Michael J. Stern
Biology
Professor
Office:
Room BBH 358B
Phone:
(773) 442-6010
Email:
m-stern2@neiu.edu
Office Hours:
Please email m-stern2@neiu.edu to arrange to meet or speak with Dr. Stern.
CV:
Stern, M_CV.pdf
Country:
United States
Expertise
Developmental Biology
Genetics of model organisms
C. elegans
Biochemistry (BIO 362/462G)
Research Interests
- Molecular and genetic approaches to understanding developmental biology - Cell signaling via receptor tyrosine kinases - Cell migration guidance mechanisms in the nematode C. elegans My research focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms that control how complex, multicellular animals develop from single-cell fertilized eggs, a field known as Developmental Biology. We use molecular and genetic approaches in the model organism C. elegans to understand how cells within multicellular animals “talk” with each other to generate and maintain their normal structures and functions. Diseases such as cancer and a wide range of other pathologies arise from aberrations in the normal functioning of these processes. My specific areas of focus have concentrated on analyzing the cell-to-cell signaling mechanisms that guide migrating cells to their proper targets and that mediate fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling processes. The high degree of conservation of structure and function during metazoan evolution makes our findings in this organism applicable to our general understanding of biology, human biology and disease.
Education
B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University
Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley
Postdoctoral research: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Advisor: Dr. H. Robert
Horvitz
Selected Publications
Rodriguez Torres, C. S., Wicker, N. B., Puccini de Castro, V., Stefinko, M., Bennett, D. C., Bernhardt, B., Garcia Montes de Oca, M., Jallow, S., Flitcroft, K., Palalay, J. S., Payán Parra, O. A., Stern, Y. E., Koelle, M. R., Voisine, C., Woods, I. G., Lo, T. W., Stern, M. J., and de la Cova, C. C. 2024. The Caenorhabditis elegans protein SOC-3 permits an alternative mode of signal transduction by the EGL-15 FGF receptor. Developmental Biology, 516: 183-195.
Gürkaynak, B., Fonseca, D. R., Suarez, I., Stern, M. J., and Lo, T. W. 2024. Investigation of Conserved Amino Acids in the EGL-15 5A Domain Required for Sex Myoblast Migration in C. elegans. microPublication Biology.
Tian, C., Shi, H., Colledge, C., Stern, M. J., Waterston, R., and Liu, J. 2011. The C. elegans SoxC protein SEM-2 opposes differentiation factors to promote a proliferative blast cell fate in the postembryonic mesoderm. Development, 138(6): 1033-1043.
Lo, T. W., Bennett, D. C., Goodman, S. J., and Stern, M. J. 2010. Caenorhabditis elegans fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling can occur independently of the multi-substrate adaptor FRS2. Genetics, 185(2): 537-547.
Kam, N., Kugler, H., Marelly, R., Appleby, L., Fisher, J., Pnueli, A., Harel, D., Stern, M.J., and Hubbard, E.J. 2008. A scenario-based approach to modeling development: a prototype model of C. elegans vulval fate specification. Developmental Biology. 323: 1-5.