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2007 CompTox Forum
Abstract - PDGF Receptor-mediated Signal Transduction: From nm to cm
Jason M. Haugh
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7905
Phone: 919-513-3851
E-mail: jason_haugh@ncsu.edu
An ongoing challenge in mammalian cell biology is to bridge the gaps in our understanding of processes at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. Central to this hierarchy of biological complexity is the field of signal transduction, which deals with the biochemical mechanisms and pathways by which cells respond to external stimuli. Our group characterizes signal transduction networks through analysis of their kinetics and spatial patterns in cells. Much of our work to date has focused on cell signaling mediated by platelet-derived growth factor receptors in fibroblasts, a system with direct relevance to wound healing, development, and cancer. I will describe our efforts to characterize and model this system at a variety of scales, from the assembly of multi-protein complexes at the molecular scale to the directed migration of fibroblast populations during dermal wound invasion at the tissue scale.