People
Professor and Principal Investigator
Professor of Cell Biology, Development & Physiology
B.S., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Postdoc, University of California, San Francisco
Specialists
Specialist
I study the baculovirus Autographa californica M nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) manipulation of the host cell actin cytoskeleton throughout the viral replication cycle. This work is carried out using viral genetics and advanced imaging methods to examine how the virus affects cellular actin. My ongoing research includes studying how AcMNPV uses nuclear-localized actin during replication. Our synthesis of molecular virology and cell biology has led to advances in understanding viral mechanisms of transport and viral usage of the actin cytoskeleton.
B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ph.D., University of California, Davis
Postdoc, University of California, Berkeley
Current Postdocs
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am broadly interested in the rules governing self organization of cellular structures and how those rules are disrupted in disease. I study the mechanisms of cell-cell fusion that facilitate intercellular spread of bacteria from the pseudomallei group of Burkholderia. I am especially interested in how distinct actin-based bacterial motility mechanisms contribute to force generation at the host plasma membrane and which mammalian host cell factors are required to promote bacterial spread. Through comparative analyses, I hope to improve our understanding of both the fundamental mechanisms necessary for cell fusion in general and
B.A., Bowdoin College
Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco
Current Graduate Students
Graduate Student Researcher
I am interested in studying the cell biology of host-microbe interactions. My project focuses on comparing the activity of the two actin-based motility effectors RickA and Sca2 that many Rickettsia species use to hijack host cell actin cytoskeleton and move about the host cell in the ancestral species R. bellii and a pathogenic species R. parkeri. By investigating actin based motility in divergent Rickettsia species I aim to better understand how the mechanism of these two effectors have evolved in terms of actin nucleation mechanism and function.
B.S., University of Puget Sound
Graduate Student Researcher
Rickettsia parkeri occupies a long-term intracellular niche inside host endothelial cells. It also hijacks the host actin cytoskeleton to move freely inside the cytosol. I am interested in studying mediators of actin-based motility -- RickA and Sca2 -- and their regulation in relation to different cellular environments. I hope to improve our understanding of the R. parkeri infectious life cycle, as well as elucidate cellular pathways contributing to RickA and Sca2 expression in early and late phase infection.
B.S., University of Maryland, College Park
Graduate Student Researcher
MirA, a protein secreted by the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium Marinum, plays an essential role in hijacking the host cytoskeletal system to facilitate cell-to-cell spread during infection. Currently, I am investigating the molecular interactions between MirA and host actin polymerization pathways to better understand the structural elements involved during this host-pathogen interaction and the localization of MirA post secretion.
B.S., University of California, Santa Cruz
Nucleation promoting factor (NPF) proteins RickA and Sca2 render many Rickettsia species the ability to do actin-based motility in host cells. I am interested in investigating the evolutionary trajectory of RickA and Sca2 across Rickettsia species and better understanding the origins and functional significance of these proteins. I am also interested in studying the functional domains of RickA through biochemical, molecular, and structural approaches to dissect its role in actin polymerization. These these approaches aim to help us better understand how Rickettsia exploits host actin for intracellular movement.
B.S., Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut
M. S., Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan
Staff Research Associate
Staff Research Associate
Rickettsia species of the spotted fever group are arthropod-borne obligate intracellular bacteria that can cause mild to severe human disease. My research focuses on investigating the critical sites within the Pat1 protein that are responsible for its phospholipase enzymatic activity. I am exploring how these sites contribute to Pat1's role in facilitating bacterial escape from host membranes, promoting efficient infection and cell-to-cell spread. Understanding these key regions in Pat1 may reveal important molecular mechanisms for bacterial survival and immune evasion during infection.
B.A., University of California, Berkeley
Current Visiting Scholars
Lab Photos
Alumni
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Director, Bioassay Innovation and Bioinformatics, Venture-Backed NewCo
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Senior Scientific Collaborator, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Basel
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Principal Scientist, Caribou Biosciences, Berkeley
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Associate Professor, CRBM-CNRS UMR5237, Maitre de Conferences, BioMV, University of Montpellier 2, France
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSF
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Associate Professor, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Associate Director, Corporate Development and Operations, Valitor, Berkeley, CA
Former: Technician
Current: Director, Oncology Biotherapeutics, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Boston
Former: Volunteer
Current: Researcher, Utrecht University
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Physician, Emergency Medicine, Greenview Regional Hospital, Bowling Green, KY
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Principal Scientist, Primrose Bio, San Diego, CA
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
Former: Undergraduate Researcher
Current: Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellow, Nicklaus Children's Health System, Miami, FL
Current: Former Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Associate Professor, Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Professor of Epidemiology and Global Public Health; Director, Michigan Center for Infectious Disease Threats and Pandemic Preparedness, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Partnerships and Business Development Director, Microbiology Institute of Technology, ESCP Europe
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Executive Director, Ensign Services, Berthoud, CO
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Senior Scientist II, ArsenalBio, Oakland, CA
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Biological Safety Division Manager, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Senior Microbiologist, California Department of Public Health, Oakland, CA
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Scientist, Chan Zuckerberg Imaging Institute
Former: Undergraduate Researcher/Technician
Current: MD Resident, Orthopedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Associate Director, Medical Information, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, CA
Former: Undergraduate Researcher/Technician
Current: MD/PhD Student, Washington University
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Gladstone Institute of Virology, UCSF
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Associate Research Specialist, Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institure, Inc., NY, NY
Former: Undergraduate Researcher
Current: Physician, Central California Faculty Medical Group, Fresno, CA
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Associate Professor, Department of Biology, MIT; Associate Member, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Scientist I, 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Emeryville, CA
Former: Undergraduate Researcher
Current: Physician, Santa Clara Pediatrics, Santa Clara, CA
Former: Undergraduate Researcher
Current: Postdoctoral Researcher, UC San Diego
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences, Quinnipiac University
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Internal Medicine Resident, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current: Executive Director, Microbiology and Non-Clinical Development, Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Boston, MA
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Technical Associate Director, Scientific Products at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), Boston
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Vice President of Technical Operations, Caribou Biosciences, Inc., Berkeley
Former: Undergraduate Lab Assistant
Current: Biology 1B Undergraduate Tutor - Study Sleuths, UC Berkeley
Former: Undergraduate Researcher
Current: Principal Scientist, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Greater Boston, MA
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Senior Microbiologist, California Department of Public Health
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Biological Sciences Specialist, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal
Former: Postdoctoral Fellow
Former: Graduate Student Researcher
Current: Director, Cancer Biology, Omega Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA
Former: Technician
Current: Technical Consultant, SF Bay Area