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Mark
Goulian
Associate
Professor, Dept. of Biology and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Microbiology,
Virology and Parasitology Program
Address
204F, Lynch Biology Laboratory
433 S. University Ave.
office: 215-573-6991
lab: 215-898-5135
E-mail: goulian@sas.upenn.edu
Link(s)
Dr. Goulian's
Biology Dept Webpage
Education
Harvard University: AB (Physics), 1985.
Harvard University: PhD (Physics), 1990.
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Research
Interests
- Two-component signaling in E. coli.
- Regulation of porin expression.
- Directed evolution of signaling circuits.
Key words: two-component signaling,
regulatory networks, modeling, directed evolution, fluorescence
microscopy.
Search PubMed for articles
Description
of Research
Our research is focused on two-component signaling
in bacteria. Two-component systems are regulatory circuits
that mediate responses to diverse environmental signals and
play a central role in regulating many aspects of bacterial
physiology. In their simplest form, these circuits are composed
of an upstream sensor kinase and a downstream response regulator.
The response regulator is usually a transcription factor,
although in some instances it controls other cellular processes
such as protein degradation, protein localization, or flagellar
motor switching. Depending on the circuit, additional phospho-transfer
steps or additional regulatory proteins may be involved in
the signal transduction process. Two-component systems provide
an excellent context in which to study cell signaling. These
systems tend to be relatively simple, with a small number
of components; they can be found in genetically tractable,
well-studied organisms; and there are many examples of such
systems that can be used for comparing and contrasting designs
(E. coli K-12 alone contains roughly 30 two-component
systems). Our research applies techniques from genetics, molecular
biology, fluorescence microscopy, and mathematical modeling
to explore the design principles underlying two-component
systems. We have been particularly interested in the mechanisms
that maintain fidelity in transducing and processing signals.
We are developing new techniques to measure signaling activity,
both across populations and at the level of the single cell,
in order to formulate and test quantitative models. We are
also engineering networks within E. coli in order
to build novel circuits and to explore the general design
constraints and schemes for cell signaling.
Recent
Publications
Derr, P., E. Boder, and M. Goulian. 2006. Changing
the Specificity of a Bacterial Chemoreceptor. J. Mol.
Biol. 355:923-932.
Batchelor, E. and M. Goulian. 2006. Imaging
OmpR Localization in E. coli. Mol. Micro.
59:1767-1778.
Batchelor, E., D. Walthers, L.J. Kenney and
M. Goulian. 2005. The Escherichia coli CpxA-CpxR
Envelope Stress Response System Regulates Expression of the
Porins OmpF and OmpC. J. Bacteriol. 187:5723-5731.
Batchelor, E., T.J. Silhavy and M. Goulian.
2004. Continuous Control in Bacterial Regulatory Circuits.
J. Bacteriol. 186:7618-7635.
Batchelor, E. and M. Goulian. 2003. Robustness
and the Cycle of Phosphorylation and Dephosphorylation in
a Two-Component Regulatory System. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.
100:691-696.
Lab
Rotation
Projects
- Genetic analysis of two-component signaling
- Intracellular localization of two-component
signaling proteins
- Rational design and directed evolution of
bacterial signaling circuits.
- Lab
personnel:
- Melissa Lasaro – post doc
Elizabeth Libby – graduate student
Andrew Lippa – graduate student
Tim Miyashiro – graduate student
Manuela Roggiani – post doc
Albert Siryaporn – graduate student
last updated 8/2007
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