Department of Cell and Developmental Biology

VYTAS A. BANKAITIS, Chair

Professors

Vytas A. Bankaitis (4) Signal Transduction, Genetic Models for Neurodegenerative Disease in Mice, Yeast Genetics and Cell Biology

Patrick Brennwald (5) Cell Polarity, Tumor Suppressor, Vesicle Transport, Exocytosis, Rho GTPases

Keith W. T. Burridge (41) Cell Migration, Cell-Matrix and Cell-Cell Adhesion, Rho Family GTPases, Leukocyte Transendothelial Migration

Johnny L. Carson (6) Developmental Biology, Pathogenic Mechanisms Involving Mammalian Airways

M. Joseph Costello (50) Membrane Biophysics, Intercellular Junctions, Active Transport, Membrane Fusion, Electron Microscopy

Douglas M. Cyr (6) Cystic Fibrosis, Organelle Biogenesis, Protein Folding, Molecular Chaperones, Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway

Noelle A. Granger (42) Developmental Biology, Endocrinology, Neuroendocrinology

Kenneth A. Jacobson (39) Membrane Biology and Biophysics, Cell Migration, Video Image Analysis

Royce L. Montgomery (11) Invertebral Disc Lesions and Back Pain

Deborah A. O'Brien (51) Mammalian Spermatogenesis and Fertilization, Regulation of Sperm Motility, Contraception, Gene Targeting, and Animal Models

Michael G. O'Rand (38) Cell Biology, Immunology, Reproductive Biology

W. Cam Patterson (10) Cardiovascular

Peter Petrusz (13) Neurobiology, Reproductive Biology

Aldo Rustioni (15) Glutamate Receptors Expression and Regulation, Axonal Regeneration and the Cytoskeleton, Somatosensory Mechanisms

Michael D. Schaller (2) The Integrins, Protein Tyrosine Kinases and Signal Transduction

Kathleen K. Sulik (40) Developmental Toxicology, Embryology

Associate Professors

Cornelius J. Beckers (12) Signal Transduction, Cell Motility, Cytoskeleton, Infectious Diseases, Cell Biology

Mohanish P. Deshmukh (3) Neuronal Apoptosis, Molecular Mechanism of Programmed Cell Death, Regulation of Caspase Activation

Scott Hammond (008) Biochemical Mechanism for RNA Interference

Ellen R. Weiss (9) Regulatory Domains of G-Protein Coupled Receptors, Molecular Biology of Cellular Signaling Pathways

Assistant Professors

James Bear (14) Cell Motility, Actin Cytoskeleton, Coronins, Live-Cell Microscopy

Jay E. Brenman (10) Neuronal Development, Drosophila and Mouse Genetics, Dendrite and Axon Morphogenesis

Kurt Gilliland (16) Intercellular Junctions, Human Cataract, Electron/Confocal Microscopy

Edward Kernick

Da-Zhi Wang (12) Cardiovascular Development

Research Professor

Richard Weinberg (20) Quantitative Immunocytochemistry, Organization of Excitatory Synapses, Calcium Signaling in Dendritic Spines

Research Associate Professors

Shao-Yu Chen, Developmental Toxicology, Embryology

Shoji Osawa (16) Regulation of Signal Transduction Pathways by G Proteins

Richard Richardson (17) Molecular Biology of Sperm-Oocyte Interaction, Studies of Immunocontraception

Juli Valtschanoff, Electron Microscopy of Synaptic Proteins, Nitric Oxide, Spinal Pain Mechanisms

Research Assistant Professors

James Alb, Role of Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Protein Alpha in Mammalian Systems

Oleg Alekseev

Malika Boukhelifa

Alain Burette

Jr-Gang Cheng

Polina Danshina

Rafael Garcia-Mata

Martina Gentzch

Gerald W. Gordon (14) Instrument Development for Cell Biology Research

Ekhson Holmuhamedov

Durairaj Jeyaraj

Maryna Kapustina

Elizabeth Morin-Kensicki

Robert Peterson

Shubing Qian

Zenon Rajfur

Ioulia Shackelford

Patrick Vincent

Gabriel Weinreb

Erika Wittchen

Instructor

Linda Levitch

Professors Emeriti

Charles R. Hackenbrock

O'Dell W. Henson Jr.

William E. Koch (8) Developmental Biology

Jean M. Lauder

Program of Study

The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology of the School of Medicine offers a program of study leading to the doctor of philosophy degree. The primary purpose of the graduate program is to train students to become biomedical scientists. The program provides training for students whose research/teaching career objectives are faculty positions in medical school basic sciences departments. However, the flexibility of the program also provides for the training of students who seek careers in basic science as well as clinical science departments of medical schools, in other professional schools such as dental schools, in liberal arts academic departments such as biology, or in state, federal, private and industrial research laboratories. The program for the Ph.D. normally takes five to six years to complete. Persons interested in a combined M.D./Ph.D. program must be accepted into the School of Medicine and the departmental graduate program, whereupon the combined studies are scheduled in accordance with individual requirements.

Some of the department's areas of specialization are cell biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, reproductive biology, membrane biology, molecular biology, cell signaling and parasitology. Ph.D. students take graduate level courses in their first year as well as conduct laboratory rotations. Students who join the departmental graduate program at the end of year 1 are examined for advancement to candidacy. Ph.D. candidacy is followed by a dissertation based on original research is conducted under the supervision of a faculty adviser. Additional information is available on the departmental Web site (www-cellbio.med.unc.edu/grad/depttest/welcome.htm).

Admission Requirements

Admission to the departmental graduate program is via the unified Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP) at UNC. A B.A. or B.S. degree is required for admission. Applicants are expected to have a strong background in the biological sciences, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Details of the application process is available at the BBSP Web site (www.med.unc.edu/bbsp). Briefly, the application should include transcripts, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, three letters of recommendation and a personal statement outlining career goals.

Research Facilities

The department occupies 40,000 square feet of research and office space (in addition to teaching space), primarily in Taylor Hall and the Biomolecular Research Building in the School of Medicine. The department and its research laboratories are a biotechnological resource available for qualified scientists in the University, state and region. The laboratories house instrumentation for transmission, scanning and cryo electron microscopy, as well as equipment to prepare biological specimens for these techniques. The Electron Microscope Facility contains a multipurpose JOEL 820 scanning electron microscope and a high-resolution FEI-Philips Tecnai 12 transmission electron microscope. Ancillary facilities include fully equipped darkrooms and equipment for ultamicrotomy, critical point drying, rotary evaporation, sputter coating and a state-of-the-art, high-resolution Reichert freeze fracture system. A world class facility is available for optical imaging of all kinds, including digitized video microscopy, confocal microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, two-photon confocal microscopy, nanovid microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching.

Assistantships and Other Student Aid

Students are supported by a stipend of $24,000 annually plus tuition, fees and medical insurance.

Courses for Graduates and Advanced Undergraduates

423 [123] DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND TERATOLOGY (TOXC 423) (3). Emphasizes topics of current research interest relative to the genesis of environmentally caused and genetically based birth defects. One two-hour session per week (evening). Spring. (Alternate years.) Sulik.

607 [107] GROSS ANATOMY (4). Permission of the instructor. Primarily for medical students. Enrollment by availability of space and material. Fall; two lecture hours, six laboratory hours, eight weeks of spring. Sulik, staff.

610 [200] ADVANCED GROSS ANATOMY (4). Prerequisites, CBIO 607 and permission of the instructor. Detailed dissection of human body. Specific regions may be selected; topics include topographic, radiographic and cross-sectional anatomy.

627 [207] REGIONAL ANATOMY (3). Permission of the instructor. For students of oral surgery, surgical residents and graduate students.

643 [117] CELL STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND GROWTH CONTROL I (BIOC 643, MCRO 643, PHCO 643) (3). Prerequisite, undergraduate cell biology or biochemistry or permission of the instructor. Comprehensive introduction to cell structure, function and transformation. Fall. Lee, Meissner, Parise.

644 [118] CELL STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND GROWTH CONTROL II (BIOC 644, MCRO 644, PHCO 644) (3). Prerequisite, undergraduate cell biology or biochemistry or permission of the instructor. Comprehensive introduction to cell structure, function and transformation. Spring. Cox, Lee, Meissner, Parise.

741 [041] INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN ANATOMY (3).

750 [250] APPLIED BIOSTATISTICS (PATH 750, PHCO 750, TOXC 750) (2).

790 [90] INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN ANATOMY (3).

791 [191] GROSS ANATOMY FOR PHYSICAL THERAPISTS (PHYT 791) (6). Prerequisites, BIOL 276 and 276L and permission of the instructor. Fundamental principles and concepts of human gross anatomy for physical therapists taught by lectures and cadaver dissection. Emphasis on functional anatomy. Three lecture hours and six laboratory hours a week. Fall. Kernick.

793 [193] FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY (PHYT 793) (3). Prerequisites, CBIO 791, CBIO 607 or equivalent and permission of the instructor. Study of basic structure of the brain and spinal cord, including both lecture and laboratory. Primarily for physical therapy students. Four hours a week. Spring. Kernick.

804 [104] INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL CELL BIOLOGY (1). Introduction to the structure and function of cell membranes, membranous organelles, the nucleus and the filamentous components of the cytoplasm. Fall. Burridge. For medical students only.

805 [105] GROSS ANATOMY (5). Systematic approach to gross anatomy emphasizing a regional approach stressing head and neck anatomy. Primarily for dental students. Fall. Levitch.

Courses for Graduates

627 [207] REGIONAL ANATOMY (3). Permission of the instructor. For students of oral surgery, surgical residents and graduate students.

890 [320] ADVANCED TOPICS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY (Var.). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Seminar/discussion course dealing with advanced topics in modern cell biology and/or developmental biology. Based mainly on discussion of current literature. Fall and spring. Staff.

891A [321A/] CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Analysis of grant proposals dealing with advanced topics in modern cell biology and/or developmental biology. Spring, fall. Bankaitis.

892b [321B] CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS (3).

893 [324] CELL BIOLOGY I (4).

894 [325] CELL BIOLOGY II (4).

899 [209] ELECTRON MICROSCOPY-PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS (3). Permission of the instructor. Lectures on scanning, transmission, high voltage, freeze fracture, analytical and immunoelectron microscopy. Laboratory training in preparation of biological specimens, operation of scanning and transmission microscopes, and darkroom procedures. Three lecture hours and 12 laboratory hours per week. First summer session. Costello.

910 [310] RESEARCH (2 or more). Credit to be arranged in individual cases. Fall, spring and summer. Staff.

915 [315] RESEARCH LABORATORY APPRENTICESHIP (2). Prerequisite, enrollment in the cell biology and anatomy graduate program. A course for first- and second-year graduate students in cell biology and anatomy, consisting of a research project of limited scope pursued under the supervision of a faculty member. Fall, spring and summer. Staff.

993 [393] MASTER'S THESIS (3).

994 [394] DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (3).