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Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine CMM
  1. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
  2. Research
  3. Biochemistry & Structural Biology

Biochemistry & Structural Biology

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Image: Crystal structure of the AAA+ ATPase Pch2. Courtesy Kevin Corbett.

Research

Modern cell biology demands a multi-disciplinary approach. As part of this effort, CMM researchers are using cutting-edge biochemical and structural techniques to understand fundamental cell biology problems:

  • Marilyn Farquhar's lab makes heavy use of electron microscopy in understanding protein trafficking and targeting in endocytosis and exocytosis. Dr. Farquhar also directs the UCSD Electron Microscopy Core Facility, making this technology available to researchers at CMM and throughout UCSD and the San Diego area.
  • Kevin Corbett uses a combination of biochemical reconstitution and x-ray crystallography to understand the architecture and organization of chromosomes in the specialized meiotic cell divisions.
  • Huilin Zhou uses state-of-the-art mass spectrometry to understand post-translational signaling networks in the DNA damage response.

More widely, a host of CMM researchers combine their in vivo studies of diverse cellular pathways with in vitro reconstitution, in order to understand the molecular foundations of these pathways.

Faculty