Research Activity

Our department has been an integral part of the School of Medicine since the establishment of the school. Faculty have research interests that bridge the gap between basic science and its application to human diseases and syndromes. Current research programs in the Biochemistry Department include enzymology, biophysics and molecular modeling in signaling and infectious disease (William Welch), the mechanisms of insulin signal transduction and defects in diabetes (Cynthia Corley-Mastick), the regulation of smooth muscle contraction/cell motility; blood pressure/atherosclerosis (Christine Cremo), the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants in cancer (Ron Pardini), cell membrane receptor signaling mechanism, structural biology and cardiovascular regulation (Kunio Misono)” and embryonic axon guidance and congenital defects in brain development (Grant Mastick). This work is funded primarily by the National Institute of Health.

The Department has a long history of research excellence in the biochemistry and molecular biology of peptide and lipid hormones and pheromones. Major projects in the laboratories of David Schooley, Gary Blomquist and Claus Tittiger include the elucidation of the structure and mode of action of peptide hormones, the ecdysteroid regulation of pheromone production in Diptera and the biochemistry and molecular biology of the juvenile hormone regulated production of pheromones in bark beetles. These studies are supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, USDA's National Research Initiative, and the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station.

A more complete understanding of the entire gene complement in agriculturally relevant plants is necessary to produce nutritious and safe food, while preserving the environment and sustaining the economic stability of the agricultural enterprise. The plant biochemists and molecular biologists in the Biochemistry Department at UNR, including Grant Cramer, John Cushman, Ron Mittler, David Shintani and Jeff Harper conduct internationally competitive research to identify, map, and understanding the function and control of genes and corresponding proteins, metabolites, and associated physiological mechanisms that are responsible for allowing plants to survive and thrive in arid, saline, or hot/cold environments. In addition, ongoing work includes a grape genomics project to identify abiotic stress-induced quality traits, a genomics project to identify the genes in natural rubber production, and a 2010 project to study the function of calcium-dependent protein kinases. The Department has built a critical mass of researchers in environmental or abiotic stress genomics and our goal is to become a leader in this area. These research programs are funded by the National Science Foundation, USDA's National Research Initiative, the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, and National Science Foundation EPSCoR infrastructure building grant, and private corporations.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ranges from the examination of individual macromolecules and metabolic processes to simultaneous measurement of all the genes (genomics) and proteins (proteomics) of an entire organism. The Biochemistry Department at is a major user of the Nevada Genomics facility and has built a state-of-the-art proteomics laboratory along with the necessary bioinformatics and molecular modeling core facilities. The proteomics core, which includes protein separation and mass spectrometry is operated by Kathy Schegg and David Quilici.