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Dept of Molecular & Cell Biology
Div of Cell & Developmental Biology
 
 
 

John G. Forte
Dec. 23, 1934 — Nov. 19, 2012


 
Pioneer in studying the acid-secreting gastric parietal cell
Mentor to scores of aspiring scientists and physicians
Teacher to thousands of biology and physiology students
Devoted husband, father, and grandfather

He will be greatly missed

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  P.I. — John Forte, PhD
    faculty web page

  Research Specialists: 
    James Crothers, PhD
    Paramasivam Natarajan, PhD

  Research Associate:
    Stephanie Nakada

 Students:
    Lutetia Lee
    Milap Rakholia
    Jared Rosen

Address:
    Forte Lab
    Molecular & Cell Biology
    245 Life Sciences Addition, #3200
    University of California
    Berkeley, CA  94720-3200

Lab phone:  510-642-4360

Fax:   510-643-6791
    (Number is for entire building,
    so identify addressee on Fax.)
 

 

  Research interests:

Gastric acid is secreted by parietal cells (also called oxyntic cells) in glands of the stomach lining.  This lab has been studying various aspects of parietal cell structure and function for four decades, making the initial discovery {1967} of a K+-stimulated, ouabain-insensitive ATPase activity associated with gastric acid secretion — H,K-ATPase, the molecular "proton pump" — and proposing that a membrane recycling process moves these pumps between active and inactive membrane domains {1977, 1981}.  In addition, the lab has been studying details of the H,K-ATPase enzymatic cycle, structure and function of the highly glycosylated β-subunit of the H,K-ATPase, synthesis and processing of H,K-ATPase, intracellular signal transduction, ion transport pathways, mechanisms of vesicular fusion and endocytosis, and involvement of the cytoskeleton and cytoskeletal linking proteins in the dynamic morphological changes in the parietal cell with stimulation. 



Model of the morphological and functional rearrangement of the parietal cell between inactive and secreting states


Selected publications
 
 
 
 


 
Forte lab, Sept. 2010: (kneeling, L-R): Dr. Yousef Bastaki (visiting researcher), Jonathan Pai, Christophe Renou; (standing, L-R): Jim Crothers, Joanne Dai, Jared Rosen, John Forte, Stephanie Nakada, Sivam Natarajan, Soham Chaudhari
 
 
 


 
Much of the Forte lab in early 2007: (L-R) Cheng Chen (alum.), Dr. Lixin Zhu (now Asst. Prof. at SUNY Buffalo), Kevin Poon (alum.), Joseph Delaney (alum.), Aennes Abbas (visiting scholar, now back in Germany), Sara Ghayouri (alum.), Prof. John Forte, Dr. Rihong Zhou (now a pharmacist with Kaiser Permanente), Dr. Shelley Mettler (PhD May, 2007; now in biotech), Dr. Jim Crothers, Tim Wu (alum.)