Affinity Groups (Research Interests)

Besides ACCESS departments, faculty also belong to one or more ACCESS affinity groups or research interests.

Astrocytes and Microglia stained with anti-GFAP (green), Hoechst dye (blue) and an anti-vault anitbody (red).


Two electrode voltage clamp using Xenopus oocytes.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Faculty in this program have research interests ranging from genomics, aging, cancer, cell motility, gene expression, signal transduction and neurobiology/ Tying them together is their interest in approaching these problems using the technologies of molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry to understand these phenomena in terms of the interactions of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and small molecules.

Bioinformatics

Cell Biology

This group is composed of faculty who are interested in answering fundamental questions in cell biology. These questions cover the synthesis, sorting, structure, function and regulation of proteins in bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells. The proteins include plasma membrane transporters and channels, molecular motors, oncogenes, transcription factors, chaperons and GTPases.

Cell Physiology & Biophysics

The members of this group examine the physical and molecular bases of the functgional properties of cells. Included within this afinity group are researchers studying structure-function relationships of ion channels and transporters, biophysical studies of stimulus-secretion coupling, nerve-muscle and nerve-nerve interactions, excitation-contraction coupling and the properties of ion channels, biochemical studies of contraction, imaging of intracellular calcium distrbution, and studies of the biochemical and biophysical bases of learning.

Developmental Biology

The developmental biologist seeks to understand the sequence of events, starting with fertilization, that cause a single cell (the fertilized egg) to give rise to an entire adult organism consisting of thousands to billions of differentiated cells. Approaches of molecular genetics, cell biology and biochemistry are integrated to investigate these events in many different organisms, including Drosophila, vertebrates and plants. Members of this group study a variety of problems, including how the egg is formed, how the axes of the embryo are established, how cells become committed to different tissue and cell types, and how cell shape changes and cell movement is brought about. Investigations into mechanisms of gene regulation and cell communication are critical components of the understanding of these processes.

Gene Regulation

The Gene Regulation group studies the biological and biochemical regulatoryt mechanisms that control RNA splicing and DNA transcription during development, differentiations and response to external stimuli. The group's interests range from the purely biochemical dissection of gene activation to the molecular analysis of signal transduction.

Gene-Environmental Interactions

The focus of the group is on the molecular mechanisms of toxicological injury. It is the conviction of the faculty that the greatest strides in identifying, appraising and ameliorating toxicological risk will emanate from studying mechanisms.Areas of particular strength in the program include the application of genomic and proteomic technologies to toxicology; genetic susceptibility, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species; metal toxicity; and air pollution.

Genetics & Genomics

The science of genetics is concerned with how biological information is inherited from one generation to the next, and how that information is expressed within organisms. Genetics defines the "core" concepts that unify all aspects of biology and provbides many of the most powerful experimental tools currently available to the biomedical researcher. Genetics is rapidly advancing our understanding of fundamental biological processes in ways that have profoundimpact on human affairs. Genetics research is rich and varied, ranging from studies on the control of gene expression, protien targeting, cellular metabolism and the structure and function of biomolecules, to signal transduction and organ development, to the basis of human diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, lysosomal storage and ataxia.

A transgenic mouse model for the huma autoimmune disease ankylosing spondilityis: a radiograph of a mouse expressing a truncated TNFα gene from Peromyscus leucopus (the white-footed mouse), a rodent which exhibits an unusually long lifespan (7-8 years compared to 3 years for the common laboratory mouse).

Immunology

Immunology encompasses investigators studying the cell and molecular biology of the immune system and its role in protective host responses and disease pathogenesis. The immunological research community at UCLA has a long history of cooperative programs on the curriculum, journal clubs, symposia and a weekly universitywide series.

Microbial Physiology & Pathogenesis

Molecular & Medical Pharmacology

Molecular Basis of Disease

Members of this group are involved in research on the molecular basis of a variety of diseases with an emphasis on human disease processes. These include cancer, atherosclerosis, aging, diabetes, ataxia, Alzheimer's, lysosomal storage disorders and influenza. Regulation of gene expression and cloning of important molecules in disease regulation are major foci of the investigators of this group. Gene therapy and molecular diagnosis are other areas of focus.

Molecular Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Molecular Evolution & Computational Biology

This group is interested in understanding the origin of life and of molecular mechanisms, including those of eukaryotes and prokaryotes, and in relating them to the developmental, molecular biological, biochemical and life-history events that occurred during their emergence. Specifically, we are studying such diverse areas as the evolution and development of multicellular animals including verterbates, mollusks, Drosophila and other invertebrates, of haemoflagellates, of photosynthesis, of prokaryotic life, the emergence of eukaryotes and computational sequence analysis.

Molecular Parasitology

This group consists of laboratories interested in the basic molecular biology of parasitic protozoa which are causal agents of several important human and animal diseases throughout the world. In some cases, the parasites are used as model systems to investigate basic biological problems. In other cases, the emphasis is on the host-parasite interaction and the parasite itself as a disease-causing entity. Research interests of this group include: an unusual RNA modification phenomenon known as RNA editing which occurs in the mitochondrion of trypanosomes; the replication of mitochondrial DNA molecules and identification and analysis of enzymes involved in the periodic expresion of replication genes in trypanosomes; transport of proteins into organelles known as hydrogenosomes in Trichomonads and the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in this parasite; functional analysis of transcription and identification of regulatory sequences in trypanosomes; and an analysis of the local T-cell response in human leishmaniasis.

Inflorescence of alfalfa. Alfalfa can be used as a host for expressing genes from other organisms.

PET scans of a normal person and an Alzheimer's patient with the hallmark metabolic deficit in the parietal and temporal cortices (arrows).

Neurobiology

UCLA has a robust neurobiology community that approaches nervous-system function at all leves, namely from applied studies of human performance (and its loss in diseases) to molecular studies of brain-specific genes and proteins. Indeed, this is an extremely exciting period of studies in neurobiology. The application of novel technologies at the mollecular, cellular and systems level coupled with exciting new imaging approaches and computer modeling of complex systems has led to unprecedented insights into the brain, its organization and development. However, becayse of the magnitude of the task at hand, the demand for neurobiologists continues to expand.

Plant Molecular Biology

This group concentrates on studies related to the transduction of external and/or internal signals as they relate to plant development. Specific research interests include light regulation of gene expresion, transcription control in plants, regulation of photosynthetic membrane asembly and function, molecular studies of embyrogenesis and stamen development and analysis of the signaling between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and plant roots.

Stem Cell Biology

The Stem Cell Affinity Group focuses on embryonic and adult stem cell research. In addition to studying the basic biology of stem cells, three main areas of disease application are targeted:
  • HIV: UCLA scientists are exploring how the AIDS virus blocks stem cell function, as well as stem cell approaches to combating HIV disease. One potential therapeutic example includes inserting antiviral genes into blood-forming stem cells and reintroducing them into the body. As these blood cells develop, the gene protects the mature cell against HIV infection.
  • Cancer: Research will seek to shed more light on cancer stem cells and how they develop. Not much is known about cancer stem cells and new findings may lead to therapies that target cell signaling pathways specific for cancer stem cells.
  • Neurological disorders: UCLA researchers are studying many aspects of the roles that stem cells may play in healing neurological disorders, including stroke, spinal cord injury, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis and genetic diseases.

Structural Biology & Proteomics

The broad objective of this group is to elucidate the structural basis for the function and activity of biological macromolecules. This encompasses research on the structure of nucleic acids, soluble and trans-membrane proteins and viruses. Among the various tools brought to bear are X-ray diffraction, multidimensional NMR, electron microscopy and computational analysis. There is also interest in the structure of macromolecules at the atomic level and crystallographic and NMR methods are employed for these purposes. These efforts provide detailed information on the sequence-dependent structure and activity of proteins and nucleic acids and their complexes.

MDR/PGP lung carcinoma cells stained with an anti-vault antibody (red); a putative anti-vault monoclonal antibody (green); and Hoechst dye for nucleii (blue).

Tumor Cell Biology & Signal Transduction

Faculty with a common interest in both fundamental and clinical cancel research are in this group. Areas of research include cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumor invasion and metastasis, role of oncogenes in malignant transformation, molecular biology of tumor-associated chromosomal abnormalities, regulation of myeloid cell proliferation and response to cytotoxic drugs, tumor immunology and gene therapy.

Virology and Gene Therapy