Fall 2011, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology Colloquium Series

Thursday, August 24, 2011 - Ph.D. Thesis Defense

Donald Beqollari

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Paul J. Kammermeier)
"Novel Insights into the Signaling of Postsynaptically Localized Group I (type I) and Group II (type 6) Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors"

Thursday, August 24, 2011 - Ph.D. Thesis Proposal

Mary A. Gantz

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Robert S. Freeman)
"The Role of the Prolyl Hydroxylase EGLN3 in Neuronal Cell Death"

Thursday, September 8, 2011- Literature Review

Stefan Chan

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Chen Yan)
"The Rho/Rac Exchange Factor Vav2 Controls Nitric Oxide-dependent Responses in Mouse Vascular Smooth Cells"

Rahul Chandrasekhar

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. David I. Yule)
"Protein Kinase C Phosphorylates the Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate Receptor Type 2 and Decreases the Mobilization of Ca2+ in Pancreatoma AR4-2J Cells"

Thursday, September 15, 2011- Literature Review

Peter V. DiStefano

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Angela J. Glading)
"A Mechanism of Rap1-induced Stabilization of Endothelial Cell-Cell Junctions"

Ellie M. Carrell

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Robert T. Dirksen)
"STIM1L is a New Actin-binding Splice Variant Involved in Fast Repetitive Ca2+ Release"

Thursday, September 22, 2011 - Literature Review

Melissa L. Martin

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Burns C. Blaxall)
"The Expanding Therapeutic Role of G Protein-coupled Receptor Kinase 2 Inhibition in the Treatment and Prevention of Heart Failure "

Kristina L. Modjeski

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Craig Morrell)
"Serine Phosphorylation of EphrinB2 Regulates Trafficking of Synaptic AMPA Receptors "

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Madesh Muniswamy, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and of Fels Institute of Cancer Research, Temple University College of Medicine
"Oxidative Stress Signaling Operative in Vasculature"
Guest of Dr. Robert T. Dirksen

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Victor Darley-Usmar, Ph.D.

Endowed Professor of Mitochondrial Medicine and Pathology, University of Alabama School of Medicine

"Overloading the Powerhouse; Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Therapeutic Intervention"

Guest of Dr. Paul S. Brookes

Thursday, October 13, 2011 - Literature Review

Bharti R. Patel

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Gregory G. Tall)
"Structure Flexibility of the Gas alpha-helical Domain in the beta-2-Adrenoceptor Gs Complex"

Qiuyu Zhu

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Charles J. Lowenstein)
"Structural and Functional Analysis of Tomosyn Identified Domains Important in Exocytotic Regulation"

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 - Thesis Proposal

Hen Prizant

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen R. Hammes)
"The Role of TSC in the Mouse Uterus and its Contribution to LAM Disease"

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Tony Wyss-Coray, Ph.D.

Professor of Neurology and Neurobiological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine

"Can Young Blood Make Our Brains Younger?"

Guest of Dr. Gail V.W. Johnson

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Donald B. DeFranco, Ph.D.

Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

"Role of Vitamin D and Estrogen Metabolism and Signaling in Prostate Stromal and Cancer Cell Communication"

Guest of Dr. Stephen R. Hammes

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Todd Lamitina, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

"The Heat is On - Signaling Stress in C. elegans"

Guest of Dr. Keith W. Nehrke

Monday, November 21, 2011

(4:00-5:00 p.m., K-307)

Christelle Baunez, Ph.D.

Professor, Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition, Universite de Provence, CNRA UMR6155, Marseille, France
"Frontal-like Functions of the Subthalamic Nucleus"
Guest of Dr. Suzanne N. Haber

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - Thesis Proposal

(2:00-3:00 p.m.)

Walter E. Knight

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Chen Yan)
"Role of Phosphodiesterase 1 in Pathological Cardiac Remodeling and Dysfunction"

Monday, November 28, 2011 - Thesis Defense

(10:00-11:00 a.m., K-307)

Alon Mantel

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Alice Pentland)
"The Role of Aldo-Keto Reductase IC3 in Human Epidermis, Atopic Dermatitis and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma"

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 - Thesis Proposal

(12:30-1:30 p.m.)

Alina Ainbinder

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Robert T. Dirksen)
"Structural and Functional Impact of Mitochondrial Ca2+ Signaling in Skeletal Muscle"

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - Thesis Defense

(1:30-2:30 p.m., K-207)

Gozde Colak

(Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Gail V.W. Johnson)
"The Role of Transglutaminase 2 in Ischemic Cell Death"

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Etty (Tika) Benveniste, Ph.D.
Professor and Chairman of Cell Biology; Alma B. Maxwell UAHSF Endowed Chair
The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Guest of Dr. Gail V.W. Johnson
"Therapeutic Intervention of the STAT3 Signaling Pathway for the Treatment of CNS Diseases"