The Inner Scientist

Dr. Bonnie Bassler from Princeton University discusses her pioneering work on cell-cell communication in bacteria. She discusses early experiments that identified the first genes involved in intraspecies quorum sensing. We also go into detail about her subsequent work that elucidated the complexity of interspecies bacterial communication as well as studies on how bacteria use quorum sensing to communicate with eukaryotic cells in the microbiome. Enjoy.

Why do most biomedical faculty researchers have to pay salary from extramural grants? What are the origins of "soft money" research positions? How did indirect costs from grants evolve? What is the future of academic research in a post-Covid world? In this episode of the podcast Dr. Paula Stephan, a Professor at Georgia State University and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, discusses her pioneering research of the economics of science and the careers of scientists and engineers. Sorry for the background static noice. Enjoy!

Dr. Leslie Vosshall from the Rockefeller University discusses her work that led to the discovery of odorant receptors in the fruit fly D. melanogaster, with the unexpected finding that these receptors are not GPCRs. She also talks about her group's subsequent transition from studying odorant pathways in flies to analyzing the molecular genetics underlying chemosensory behaviors in mosquitos. We discuss her pioneering work on mosquito-host selection, the molecular biology of mosquito-borne illnesses, as well as various truths and myths about why mosquitos prefer certain people as a blood source. It's a wide ranging and fascinating conversation. Enjoy!

In this episode of the podcast Dr. Angelika Amon from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discusses her pioneering work on molecular mechanisms governing normal chromosome segregation. She goes into some depth about the discovery of the phosphatase Cdc14 as a key regulator of exit from mitosis, using the budding yeast as a genetic model system. She also describes her more recent work on aneuploidy, the abnormal segregation of chromosomes, and its impact on mammalian cell biology. She details discoveries about how selective chromosome gain and loss drives the progression of malignant cancers. Enjoy!

In this episode Dr. Peter Walter from UCSF discusses his early work on the characterization of molecular pathways that regulate protein trafficking in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), including discovery of the signal recognition particle and its receptor. He then talks about more recent work related to the unfolded protein response (UPR), including the discovery of IRE1, an ER kinase and RNAase that controls UPR gene expression. Enjoy.

In this episode of the podcast I put forth my predicted winners of the 2019 Nobel Prizes in Chemistry as well as Physiology or Medicine. Enjoy.

In this episode Dr. Erkki Ruoslahti from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Institute discusses his pioneering work in the cell adhesion and signaling fields. He details the discovery of the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin, and the eventual purification and cloning of the first integrins, which are cell surface receptors for fibronectin and other matrix proteins. Erkki also discusses his group's discovery of the RGD tripeptide sequence in fibronectin as the major integrin binding motif, which led to efforts to develop synthetic RGD peptides to block integrin adhesion/signaling. RGD-containing small molecule inhibitors are now used in the clinic to treat various diseases. Enjoy.

In this last episode of 2018, Dr. Robert Lefkowitz from Duke University discusses the purification and cloning of the adrenaline receptor, which was one of the first G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) discovered. The GPCRs are now recognized as the largest transmembrane protein family in humans, with more than 800 members. Bob's discovery of the adrenaline receptor and other GPCRs, as well as their intracellular signaling mechanisms led to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2012. He also discusses his group's efforts to pharmacologically modulate GPCR functions in various diseases. Enjoy.

Dr. Steve Elledge discusses his pioneering research in the fields of cell cycle regulation and DNA damage response. He details experiments that led to the discovery of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(Cip1) as well as the CHK2/DUN1 kinase, which activates signaling pathways required for the DNA damage response. He also talks about his work in the ubiquitin proteasome system and the discovery of F-box components in E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes. Enjoy.

In this episode Dr. Jeff Friedman details his discovery of the mouse obese gene (ob) using positional cloning strategies. He also discusses experiments that determined how the ob gene product, the adipocyte-expressed hormone leptin, signals through its receptor in the brain to act as a master suppressor of appetite. Jeff also details how heritable gene mutations in ob/leptin contribute to obesity in humans and how this pathway has been targeted therapeutically. Enjoy.