Professor of Biomedical Science and Biology
Office: B650 Statistics
Phone (951) 827-5705
E-mail: daniel.straus@ucr.edu
Degree:
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1972
My research is aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms for regulation of liver gene expression by nutrients, hormones, and cytokines. One gene that we are studying is the gene that encodes insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). IGF-I is an important regulator of somatic growth in mammals, and its expression in the liver is regulated by nutrition. Decreased IGF-I expression is causally linked to the growth arrest that occurs in nutritionally-restricted animals. We have been studying the molecular mechanisms for regulation of IGF-I gene expression by dietary protein and carbohydrate. In related studies, we are analyzing the mechanism by which serum albumin gene expression is regulation by essential amino acids, and by cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-¦ and interleukin-6. Ultimately, we hope to elucidate the molecular basis for the reduced serum albumin expression that is seen in chronically malnourished patients and in patients with cancer.
Dr. Straus participates in the Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology graduate program.