Benjamin S. Glick, Ph.D.

Research

Our main goal is to understand the processes that generate Golgi stacks. The cisternal maturation model provides a conceptual framework for studying Golgi formation. Our specific approaches are: (1) To characterize the dynamics of Golgi cisternae in S. cerevisiae through a combination of genetics and 4D video microscopy. (2) To study tER organization and biogenesis in P. pastoris using genetics, molecular biology, and video microscopy. P. pastoris is an ideal model organism for these studies. (3) To explore tER organization and dynamics in vertebrate cells. This approach is revealing evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that generate tER sites. A second project in the lab involves optimizing the red fluorescent protein DsRed. Like GFP, DsRed potentially has wide application as a reporter and fusion tag.