Bryan A. Wolf, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Cell Biology and Physiology Program

Address

803 Abramson Research Center/CHOP (Lab)
5135 Main Bldg / CHOP (Office & Mailing)
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
3615 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Office tel.: 215 590-2869
Lab tel.: 215 590-7301
Fax: 215 590-1021
E-mail: wolfb@mail.med.upenn.edu

Link(s)

Dr. Wolf's homepage

EDUCATION

University of Paris Jussieu, Institute of Pharmacology, Paris, France: M.Sc. (Pharmacology), 1980-1982.

University of Paris René Descartes, School of Medicine Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France: M.D., 1976-1983.

University of Paris Jussieu, Paris, France: Ph.D. (Nutrition/Endocrinology), 1981-1984.

Washington University School of Medicine: Post-doctoral Research Fellow (Biochemistry), 1984-1987.

Washington University School of Medicine: Resident in Laboratory Medicine (Pathology and Internal Medicine), 1987-1990.

Washington University School of Medicine: Post-doctoral Research Fellow (Biochemistry), 1988-1990.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Signaling mechanisms of insulin secretion. Cytokines and diabetes.

Key words: Insulin secretion, diabetes, cytokine, signal transduction.

Search PubMed for articles

DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH

My research lab is focused on the signal transduction mechanisms of insulin secretion from the islets of Langerhans within the context of understanding diabetes. Recently, we have identified a novel cytokine called PANDER (FAM3B) which is one of 4 cytokines of a new gene family FAM3. Veryl little is known about the cell biology of PANDER and the role of PANDER in islet biology. PANDER is expressed in islets of Langerhans and is present in secretory granules. PANDER causes apoptosis of beta-cells. PANDER mRNA is upregulated by interferon-gamma treatment in beta-cells. We have 2 working hypotheses that we are testing: is PANDER involved in cytokine-induced destruction of islets and the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, does PANDER have any role in beta-cell differentiation? The lab is using a combination of cell biological, biochemical and molecular biology approaches to understand the physiological role of PANDER and its role in diabetes.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Borge, PD, Wolf BA (2003) Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 regulation of sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 3 in insulin-secreting b-cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry 278:11359-11368.

Cao X, Gao Z, Robert C, Xu G, Bell E, Campbell D, Zhu Y, Young RA, Trucco M, Markmann JF, Naji A, Wolf BA (2003) PANDER, a novel islet cytokine, induces apoptosis of insulin-secreting b-cell. Diabetes 52:2296-2303.

Yang J, Wang X, Moibi J, Hessner MJ, Greene S, Wu J, Wong RK, Sukumvanich S, Wolf BA and Gao Z (2004) Leucine culture reveals that ATP synthase functions as a fuel sensor in pancreatic b cell. Journal of Biological Chemistry 279:53915-53923.

Xu W, Gao Z, Wu J, Wolf BA (2005) Interferon-g-induced Regulation of the Pancreatic Derived Cytokine FAM3B in Islets and Insulin-secreting bTC3 Cells. Molecular Cellular Endocrinology (in press).

Yang J, Gao Z, Robert CE, Burkhardt BR, Gaweska H, Wagner A, Wu J, Greene SR, Young RA and Wolf BA (2005) Structure-function studies of PANDER, an islet specific cytokine inducing apoptosis of insulin-secreting beta cells. Biochemistry (in press).

Lab

ROTATION PROJECTS FOR 2006-2007

• Analysis of PANDER transgenic mouse
• Site-directed mutagenesis of PANDER
• siRNA approaches to downregulate PANDER
• Regulation of PANDER mRNA in beta-cells
• Secretory mechanisms of PANDER in beta-cells

Lab personnel:

Brant Burkhardt, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow
Joshua Cook, Penn Undergraduate Student
Zhiyong Gao, MD, PhD, Lab Manager
Jason Carnegie, Graduate student (CAMB)
Scott Greene, Research Specialist
Claudia Robert, Graduate Student (CAMB)
Kelly McFadden, Penn Undergraduate Student
Jianmei Wu, Research Specialist
Jichun Yang, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow
Robert Young, Research Specialist