Jon S. Morrow, M.D., Ph.D.

Training:

B.S.(chemistry) Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 1969
Ph.D.(Biochemistry/Biophysics) Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 1974
M.D., Cum Laude, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 1976

Expertise:

Molecular architecture of the cortical cytoskeleton, and post-translational regulation of its assembly and stability by protein phosphorylation and second-messenger pathways; structural basis of cytoskeletal function, the role of the spectrin based cytoskeleton in signal transduction and the control of cell diffentiation, vesicle trafficking, and topographic membrane assembly; contributions of the cortical cytoskeleton to the phenotypic alterations of malignant cells, “leaky channel dominant” disorders, including the process of mechanosensatin and the role fo cytoskeleton in the control of cell volume, ion-channel conductance, and the contributions of these processs to familial hypertension and hemolytic disease.

Research Interests:

Central to the integrated function of multicellular organisms is cell contact mediated signaling and the spatial organizations of specialized membrane-surface domains. While many factors contribute, recent evidence indicates that the spectrin based membrane skeleton plays a pivotal role in these processes. Current research in the laboratory is aimed at understanding three aspects of the spectrin membrane skeleton in erythrocytes, epithelial cells, and neurons: 1) The factors that mediate its polarized assembly with specific surface membrane receptor domains; 2) the nature of the proteins that interact with spectrin and their role in signal transduction, cell differentiation, vesicle trafficking, and topographic membrane assembly; and 3) the molecular basis of diseases that involve spectrin or any of its associated proteins, including contributions of the cortical cytoskeleton to the phenotypic alterations of malignant cells and the molecular pathology of acquired and inherited disorders involving this structure. Our studies on the erythrocyte focus on a molecular understanding of how specific proteins that cause human disease.

Hemolytic Disease, Degenerative Brain Disease, spectrin, Autopsy Pathology, Renal Pathology, Medical Informatics, Computer Aided Instruction (CAI), Telepathology

Professional Service:

Editor-in-Chief, Laboratory Investigation Journal
Member, Yale Cancer Center
Member, Committee on Cooperative Research
Member, Medical School GA Subcommittee

Selected Publications: