Daniel L. Broek

 Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Keck School of Medicine
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
USC Cancer Center

Research in Dr. Broek’s laboratory was focused on the Ras signal transduction pathway. Ras mutations are involved in the development of more than 25% of all human tumors; and we are particularly interested in molecules which can activate the Ras protein. These molecules known as Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors (GEF) activate the Ras protein by converting RasGDP to Ras-GTP. He discovered that the first known Ras GEF is encoded by the yeast CDC25 gene product. Subsequently, he and others have discovered vertebrate molecules structurally and functionally homologous to the yeast CDC25 protein. His current work focuses on how the structure of GEF influences their activity directed towards the GTPases they activate.

 

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