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George  S.  Bloom
Degree(s): Ph.D.
Graduate School: University of Pennsylvania
Primary Appointment: Professor of Biology
Research Interests:
Cell Biology of Alzheimer's Disease; Cellular Morphogenesis and Motility

Email Address: gsb4g@virginia.edu
Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program(s)
  • Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Medicine
    • Research Description

    Research in our laboratory is focused primarily on two areas: the cell biological basis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the functions and regulation of proteins known as IQGAPs. 

    The histopathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is the presence in brain of extracellular deposits containing ß-amyloid peptide fibrils plus intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles, which are filaments composed of the protein, tau. We have found that tau expression makes microtubules hypersensitive to small ß-amyloid olgiomers, and suspect that tau-dependent, ß-amyloid-induced microtubule disassembly is a seminal event in AD pathogenesis at the cellular level.The goals of our work on AD are to decipher the metabolic link that connects ß-amyloid and tau to damage neurons, and to apply our findings to the development of novel therapeutic and diagnostic tools for AD.

    IQGAPs are large scaffolding proteins that are involved in controlling cell motility, morphogenesis and adhesion. Most of our work so far with these proteins has been directed at vertebrate IQGAP1, and its role in coupling growth factor stimulation of cells to assembly in the cell cortex of branched actin filament networks. These networks function as the engines for plasma membrane protrusion during cell migration, and our results have indicated that IQGAP1 is required for their formation in many cell types. We are now extending our work on IQGAPs  to the two other vertebrate members of this protein family, IQGAP2 and IQGAP3.

    Selected Publications
  • Bamburg JR and Bloom GS. 2009. Cytoskeletal Pathologies of Alzheimer Disease. Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton: in press.
  • Yan J, Yang Y, Zhang H, King C, Kan H-M, Cai Y, Yuan C-X, Bloom GS, and Hua X, 2009. Menin Interacts with IQGAP1 to Enhance Intercellular Adhesion of ß Cells. Oncogene 28: 973-982.
  • Benseñor LB, Kan H-M, Wang N, Wallrabe H, Davidson L, Cai Y, Schafer DA, and Bloom GS. 2007. IQGAP1 Regulates Cell Motility by Linking Growth Factor Signaling to Actin Assembly. Journal of Cell Science 120: 658-669.

  • King ME, Kan H-M, Baas P, Erisir A, Glabe CG, and Bloom GS. 2006. Tau-Dependent Microtubule Disassembly Induced by Pre-fibrillar ß-Amyloid. Journal of Cell Biology 175: 541-546.

  • PubMed Listings for this Faculty Member
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    Contact Information
      Office Address: PO Box 400328, Gilmer, 047, 
      Office Phone: +1 434-243-3543
      Fax Phone: +1 434-243-3578

    Other Websites for this mentor:
    http://faculty.virginia.edu/georgebloom/public_html.gsb4g/mainpage1.htm

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