Postdoctoral Scientists

Carlos Vera

cvera@bioeng.ucsd.edu

Tel: 858.822.0005
Fax: 858.534.5722

335 Powell-Focht Bioengineering Hall
Department of Bioengineering
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093-0412


Education

Electrical Engineering, Instituto Tecnologico de Tijuana, 1985
Mathematics in Computers, Specialization Certificate, Centro de Graduos, 1987
Medicine Doctor, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, 1995
Ph.D. Bioengineering, UCSD, 2002

Research Interests

I am interested in the molecular basis of erythrocyte membrane skeleton biomechanics, specifically the contribution of tropomyosin and tropomodulin to junctional complexes architecture and their implication on the erythrocyte functional properties.

Key Publications

Vera, C., Sood, A., Gao, K.-M., Yee, L., Lin, J., and Sung, L.A. (2000). Tropomodulin-binding site mapped to residues 7-14 at the N-terminal heptad repeats of tropomyosin isoform 5. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 378, 16-24.

Chu, X., J. Chen, M. C. Reedy, C. Vera, K. L. Sung and L. A. Sung. E-Tmod capping of actin filaments at the slow-growing end is required to establish mouse embryonic circulation. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 284:H1827-38, 2003.


Weijuan Yao

wyao@bioeng.ucsd.edu

Tel: 858.822.0005
Fax: 858.534.5722

335 PFBH
Department of Bioengineering
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093-0412


Education

B.S. Mathematics, Hebei Normal University, China, 1997
Ph.D. Biophysics, Peking Unversity, China, 2002

Research interests

I am interested in the molecular basis of membrane and cell biomechanics and motility. My research focuses on one cytoskeletal protein, erythrocyte tropomodulin (E-Tmod). My goal is to identify E-Tmod isoforms and investigate the regulation of their expression and functions in various deformable cell types.

Key Publications

Yao, W., Lian, I., and Sung, L.A. The expression pattern of erythrocyte tropomodulin in mouse brain reported by the knocked-in lacZ gene. FASEB 19, A794, 2005.

Yao, W., Gu, L., Sun, D., Ka, W., Wen, Z., Chien, S. Wild type p53 gene causes reorganization of cytoskeleton and therefore the impaired deformability and difficult migration of murine erythroleukemia Cells. Cell Motil. Cytoskel. 56: 1-12, 2003.

Yao, W., Wen, Z., Yan, Z., Sun, D., Ka, W., Xie, L., Chien, S. Low viscosity ektacytometery and its validation tested by flow chamber. J. Biomech. 34: 1501-1509, 2001.
Sung Bioengineering Lab, University of California, San Diego