Department of Molecular Pharmacology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Yeshiva University

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Molecular Pharmacology provides ample opportunities to investigate signal transuction and molecular basis of drug design. Research in the Department incorporates current concepts and advances in biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, cell biology, medicinal chemistry, and structural biology within the central framework of Pharmacology. The Department utilizes a combination of proteomics, high-throughput inhibitor screen, RNA interference, and various genetic mouse models to examine target diseases including diabetes, cancer, endocrine dysfunction, cardiovascular and behavior disorders. Focused research groups includes

• Cell Architecture and Membrane Transport

• Drug Design and Enzyme Action

• Hormone Biogenesis and Signal Transduction

• Transcription Regulation and Gene Function

Representative Publications from the Department:

Murray JT, Backer JM. Analysis of hVps34/hVps15 interactions with Rab5 in vivo and in vitro. Methods Enzymol. 2005;403:789-99.

Byfield MP, Murray JT, Backer JM. hVps34 is a nutrient-regulated lipid kinase required for activation of p70 S6 kinase. J Biol Chem. 2005 Sep 23;280(38):33076-82.

Dam TK, Gabius HJ, Andre S, Kaltner H, Lensch M, Brewer CF. Galectins bind to the multivalent glycoprotein asialofetuin with enhanced affinities and a gradient of decreasing binding constants. Biochemistry. 2005 Sep 20;44(37):12564-71.

Dam TK, Oscarson S, Roy R, Das SK, Page D, Macaluso F, Brewer CF. Thermodynamic, kinetic, and electron microscopy studies of concanavalin A and Dioclea grandiflora lectin cross-linked with synthetic divalent carbohydrates. J Biol Chem. 2005 Mar 11;280(10):8640-6.

Paroder V, Spencer SR, Paroder M, Arango D, Schwartz S Jr, Mariadason JM, Augenlicht LH, Eskandari S, Carrasco N. Na(+)/monocarboxylate transport (SMCT) protein expression correlates with survival in colon cancer: molecular characterization of SMCT. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 May 9;103(19):7270-5.

Dohan O, De la Vieja A, Carrasco N. Hydrocortisone and purinergic signaling stimulate sodium/iodide symporter (NIS)-mediated iodide transport in breast cancer cells. Mol Endocrinol. 2006 May;20(5):1121-37.

Yang TT, Suk HY, Yang XY, Olabisi O, Yu RY, Durand J, Jelicks LA, Kim JY, Scherer PE, Wang Y, Feng Y, Rossetti L, Graef IA, Crabtree GR, Chow CW. Role of Transcription Factor NFAT in Glucose and Insulin Homeostasis. Mol Cell Biol. 2006 In Press.

Yang TT, Ung PM, Rincon M, Chow CW. Role of the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein NFATc2 transcription factor cascade in the induction of secretory phospholipase A2. J Biol Chem. 2006 Apr 28;281(17):11541-52.

Pan H, Che FY, Peng B, Steiner DF, Pintar JE, Fricker LD. The role of prohormone convertase-2 in hypothalamic neuropeptide processing: a quantitative neuropeptidomic study. J Neurochem. 2006 In press.

Sidyelyeva G, Baker NE, Fricker LD. Characterization of the molecular basis of the Drosophila mutations in carboxypeptidase D. Effect on enzyme activity and expression. J Biol Chem. 2006 May 12;281(19):13844-52.

Fricker LD, Lim J, Pan H, Che FY. Peptidomics: identification and quantification of endogenous peptides in neuroendocrine tissues. Mass Spectrom Rev. 2006 Mar-Apr;25(2):327-44.

Xiao H, Verdier-Pinard P, Fernandez-Fuentes N, Burd B, Angeletti R, Fiser A, Horwitz SB, Orr GA. Insights into the mechanism of microtubule stabilization by Taxol. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jul 5;103(27):10166-73.

Huang GS, Lopez-Barcons L, Freeze BS, Smith AB 3rd, Goldberg GL, Horwitz SB, McDaid HM. Potentiation of taxol efficacy and by discodermolide in ovarian carcinoma xenograft-bearing mice. Clin Cancer Res. 2006 Jan 1;12(1):298-304.

McDaid HM, Lopez-Barcons L, Grossman A, Lia M, Keller S, Perez-Soler R, Horwitz SB. Enhancement of the therapeutic efficacy of taxol by the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor CI-1040 in nude mice bearing human heterotransplants. Cancer Res. 2005 Apr 1;65(7):2854-60.

Chattopadhyay S, Zhao R, Krupenko SA, Krupenko N, Goldman ID. The inverse relationship between reduced folate carrier function and pemetrexed activity in a human colon cancer cell line. Mol Cancer Ther. 2006 Feb;5(2):438-49.

Zhao R, Zhang S, Hanscom M, Chattopadhyay S, Goldman ID. Loss of reduced folate carrier function and folate depletion result in enhanced pemetrexed inhibition of purine synthesis. Clin Cancer Res. 2005 Feb 1;11(3):1294-301.

Chou AJ, Gorlick R. Chemotherapy resistance in osteosarcoma: current challenges and future directions. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2006 Jul;6(7):1075-85.

Cheung NK, Sowers R, Vickers AJ, Cheung IY, Kushner BH, Gorlick R. FCGR2A polymorphism is correlated with clinical outcome after immunotherapy of neuroblastoma with anti-GD2 antibody and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor. J Clin Oncol. 2006 Jun 20;24(18):2885-90.

Chen PW, Kroog GS. Alterations in receptor expression or agonist concentration change the pathways gastrin-releasing peptide receptor uses to regulate extracellular signalregulated kinase. Mol Pharmacol. 2004 Dec;66(6):1625-34.

Li Y, Um SY, McDonald TV. Voltage-gated potassium channels: regulation by accessory subunits. Neuroscientist. 2006 Jun;12(3):199-210.

Kagan A, McDonald TV. Dynamic control of hERG/I(Kr) by PKA-mediated interactions with 14-3-3. Novartis Found Symp. 2005;266:75-89.

Perez-Soler R, Saltz L. Cutaneous adverse effects with HER1/EGFR-targeted agents: is there a silver lining? J Clin Oncol. 2005 Aug 1;23(22):5235-46.

Perez-Soler R, Delord JP, Halpern A, Kelly K, Krueger J, Sureda BM, von Pawel J, Temel J, Siena S, Soulieres D, Saltz L, Leyden J. HER1/EGFR inhibitor-associated rash: future directions for management and investigation outcomes from the HER1/EGFR inhibitor rash management forum. Oncologist. 2005 May;10(5):345-56.

Feng H, Ren M, Rubin CS. Conserved domains subserve novel mechanisms and functions in DKF-1, a Caenorhabditis elegans protein kinase D. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jun 30;281(26):17815-26.

Feng H, Ren M, Wu SL, Hall DH, Rubin CS. Characterization of a novel protein kinase D: Caenorhabditis elegans DKF-1 is activated by translocation-phosphorylation and regulates movement and growth in vivo. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jun 30;281(26):17801-14.

Benimetskaya L, Ayyanar K, Kornblum N, Castanotto D, Rossi J, Wu S, Lai J, Brown BD, Popova N, Miller P, McMicken H, Chen Y, Stein CA. Bcl-2 protein in 518A2 melanoma cells in vivo and in vitro. Clin Cancer Res. 2006 Aug 15;12(16):4940-8.

Lai JC, Tan W, Benimetskaya L, Miller P, Colombini M, Stein CA. A pharmacologic target of G3139 in melanoma cells may be the mitochondrial VDAC. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 May 9;103(19):7494-9.

Zheng X, Chung S, Tanabe T, Sze JY. Cell-type specific regulation of serotonergic identity by the C. elegans LIM-homeodomain factor LIM-4. Dev Biol. 2005 Oct 15;286(2):618-28.

Sokolchik I, Tanabe T, Baldi PF, Sze JY. Polymodal sensory function of the Caenorhabditis elegans OCR-2 channel arises from distinct intrinsic determinants within the protein and is selectively conserved in mammalian TRPV proteins. J Neurosci. 2005 Jan 26;25(4):1015-23.

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File Last Updated: Monday, April 30, 2007