Faculty
Biological Sciences has more than 60 full-time faculty members, as well as more than 20 faculty with joint appointments and 15 visiting or adjunct professors. Among its many distinctions and honors, the Ph.D. program faculty includes two members of the National Academy of Sciences, four members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and 18 holders of endowed chairs and professorships.
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Bob BakerProfessor of Biological SciencesContact Information E-mail: baker@usc.edu Phone: (213) 740-5565 Office: RRI 104A Office Hours: Mondays : 1:45 p.m. to >3:00 p.m. |
Education
- Ph.D. Molecular Biology, Brown University
- B.S. Chemistry, Stanford University
Postdoctoral Training
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University, 1966-1968
Academic Appointment, Affiliation, and Employment History
- Visiting Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, 1975-1976
Description of Research
Summary Statement of Research Interests
Professor Baker studies the manner in which protein monomers participate in protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions. Modifications of monomers that affect shape and charge of the surfaces of proteins are being investigated. Of particular interest are modifications of protein monomers (resulting from changes at the gene level, pre-mRNA splicing alternatives, small molecule-protein interactions and post-translational additions to and cleavage of the folded polypeptide chain) that affect the specificity and affinity of folded polypeptide chains for other proteins and nucleic acids that interact with the monomer.
Monomer modifications that result in disease states such as cancer are of special interest. Methods used in this research include computational analyses of protein and nucleic acid sequences in data banks.
Research Keywords
cancer, protein, folding, protein-protein interactions, protein-nucleic acid interactions, monomers
Research Specialties
Cancer Biology, Signal Transduction and Gene Regulation, Structural Biology