A study published in PNAS by Prof. Claudio Grosman and Dr. Gisela D. Cymes has revealed the elusive link between amino-acid sequence and charge selectivity in the superfamily of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Here, the authors present compelling evidence for the critical involvement of ionized side chains—whether pore-facing or buried—rather than backbone atoms and propose a mechanism whereby not only their charge sign, but also, their conformation determines charge selectivity.

MIP alum receives award

Dr. Ting Fu, a recently graduated MCB doctoral student from Prof. Jongsook Kemper's lab, has received the Salk Alumni award to support her postdoctoral research at Salk Institute

Unexpected function of nucleoporin RanBP2 maintains BA homeostasis, protecting against liver toxicity.

A study published in Nature Communications by the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology’s Dr. Jongsook Kim Kemper and colleagues shows the role of RanBP2-mediated SUMO modification of an orphan nuclear receptor Small Heterodimer Partner (SHP) in maintaining bile acid (BA) homeostasis....

Professor Milan Bagchi named Deborah Paul Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology

The School of Molecular and Cellular Biology is honored to announce that Professor Milan Bagchi, Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, has been named the Deborah Paul Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. An official investiture ceremony was held in the fall semester of 2016.

Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellowships

A number of current and recent graduate students and postdoctoral scholars have applied for and won prestigious awards and fellowships. The awardees reflect the breadth of outstanding research at UIUC and the quality of students and researchers attracted to the School of Molecular and Cellular...

Progress in Women's Reproductive Health and Fertility

Through the ages, fertility has played a central role in civilizations. Its cultural, socioeconomic, demographic, religious and global implications were and still are incalculable. A Wikipedia search for “fertility gods,” for example, yields a list of 35 cultures with one, and often...

Physiology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Physiology has a long and distinguished career at the University of Illinois. While methods and techniques have advanced through the years, physiology has been central to the teaching mission of the university almost from its inception. Historically, the program has been strong in comparative...

Drs. Benita S. Katzenellenbogen and John A. Katzenellenbogen have been awarded the Fred Conrad Koch Lifetime Achievement Award by the Endocrine Society.

The Society’s highest honor, this annual award recognizes lifetime achievements and exceptional contributions to the field of endocrinology. Dr. Benita Katzenellenbogen is currently the Swanlund Chaired Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, and Dr. John Katzenellenbogen is the Swanlund...

New drug compounds show promise against endometriosis

An interdisciplinary research team, including molecular and integrative physiology professors Benita Katzenellenbogen and Milan Bagchi, has developed a new approach to treating endometriosis. Their research appears in Science Translational Medicine.

Jongsook Kim Kemper’s lab discovers that elevated acetylation of FXR in obesity promotes hepatic inflammation, published in the EMBO Journal

Associate Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Jongsook Kim Kemper, post-doctoral researcher, Dong-Hyun Kim, and their colleagues discovered that the function of a key metabolic transcriptional regulator, FXR, is modulated by an acetyl/SUMO switch, which is dysregulated in obesity....