William Dowhan William Dowhan Professor and holder of the John S. Dunn, Sr. Studies utilizing E. coli focus on understanding biological processes which are similar in both simple and complex organisms. A major goal is to understand the role individual phospholipid species and general membrane phospholipid composition play in cell function. Specific roles for phospholipids at the mol-ecular level have been defined for translocation of proteins across membranes, energy transduction processes, signal transduction, cell division, and the assembly and function of integral membrane proteins.
Studies using yeast and mammalian cells focus on problems which are unique to eukaryoti sytems.
Mutants in phospholipid metabolism are being used to study subcellular location of phospholipid biosynthesis and the intracellular trafficking of phospholipids and proteins in eukaryotic cells. Particular emphasis is being placed on understanding the specific roles of anionic phospholipids in normal mitochondrial function and biogenesis. Genetically altered mice are being constructed that lack the ability to synthesize lipids predominately found in mitochondria to study the role of these lipids in whole animals. Biochemical evidence suggests reduction in these lipids may be associated with apoptosis, cellular aging, and memory loss. J. Bacteriol .