Research
Lipid signaling and metabolism
The members of the bioactive lipid signaling and metabolism group, Drs. Peterson, Gil, Dent,
Barbour, Chalfant, Fang, Kordula, Baker, Larner, and Spiegel are using biochemical
and molecular approaches to further understand metabolism and the functions of bioactive
lipids in health and disease. New and unexpected biological functions, biosynthetic
pathways and receptors are being revealed for lipids and metabolites as appreciation of
their complex interactions with protein and DNA increases. Bioactive lipid mediators are
now recognized to regulate a broad swath of biology from inflammation to allergy,
immunity, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and more are being uncovered
at an expanding rate. Expansion of our understanding of metabolism and the role of
lipid mediators affords the opportunity for novel therapeutics
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Darrell Peterson, Professor: Structure and function of proteins of hepadnaviruses and hepatitis C virus. |
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Gregorio Gil, Associate Professor: Molecular mechanisms of cholesterol and bile acid regulation of gene expression. |
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Suzanne Barbour, Professor: Role of PLA2 and lipid mediators in the regulation of sterol metabolism. |
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Paul Dent, Professor: Signaling processes regulating survival of liver cells. |
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Charles Chalfant, Associate Professor: Role of ceramide-1- phosphate in prostanoid synthesis. |
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Frank Fang, Associate Professor: The role of phospholipids, particularly lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in the pathogenesis of ovarian, breast, and prostate cancer. |
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Tomek Kordula, Associate Professor: Role of inflammatory cytokines and growth factors in deregulation of proteolytic balance in human astrocytes. |
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Keith Baker,
Associate Professor: Understanding the physiological role of nuclear hormone receptors: mechanism of regulated transcription; metabolic homeostasis |
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Andrew Larner, Professor: Integration of Jak/ Stat signaling and cell growth pathways. The Role of the Jak/Stat Signaling Pathway in Regulation of Gene Expression and Cell Metabolism. |
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Sarah Spiegel, Professor: Role of sphingosine-1-phosphate in regulation of cell growth, apoptosis, and angiogenesis in human breast and prostate cancers. |
