MORRIS F. MADURO
Associate Professor of Biology
Office 2121A Genomics
Phone (951) 827-7196
E-mail: mmaduro@ucr.edu
Degree:
Ph.D., University of Alberta, 1998
Dr. Maduro studies the developmental mechanisms of cell fate specification in the nematode C. elegans and its close relatives. He is interested in the regulatory gene network that specifies the embryonic mesoderm (MS) and endoderm (E) precursor cells as a model of the gene networks that act during development in many other systems. The regulators MED-1 and MED-2 function together with the evolutionarily conserved Wnt pathway in a complex gene regulatory network to specify these cells. Current work involves characterization of the activity of the T-box factor TBX-35 and the homeodomain protein CEH-51 in specifying the MS fate, as well as examining evolutionary differences in contributions made by orthologs of endomesoderm regulators in the related nematode, C. briggsae. The C. elegans model system features a rich repertoire of tools for gene analysis, such as a complete genome sequence, transgenesis, functional genomics, and reverse genetics, and it is possible to get answers to developmental questions on a short timescale.
Dr. Maduro participates in the Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology and Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics graduate programs, and is a cooperating faculty member with the Department of Nematology.
Some Representative Publications....
Lowry JA, Gamsjaeger R, Thong SY, Hung W, Kwan AH, Broitman-Maduro G, Matthews J, Maduro M, and Mackay, J. (2009). Structural analysis of MED-1 reveals unexpected diversity in the mechanism of DNA recognition by GATA-type zinc finger domains. J. Biol. Chem. 284: 5827-5825.
Lin KT-H, Broitman-Maduro G, Hung WWK, Cervantes S, and Maduro M. (2009). Knockdown of SKN-1 and the Wnt effector TCF/POP-1 reveals differences in endomesoderm specification in C. briggsae as compared with C. elegans. Developmental Biology 325: 296-306.
Maduro M, Broitman-Maduro G, Mengarelli I, and Rothman JH. (2007). Maternal deployment of the embryonic SKN-1->MED-1,2 cell specification pathway in C. elegans. Developmental Biology 301: 590-601.
Maduro M. (2006). Endomesoderm specification in C. elegans and other nematodes. BioEssays 28: 1010-1022.
Broitman-Maduro G, Lin KT-H, Hung WWK, and Maduro M. (2006). Specification of the C. elegans MS blastomere by the T-box factor TBX-35. Development 133: 3097-3106.
Coroian C, Broitman-Maduro G, and Maduro M. (2006). Med-type GATA factors and the evolution of mesendoderm specification in nematodes. Developmental Biology 289: 444-455.
Lu R, Maduro M, Li F, Li HW, Broitman-Maduro G, Li WX, and Ding SW. (2005). Animal virus replication and RNAi-mediated antiviral silencing in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature 436: 1040-1043.
Recent Teaching....
- Biology 168, Developmental Biology
- Biology 005A, Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology (co-taught with 1 professor)
- CMDB 202, Graduate Course in Developmental Biology (co-taught with 2 professors)
- CMDB 257, Graduate Seminar (co-organizer)
- NASC 091/093, Freshman Advising Seminar