PhD
Sanford Steelman Distinguished Professor and Chair, Pharmacology
Biochemistry and Biophysics
UNC-Chapel Hill
Cancer Cell Biology
Area of Interest
Our research is centered on heterotrimeric G proteins and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs are the target of one third of all pharmaceuticals, but persistent stimulation leads to desensitization. We conduct large-scale genomic and proteomic analysis to identify yeast variants with altered desensitization properties, which are then characterized biochemically and in cells. These efforts yielded the RGS family of GTPase-activating proteins, G protein signaling at endosomes, as well as dynamic regulation of G proteins by ubiquitination and pH second messengers.
