proliferation of liver cells is controlled by the neurotrophin receptor p75NTR, a receptor primarily known for its role in the regulation of survival and regeneration of neurons.

Read the paper in Science

How does a dividing cell know that its DNA is properly attached to the spindle before beginning mitosis? BMS student Sharsti Sandall in the Desai lab has identified a tension-sensitive protein complex that may finally answer this age-old question. This complex senses incorrect DNA-spindle attachments and relays the information to protein kinases.

Read the paper at Cell

 Featured Alumnus

Andrew E. Wurmser

"I chose the Biomedical Sciences Program at UCSD for the diversity of its labs and course work. This breadth of training has helped me apply a multidisciplinary approach to my current research."





Andrew E. Wurmser

Ph.D., 2001
Assistant Professor
UC Berkeley

Dr. Wurmser earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Brown University in 1991. After working as a research technician, he entered the Biomedical Sciences program in 1994. His thesis work resulted in nine published papers and reviews. As a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Salk Institute, he has explored the biology of neuronal stem cells. He is now an Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology a UC Berkeley.

Key Publications

Wurmser A. E., Nakashima K., Summers R. G., Toni N., D'Amour K. A., Lie D. C., Gage F. H. (2004) Cell fusion-Independent Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells to the Endothelial Lineage. Nature 430: 350-356.

Wurmser A. E., Palmer T. D., Gage F. H. (2004) Cellular Interactions in the Stem Cell Niche. Science 304:1253-1255.

Wurmser A. E. and Gage F. H. (2002) Stem Cells: Cell Fusion Causes Confusion. Nature 416: 485-487.

Wurmser A. E. and Emr S. D. (2002) Novel PtdIns(3)P-binding Protein Etf1, Functions as an Effector of the Vps34 PtdIns 3-Kinase in Autophagy. J. Cell Biol. 158: 761-772.

Wurmser A. E., Sato T. K., Emr S. D. (2000) New Component of the Vacuolar Class CVps Complex Couples Nucleotide Exchange on the Ypt7 GTPase to SNARE-Dependent Docking/Fusion. J. Cell Biol. 151: 551-562.

Wurmser A. E., Gary J. D., Emr S. D. (1999) Phosphoinositide 3-Kinases and their FYVE Domain-Containing Effectors as Regulators of Vacuolar/Lysosomal Membrane Trafficking Pathways. J. Biol. Chem. 274: 9129-9132.

Gary J. D.*, Wurmser A. E.*, Bonangelino C. J., Weisman L. S., Emr S. D. (1998) Fab1p is Essential for PtdIns(3)P 5-Kinase Activity and the Maintenance of Vacuolar Size and Membrane Homeostasis. J. Cell Biol. 143: 65-79.

Wurmser A. E. and Emr S. D. (1998) PtdIns Signaling and Turnover: PtdIns(3)P, a Regulator of Membrane Traffic, is Transported to the Vacuole and Degraded by a Process that Requires Lumenal Vacuolar Hydrolase Activities. EMBO J. 17: 4930-4942.

DeVries L., Mousli M., Wurmser A. E., Farquhar M. G. (1995) GAIP, a Protein that Specifically Interacts with the Trimeric G Protein Gai3, is a Member of a Protein Family with a Highly Conserved Core Domain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92: 11916-11920.