Barry M. Willardson
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Office: C204A BNSN
Office Phone: 801-422-2785
Email: bmwillardson@chem.byu.edu
Education
BA, Brigham Young University (1984)
Ph.D., Purdue University (1990)
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Alamos National Lab (1990-92)
Staff Scientist, University of California, Los Alamos National Lab (1992-96)
Research Interests
Basic mechanisms of G protein-mediated signal transduction. Several G-protein signaling pathways control cell growth, and malfunctions in these pathways have been shown to result in oncogenesis.
Student Involvement/ Requirements
I will train 2 undergraduate students in my lab. I take undergraduates the summer after their junior year and the whole senior year. Undergraduate students work primarily with graduate students and myself on the research. I require a 1 ½-2 year commitment in the lab. Students must meet the following requirements in order to be considered for research work in my lab:
1.) Biochemistry 481
2.) High GPA
3.) Previous experience preferable
The work is publication oriented and undergraduates do appear on publications. NIH and NSF fund this research.
Publications
Carter, M.D., Southwick, K., Lukov, G., Willardson, B.M., Thulin, C.D., “Identification of phosphorylation sites on phosducin-like protein by QTOF mass spectrometry,” J. Biomol. Tech., 15, 257-264 (2004).
Martin-Benito, J., Bertrand, S., Hu, T., Ludtke, P., McLaughlin, J.N., Willardson, B.M., Carrascosa, J.L., Valpuesta, J.M., “Structure of the complex between phosduin-like protein and the cytosolic chaperonin complex,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 101, 17410-17415 (2004).
Lee, B.Y., Thulin, C.D., Willardson B. M., “Site-specific phosphorylation of phosducin in intact retina -- dynamics of phosphorylation and effects on G protein βγ dimer binding,” J. Biol. Chem., 279, 54008-54017 (2004).
Lukov, G.L., Myung, C.-S., McIntire, W.E., Shao, J., Zimmerman, S.S., Garrison, J.C., Willardson, B.M., “Role of the Isoprenyl Pocket of the G protein βγ Subunit Complex in the Binding of Phosducin and Phosducin-like Protein,” Biochemistry, 43, 5651-5660 (2004).
Lukov, G. L., Hu, T., McLaughlin, J. N., Hamm, H. E. and Willardson, B.M. (2005) “Phosducin-like protein acts as a molecular chaperone for G protein beta gamma dimer assembly” EMBO J. 24, 1965-1975.
