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| Name |
Bourne, Henry R. |
| Location
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University of California, San Francisco |
| Primary Field
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Medical Genetics, Hematology and Oncology |
 Election Citation
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Bourne is an acknowledged leader in the field of intracellular signal transduction. His discoveries have profoundly influenced current views of the regulation of adenylate cyclase by G proteins and the role of mutant G proteins in the pathogenesis of diseases ranging from pseudohypoparathyroidism to endocrine neoplasias.
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Research Interests
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Signal transducing (trimeric) G proteins couple sensory and hormonal stimuli to regulation of effector enzymes and ion channels. My laboratory uses tools of molecular genetics, biochemistry, and cell biology to study: the structure and function of trimeric G proteins and the corresponding receptors with the goal of understanding molecular mechanisms of receptor-G protein signaling (protein-protein interactions, conformational change induced by receptor agonists and guanine nucleotides, etc.); signaling pathways mediated by G proteins, with special reference to assigning specific functions to individual G protein subunits; roles of G protein mutations in human diseases (endocrine tumors, pseudohypoparathyroidism); processes that target G protein subunits to correct locations in cells, including covalent linkages to lipids (myristoylation, palmitoylation, prenylation) that control attachment of these subunits to specific membrane compartments, including the plasma membrane; and roles of G proteins and receptors in mediating chemotaxis of neutrophils and other inflammatory cells.
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