Signal Transduction              

Signal transduction research aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the biological responses to non-genotoxic environmental agents, specifically:
1. To delineate signal transduction pathways and their effector components in various model systems;
2. To study the molecular mechanisms associated with the disruption of pathways, effectors, signal perception or signal transmission as a consequence of exposure to environmental agents;
3. To analyze how variations in genetic background affect normal signal transduction pathways. The purpose of this research is to study the signal transduction pathways and molecular mechanisms used by toxic environmental agents to exert their harmful action. Modification of gene expression patterns by these agents interferes with the normal control mechanisms that regulate the levels of tissue-specific receptors and effector molecules, the production of second messengers, and the synthesis and activation of transcription factors. Since components of the signal transduction machinery are not only genetically determined but are also themselves under genetic regulation, it is to be expected that genetic polymorphisms in the genes coding for the components of signal transduction pathways will be extremely important in determining the outcome of exposure.
   
 

Faculty performing research in this field:
Alvaro Puga, Ying Xia ,Jagjit Yadav, Stuart Baxter

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