Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry

Box G-L207, Providence, RI 02912
Phone: (401) 863-1654

The Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry is the largest on-campus department in the Division of Biology and Medicine. We offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses that form the core of modern experimental biology. Our faculty offer training in genetics, biochemistry, developmental biology, cellular biology, molecular biology, genomics, and proteomics. Departmental research employs state of the art optical tools such as electron and confocal scanning microscopy, physical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, and innovative techniques in molecular biology. The Department is devoted to cutting-edge research that addresses basic questions in biology, including the control of gene expression, cell fate determination, protein synthesis, the genetics of behavior, control of the cell cycle, signaling pathways within the cell, and the role of prions in cellular activity. A distinguished faculty, well-represented on editorial and professional boards and societies, directs undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral work in the Department.


Courses - 2007-08

BIOL 0044 - Plant Organism
BIOL 0106 - Cell Biology & Biotechnology
BIOL 0197D - Biology of Basic Vertebrate Tissues
BIOL 0190H - Plants, Food and People
BIOL 0200 - Foundations of Living Systems
BIOL 0280 - Introductory Biochemistry
BIOL 0310 - Introduction to Developmental Biology
BIOL 0320 - Vertebrate Embryology
BIOL 0440 - Plant Organism
BIOL 0470 - Genetics
BIOL 0500 - Cell and Molecular Biology
BIOL 1050 - Biology of the Eukaryotic Cell
BIOL 1270 - Advanced Biochemistry
BIOL 1310 - Analysis of Development


BIOL 1540 - Molecular Genetics
BIOL 1940T - Synthetic Biological Systems
BIOL 2010 - Introduction to MCB Faculty Research
BIOL 2030 - Foundations for Advanced Study in the Life Sciences
BIOL 2060 - Ultrastructure/Bioimaging
BIOL 2210 - Current Topics in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
BIOL 2320 - Current Topics in Developmental Biology: The Biology of Aging
BIOL 2330B - Topics in Developmental Biology
BIOL 2490 - Current Topics in Cell Biology
BIOL 2930B - Introduction to Genomics & Bioinformatics
BIOL (MED I) - Human Histology


Faculty - Who We Are and What We Do

Walter Atwood, PhD, Professor.. Virus-receptor interactions; neuropathogenic viruses.

Samuel Beale, PhD, Professor. Biosynthesis of pigments (chlorophyll, heme, bilin).

Alexander Brodsky, PhD, Assistant Professor. Functional Genomics of Post-transcriptional gene regulation and biology of the nucleus.

Robbert Creton, PhD, Assistant Professor. The molecular and celluar physiology of early embryonic development.

Albert Dahlberg, MD, PhD, Professor. Ribosomes and ribosomal RNA structure and function.

Alison DeLong, PhD, Assistant Professor. Protein phosphorylation and signal transduction in Arabidopsis .

William Fairbrother, PhD, Assistant Professor. Molecular Biology, Computational Biology, Cell biology, RNA biology, and Gene Expression.

Anne Fausto-Sterling, PhD, Professor. Using principles of development systems theory to understand the emergence of gendered and racialized bodies. Selected topics in the history of early 20th Century Biology. Genetic variation in regenerative abilities in Planaria.

Richard Freiman, Assistant Professor. Chromatin and transcriptional control; regulation of tissue specific gene expression in the mouse reproductive system.

Susan Gerbi, PhD, Professor. RNA-RNA interactions (rRNA, U3 snRNA,
7SL of SRP); chromosome structure and DNA replication; molecular evolution.

Stephen Helfand, PhD, Professor. Molecular genetics of aging and longevity.

Peter Heywood, PhD, Professor. Literature surveys, particularly in the area of agricultural biotechnology, sustainable agriculture, and food production.

Gerwald Jogl, PhD Assistant Professor. The functions and structural interactions of modular protein domains in the context of multi-domain proteins that are involved in cell signaling networks.

Mark Johnson, PhD, Assistant Professor. Molecular genetic analysis of plant reproductive development: Mechanisms of targeted pollen tube growth in Arabidopsis.

Arthur Landy, PhD, Professor. Mechanism  of site-specific recombination; protein-DNA interactions; structure of higher-order protein-DNA complexes.

Jeffrey Laney, PhD, Assistant Professor. Role of proteolysis in the dynamics of gene expression.

Michael McKeown, PhD, Professor. Behavioral genetics in Drosophila .

Kenneth Miller, PhD, Professor. Cell structure; membrane structure and composition; electron microscopy.

Kimberly Mowry, PhD, MPH, Professor. mRNA localization during oogenesis; Xenopus development.

Rebecca Page, MD, Assistant Professor. Protein X-ray crystallography; neuronal scaffolding protein complexes; phosphatase/kinases critical for the immune system and cancer.

Robert Reenan, PhD, Professor. Evolution of brain function and behavior. Our primary model system is Drosophila, the fruit fly, for its powerful traditional and molecular genetics. Our main question is-how do genomes encode and regulate proteins involved in rapid electrical and chemical signaling in the brain, normally and in disease?

Arthur Salomon, PhD, Assistant Professor. Exploitation of emerging proteomic technologies to probe cellular signaling networks; development of bioinformatics tools to distill data generated in modern protemics experiments.

John Sedivy, PhD, Professor, Chair. Protooncogene signaling; cell cycle control; targeted gene disruption.

Tricia Serio, PhD, Assistant Professor. Prion propagation; translation termination

Jeffrey Singer, PhD, Assistant Professor.Ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, mammalian cell cycle, mouse knockouts.

Marjorie Thompson, PhD, Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Biological Sciences (Undergraduate Education). Biological and medical illustration.

Gary Wessel, PhD, Professor. Cell and molecular biology of fertilization; organelle biogenesis.

Kristi Wharton, PhD, Associate Professor. Role of growth factors and signal transduction in cell fate determination and differentiation during development; Drosophila developmental genetics.

Mark Zervas, PhD, Assistant Professor. How dopamine neuron circuits develop, how & when the loss of dopamine neurons of a distinct genetic lineage affects brain function, mechanisms of specifying/maintaining dopamine neurons and cell-based therapies to ameliorate deficits in genetically altered mice with features of neurological disorders.

Recent Student Projects

  • Sites of BUP signaling important in cell and organ growth.
  • Mutations in the linker region of Lambda Integrase influence the protein's ability to bind Arm-Type DNA.
  • Identification of Raf-1 Kinase direct substrates using a combined genetic and chemical approach.
  • The role of BMP signaling factors in oogenisis.
  • Funtional genomic screening of cellular localization.
  • Structural Analysis of Hematopoietic Tyrosine Phosphatase.
  • Calcium-dependent molecular mechanisms control fluid flow in Kupffer's Vesicle and brain laterlization in Zebrafish.
  • Investigating th export of ribsomes out of the nucleus.
  • The Cul3-PD1P1 Ubiquiting Ligase Complex Targets p21 for degradation of mammalian cells
  • Autophagy and aging: down-regulating autophagy in the nervious system and fat body of Drosophila melanogaster
  • The rose of steroid hormones in DNA amplification in Sciara Coprophila.
  • Mechanisms of develpment in the Zebrafish heart and brain.
  • The role of calcium binding proteins calmondulin and calreticulin in development.
  • PP2A; transmission, development and fertilization in single and multiple protein phosphatose 2A mutants.
  • Creating an anthology of genes involved in bone development in humans.
  • Examining estrogene-dependent regulation by TAF46 in the mammalian ovary.
  • DNA puff amplification inthe fly sciara: a path to understanding re-replication control .