Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences
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Biochemistry Program

Computational and Molecular Biophysics Program

Computational and Systems Biology Program

Developmental Biology Program

Evolution, Ecology and Population Biology Program

Human and Statistical Genetics Program

Immunology Program

Molecular Cell Biology Program

Molecular Genetics and Genomics Program

Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis Program

Neurosciences Program

Plant Biology Program

Program Directors


Developmental Biology Program

Graduate Student Coordinator: Stacy Kiel
Developmental Biology Faculty Co-Director: Kerry Kornfeld & Jim Skeath
Developmental Biology Program Guidelines
Developmental Biology Qualifying Exam Guidelines
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How do cells in different parts of an embryo come to express very different sets of genes? How do different types of developing cells become arranged in functionally significant spatial patterns? How are such developmental processes programmed in the genome? These are a few of the questions that fascinate developmental biologists and that are being answered in detail by the application of the powerful techniques of modern cell and molecular biology.

The Developmental Biology Program at Washington University provides students with opportunities to examine fundamental problems of development in a wide range of model systems. Students and faculty in the Program employ a combination of genetic, cytological, immunological, microsurgical and biochemical approaches in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying developmental processes.

The organisms chosen for investigation vary enormously in their complexity. Some students study development in simple organisms such as yeasts or slime molds in the hope that it may be easier to trace the developmental pathway that leads from genotype to a differentiated phenotype with single-celled organisms. Others choose to study development in fruit flies or nematodes because of the relative ease and speed with which the genes and gene products may be identified and studied. In addition, several laboratories study development in larger organisms - such as vertebrates or higher plants - either because of the intellectual challenge presented by these complex developmental systems, the desire to contribute to a solution to human problems (such as cancer or starvation in the Third World), or both.

For information regarding career path and complete program guidelines, click here.

Program of Study

Developmental Biology students take a common set of core courses during the first semester including the following:

Nucleic Acids and Protein Biosynthesis (Bio 548)
Fundamentals of Molecular Cell Biology (Bio 5068)

Students begin to specialize their training in Developmental Biology during the second semester, and enroll in the following two courses:

Developmental Biology (Bio 5352)
Advanced Genetics (Bio 5491)

Students may choose any one or more of the following additional advanced electives, subject to the approval of the Developmental Biology steering committee:

Molecular, Cell and Organ Systems (Bio 5224)
Foundations in Immunology (Bio 5051)
Functional Genomics (Bio 5288)
Macromolecular Interactions (Bio 5312)
Protein Structure and Function (Bio 5325)
Molecular Virology (Bio 5391)
Molecular Microbiology & Pathogenesis (Bio 5392)
Microbial physiology and biochemistry (Bio 4490)

Throughout their training students enroll in five special topics courses (special topics course, journal clubs and ethics) choosing from among the following courses:

Special Topics Courses:
Ethics (Bio 5011) Mandatory for all students
Central Questions in Cell Biology (Bio 5062)
Special Topics in Molecular Genetics: Molecular Basis of Cancer (Bio 5288)
Mech. of Prot. Targeting & Intercompart. Transport (Bio 5381)
Developmental and Genetic Perspective of Notch Signaling (Bio 5283)
Thursday Development Rave (Bio 5215)
Special Emphasis Pathways in Cancer Biology (Bio 5196 - Spring only - odd dated year)
Human Linkage and Association Analysis (Bio 5482)
Subversive Genetics, Attacks on the Central Dogma (Bio 5493)

Journal Clubs:
Journal Club for the Molecular Mechanism of Aging (Bio 5138)
Extracellular Matrix & Cell Matrix Interactions Journal Club (Bio 5128)
Cell Motility and Cytoskeleton Journal Club (Bio 5132)
Proteins Journal Club (Bio 5225)
Genetics Journal Club (Bio 5235)

For more information about the Developmental Biology Program, click here to reach an additional web site.

Signaling and Cell Cycle Research Group.
This research group, which is supported in part by the Siteman Cancer Center, includes several members of the Developmental Biology Program. For information about the Signaling and Cell Cycle Research Group, click here.

Developmental Biology Program Faculty

The Ph.D. program in Developmental Biology brings together outstanding faculty with expertise in vertebrate and nonvertebrate model systems from both the medical and hilltop campuses at Washington University. This interdepartmental program focuses on a broad range of fundamental questions - cell fate determination, gene expression, growth control and morphogenesis, neural development, signal transduction, and evolution - in volvox, worms, flies, Xenopus, chicken, zebrafish, mouse, rat, and human experimental systems.

Yousef Abu-Amer, Ph.D. - Cellular and molecular mechanisms in osteoclasts; TNF signaling in inflammatory bone disease.

Jeffrey M. Arbeit, M.D. - Molecular regulation of epithelial carcinogenesis.

Jacques U. Baenziger, M.D., Ph.D. - Synthesis and function of unique carbohydrate structures as information-bearing macromolecules.

Nancy L. Baenziger, Ph.D. - Bradykinin/Histamine receptor regulation, signal transduction, phosphorylation, and hyperactivity in Alzheimer’s disease.

Steven Bassnett, Ph.D. - Cell and molecular biology of the ocular lens.

David C. Beebe, Ph.D. - Growth factors in eye development; role of oxygen in cataract and glaucoma

Deepta Bhattacharya, Ph.D. - Fate Decisions in the Hematopoietic and Immune System

Irving Boime, Ph.D. - Placental and pituitary hormone genes.

Paul C. Bridgman, Ph.D. - Cell biology of developing nerve and muscle cells.

Andreas H. Burkhalter, Ph.D. - Structure and physiology of neuronal circuits in mouse visual cortex.

Douglas L. Chalker, Ph.D. - Genetic and epigenetic regulation of developmentally programmed DNA rearrangements of Tetrahymena.

Zhou-Feng Chen, Ph.D. - Molecular mechanisms of the dorsal spinal cord development and the role of the central serotonergic system in pain modulation.

Feng Chen, Ph.D. - Molecular genetic studies on the development and diseases of the kidney and other structures.

Shiming Chen, Ph.D. - Molecular mechanisms regulating photoreceptor transcriptome in healthy and diseased retina.

Kyunghee Choi, Ph.D. - Hematopoietic, Vascular and Cardiac Development in Mammalian System

Richard A. Chole, M.D., Ph.D. - Role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in cholesteatoma.

Theodore J. Cicero, Ph.D. - Gender differences in the pharmacology and abuse liability of drugs.

F. Sessions Cole, M.D. - Genetic lung disease, Surfactant protein B, and rare diseases in infants.

Joseph C. Corbo, M.D., Ph.D. - Transcriptional regulatory networks in photoreceptor development, evolution, and disease.

Erika C. Crouch, Ph.D., M.D. - Structure and function of surfactant protein D (SP-D).

Aaron DiAntonio, M.D., Ph.D. - Neural circuits in development and disease

Ian W. Duncan, Ph.D. - Control of antennal identity and abdominal segment patterning in Drosophila.

Sarah C.R. Elgin, Ph.D. - Chromatin structure and the control of gene expression in Drosophila.

Matthew I. Goldsmith, M.D. - Growth control and regeneration in zebrafish.

Ursula W. Goodenough, Ph.D. - Molecular genetics and evolution of sex in Chlamydomonas.

Jeffrey I. Gordon, M.D. - Genomic and metabolic foundations of symbiotic host-microbial relationships in the mammalian gut

David I. Gottlieb, Ph.D. - Neural gene regulation; stem cells

Marc R. Hammerman, M.D. - Transplantation of developing organs.

Erik D. Herzog, Ph.D. - Cellular and molecular analysis of circadian behavior in mammals.

Robert O. Heuckeroth, M.D., Ph.D. - Molecular mechanisms of neuronal development.

Didier Hodzic, Ph.D. - Role of LINC complexes (Linkers of the Nucleoskeleton to the Cytoskeleton) in nucleokinesis and neuronal migration

James J. Hsieh, M.D., Ph.D. - Integrate development, cancer, and stem cell through a common proteolytic framework

Shin-ichiro Imai, M.D., Ph.D. - Understanding the molecular mechanism of aging and longevity in mammals.

Sanjay Jain, M.D., Ph.D. - Development, injury and regeneration: bench to bedside.

Patrick Y. Jay, M.D., Ph.D. - Genetics and genomics of cardiac development and heart failure.

Stephen L. Johnson, Ph.D. - Growth control of adult stem cells and regeneration.

Raphael Kopan, Ph.D. - Studies of cell fate determination in mammalian system with focus on Notch mediated signal transduction.

S. Kerry Kornfeld, M.D., Ph.D. - Signal transduction and cell fate specification during development. Aging.

Kristen Kroll, Ph.D. - Transcriptional regulation of neural cell fate, proliferation, and differentiation in embryos and embryonic stem cells.

Fanxin Long, Ph.D. - Developmental and regenerative biology of the mammalian skeleton

Gregory D. Longmore, M.D. - Epithelia morphogenesis in development and disease - cancer metastasis

Michael Lovett, Ph.D. - Human genetic diseases, genome technologies, systems biology, functional genomics of hearing loss and craniofacial development.

Liang Ma, Ph.D. - Understanding genetic pathways regulating epithelial differentiation.

Audrey McAlinden, Ph.D. - Understanding mechanisms that regulate skeletal development, breakdown and repair with an emphasis on cartilage tissue.

Robert P. Mecham, Ph.D. - Cell-matrix interactions, extracellular matrix and development, vascular development and disease.

Craig Micchelli, Ph.D. - The biology of stem cells

Jeffrey D. Milbrandt, M.D., Ph.D. - Axonal degeneration, regulation of myelination, neuronal energetics and mitochondrial function in neuropathy and neurodegenerative disease

Kathryn G. Miller, Ph.D. - Function of actin-binding proteins in development.

Jason C. Mills, M.D., Ph.D. - Developmental, molecular, and cellular biology of gastric epithelial stem cells

Jeffrey H. Miner, Ph.D. - Genetic analyses of mouse organogenesis.

Kelle H. Moley, M.D. - Murine preimplantation embryogenesis: the effects of maternal hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia on glucose transporter and blastocyst survival.

Kenneth M. Murphy, M.D., Ph.D. - T cell development, lineage commitment.

Anthony J. Muslin, M.D. - Growth factor signal transduction in vertebrate embryonic development and cardiovascular disease.

Indira U. Mysorekar, Ph.D. - Mechanisms of urothelial renewal in normal and diseased urinary bladder

John W. Olney, M.D. - Excitotoxicity, apoptosis, other mechanisms underlying neuropsychaitric and neurodegenerative diseases.

David M. Ornitz, Ph.D., M.D. - Growth factor signaling in lung, skeletal, cardiovascular and CNS development and physiology; Otopetrin in vestibular mechanosensory development

Philip Osdoby, Ph.D. - Bone remodeling cell and molecular events of osteoclast activity and development.

Ralph S. Quatrano, Ph.D. - Mechanisms in establishing cell polarity and regulatory gene expression in plants.

Keith M. Rich, M.D. - Influence of trophic factors on neuronal dead and axonal regeneration.

Deborah C. Rubin, M.D. - Gut epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in ontogeny and in epithelial repair following disease-induced injury.

David A. Rudnick, M.D., Ph.D. - Molecular mechanisms of liver regeneration

Mark P. Running, Ph.D. - Genetic studies of flower development and meristem function.

Lawrence B. Salkoff, Ph.D. - How ion channels function in physiology and behavior.

Scott Saunders, M.D., Ph.D. - Molecular basis of normal and abnormal development.

Tim B. Schedl, Ph.D. - Control of germline stem cells and meiotic development in C. elegans.

Robert M. Senior, M.D. - Mechanisms of lung remodeling during development and lung diseases.

James B. Skeath, Ph.D. - Genetic analysis of neural and muscular development in the Drosophila embryo.

Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck, Ph.D., M.D. - Molecular interactions between intestinal epithelial stem cells and their niche.

Paul H. Taghert, Ph.D. - Circadian physiology; neuronal development.

Steven L. Teitelbaum, M.D. - Molecular mechanisms of osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption.

Dwight A. Towler, M.D., Ph.D. - Regulation of vascular calcification and vascular mesenchymal cell fate.

Lawrence Tychsen, M.D. - Development of binocular vision and eye movements in primates.

Mark E. Warchol, Ph.D. - Sensory regeneration in the auditory and vestibular systems.

David B. Wilson, M.D., Ph.D. - Role of transcription factors in differentiation and development.

Thomas A. Woolsey, M.D. - Function, development and neurovascular control and disease models in the central nervous system.




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