Biological Sciences
Dr. Pamela Hoppe
Assistant Professor
E-mail: pamela.Hoppe@wmich.edu
Office: 3171 Wood Hall
Lab: 4027 Haenicke Hall
Office Phone: 269-387-5628
Lab phone: 269-387-5632
Research Description
Area of Research: Developmental Genetics, Cell Biology
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences. Dr. Hoppe uses the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to study striated muscle cells. The lab uses a combination of molecular genetics and cell biology to identify and study proteins important for the formation and maintenance of the highly ordered muscle cytoskeleton. Current research is centered on a newly identified protein kinase that is encoded by the unc-82 gene in C. elegans, and is conserved in mammals and insects. The UNC-82 kinase is required for proper placement of myosin filaments within the muscle contractile apparatus, and may play a similar role in other tissue types. A major goal of ongoing and future experiments is to determine the functional role of UNC-82 kinase in vivo and in vitro, and to identify other proteins in this regulatory or signaling pathway. This research is funded by the National Science Foundation.