Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program at UC Davis

Anna LaTorre seeks to decipher the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie neuronal progenitor competence and differentiation using a combination of retina cell lines, transgenic mouse models and biochemical approaches. Current projects include examining the role of microRNAs in the dynamic regulation of progenitor competence during retinal histogenesis, mechanisms of cone photoreceptor fate determination, and early eye field formation in development.

Janine LaSalle studies epigenetic mechanisms that act at the interface of genetic and environmental factors in the developing brain, with multiple pioneering studies on neurological diseases and epigenetics.

James Letts studies the structure, function and mechanism of membrane proteins that catalyze electron transport reactions and characterize their diverse roles in critical bioenergetic processes and beyond. Research tools in his lab include single-particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) and other biochemical, biophysical and structural methods to elucidate the mechanism of electron transport proteins involved in energy transduction and cellular signaling.

Susan Lott studies the interplay between development, genetics, and the evolution of developmental phenotypes. Students in her lab combine embryology and genetics with advanced imaging, high-throughput sequencing and computation, primarily in Drosophila as a model system.

Angelique Louie focuses on the application of engineering and physical sciences imaging principles to improve the diagnosis and management of human disease, with an unifying theme of the application of imaging techniques and the design of contrast agents to characterize molecular phenomena in diseased versus normal states.

Gerardo MacKenzie studies the role of diet and other lifestyle factors in cancer development and prevention. Current research projects include understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the link between obesity, inflammation and cancer; evaluating the role of zinc in pancreatic carcinogenesis; and investigating the use of select nutraceuticals as potential chemopreventive agents.

María Maldonado studies the biochemical and biophysical basis of respiration in photosynthetic organisms. She seeks to widen and deepen the understanding of respiration using biochemical, biophysical and structural biology approaches to study the respiratory complexes and supercomplexes of model plants, crops, green algae and non-green algae. Her motivation is to both expand the knowledge of this fundamental biological process and to set the basis for new strategies for food security and the mitigation of climate change.

Benjamin Montpetit studies how components of nuclear pore complexes direct and regulate RNA export at a cellular, molecular, and atomic level. Lab members use techniques from cell biology, biochemistry, structural biology, and single molecule imaging with both the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammalian cell culture models. Ultimately, their research will yield insights into the interplay between nuclear RNA export, gene expression, human biology, and disease.

Satoshi Namekawa and his lab address how epigenetic mechanisms govern spermatogenesis and oogenesis, culminating in the generation of functional sperm and eggs. Lab members emphasize dynamic changes in the epigenetic machinery and their importance to the next generation, and study the molecular functions of DNA damage response pathways—which direct meiotic sex chromosome inactivation—in the epigenetic regulation of the sex chromosomes. Through their research, they seek to clarify how fundamental germline mechanisms intersect to ensure genome maintenance, genome defense, and epigenetic gene regulation on a systemic level.

Manuel Navedo studies fundamental processes in vascular biology using tools from cellular and molecular biology, quantitative ion-channel physiology, electrophysiology, and imaging. Researchers in the lab seek to understand how local and global calcium signals regulate excitation-contraction coupling and excitation-transcription coupling in muscle cells during physiological and pathological conditions.