Invitation to Systems Biology Seminar Talk

Bistability in biological switches and oscillators

Prof. James Ferrell

School of Medicine, Stanford University
Stanford, USA

    Time: Friday · 14. 7. 2006 · 12.30 p.m
    Place: IST Seminar Room 3.241 · Pfaffenwaldring 9 · Campus Stuttgart-Vaihingen

Abstract

One way of investigating the design principles of biological signaling circuits is to identify common subcircuits or motifs, carry out computational studies to determine what sorts of behaviors these motifs might exhibit, and then carry out experimental studies to determine which of these behaviors are actually manifested in different biological contexts.

Here we examine positive feedback loops in two such contexts:
Xenopus oocyte maturation, where the Mos-MEK-MAPK system functions as an irreversible toggle switch, and the Cdc2-Wee1-Cdc25 system, where the loop acts as a trigger for the mitotic oscillator.

Biographical Information

Education

• 1976 Williams College, Williamstown MA: BA in Physics, Chem, Math
• 1984 Stanford University, Stanford CA: Ph.D. in Chemistry
• 1986 Stanford University School of Medicine: M.D. in Medicine
• 1990 University of California, Berkeley CA: Postdoc in Biochem & Mol Biology

Professional experience

• 1986-1990: Postdoctoral Fellow, Div. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UC Berkeley, lab of G. Steven Martin
• 1990-1992: Asst. Professor, Dept. of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 1992-1999: Asst. Professor, Dept. of Molecular Pharmacology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
• 1999-2003: Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Molecular Pharmacology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
• 2001-2003: Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Biochemistry, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
• 2003-present: Professor, Depts. of Molecular Pharmacology and Biochemistry, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
• 2004-2005: Acting Chair, Dept. of Molecular Pharmacology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
• 2006-present: Chair, Dept. of Molecular Pharmacology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine