Archive
Scott C. Peck
Research Interests Bacterial pathogens spend the majority of their lives in the soil competing with other microbes for nutrients. However, when they chemically recognize the presence of a potential plant host, the bacteria activate a virulence program to suppress plant immunity. Conversely, plants only activate defense responses when they recognize the presence of the potential pathogens. By studying these interrelated chemical recognition processes, the Peck lab has discovered the chemical signals utilized by bacteria to activate their virulence programs, and we have isolated mutants that fail to secrete these signals, rendering the plants more resistant to infection. We are…
Gary Stacey
Research Interests ATP is a ubiquitous compound in all living cells; it not only provides the energy to drive many biochemical reactions, but also functions in signal transduction as a substrate for kinases, adenylate cyclases, etc. However, ATP was also shown to be an essential signaling agent outside of cells, where it is referred to as extracellular ATP (eATP). An extensive literature exists in animals implicating eATP in numerous cellular processes, including neurotransmission, immune responses, cell growth, and cell death. Initial observations of effects of eATP in animals were met with considerable skepticism. However, much less is known about the…
Gary A. Weisman
Research Interests The Weisman laboratory studies the initiation of chronic inflammatory disorders such as autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and they have found that blocking cell receptors that recognize the release of the molecule ATP from damaged cells prevents chronic inflammation which preserves tissue function. In mouse models of autoimmune Sjogren’s disease, they have demonstrated that inhibiting these ATP receptors prevents chronic immune cell activation in salivary and lacrimal gland to enhance saliva and tear secretion, respectively. Recently, they demonstrated that blocking the ATP receptors also retards tumor growth in mice, and they are now testing whether these approaches…