Publications in VIVO

Co-author Network

Falke, Joseph

Professor

Positions

Professor, Biochemistry

Research Areas

Research

research overview

Dr. Falke's laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms of membrane-based lipid signaling pathways that enable eukaryotic cells to (i) follow chemical trails in innate immunity and development, (ii) generate growth signals in normal and unregulated cell growth, (iii) engulf, or phagocytose, extracellular pathogens or damaged tissue in innate immunity, and (iv) engulf, or autophagocytose, intracellular pathogens and aging components. The work is revealing fundamental insights into the molecular nature of lipid signaling on membrane surfaces important in signaling biology, immunology, cancer biology and medicine. The lab is also developing tools widely useful in biochemistry and biophysics.

keywords

biochemistry and biophysics of cellular signaling pathways and membrane proteins, macrophage chemotaxis and phagocytosis, cancer, inflammation, innate immunity

Publications

selected publications

conference proceeding
- PDK1 Forms Homodimers on Supported Lipid Bilayers in a PIP3 Dependent Manner. Biophysical Journal. 287A-288A. 2021
- Binding of Ras to PI3K: Measuring Binding Affinity, and the Effects of Disease-Linked H-Ras Mutations on Affinity. Biophysical Journal. 282A-282A. 2020
- Direct Detection and Characterization of a Phosphoinositide Dependent Kinase-1 (PDK1) Homodimer on a Target Membrane Surface Via Single Molecule Fluorescence. Biophysical Journal. 558A-558A. 2020
- Regulatory Mechanisms of Ca2+, Receptor, Ras, and Lipid Signals that Control Actin Polymerization During Cell Migration. Biophysical Journal. 15A-16A. 2020
- Histidine Kinase CheA: You Spin Me 'Round. The FASEB Journal. 2017
journal article
- Ras signaling mechanisms: New insights from single-molecule biophysics. Biophysical Journal. 3277-3280. 2024
- PDK1:PKCa heterodimer association-dissociation dynamics in single-molecule diffusion tracks on a target membrane. Biophysical Journal. 2301-2310. 2023
- Binding of active Ras and its mutants to the Ras binding domain of PI-3-kinase: A quantitative approach to KD measurements. Analytical Biochemistry. 2023
- Single-molecule studies reveal regulatory interactions between master kinases PDK1, AKT1, and PKC. Biophysical Journal. 5657-5673. 2021
- HPLC method to resolve, identify and quantify guanine nucleotides bound to recombinant ras GTPase. Analytical Biochemistry. 2021

Teaching

courses taught

BCHM 4400 - Core Concepts in Physical Chemistry for Biochemists
Primary Instructor - Spring 2020 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2024
Introduces thermodynamics, kinetics and spectroscopy, emphasizing macromolecule and biochemical applications. Includes thermodynamics, chemical and physical equilibriums, solution chemistry, rates of chemical and biochemical reactions, chemical bonds and principles and selected examples of spectroscopies applied to biological systems. Department enforced prerequisite or corequisite: PHYS 1120 or PHYS 2020. Formerly CHEM 4411. Same as BCHM 5400. Degree credit not granted for this course and CHEM 4511.
BCHM 4491 - Modern Biophysical Methods
Primary Instructor - Fall 2020 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2024
Covers the basic theory of biophysical methods widely employed in biochemistry and biology, including: electrophoresis, mass spec, calorimetry, evanescent waves, plasmon resonance, Xray diffraction, absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy, magnetic resonance, electron and optical microscopy and single molecule methods. Discusses ways to maximize rigor and reproducibility in biophysical studies. Department enforced prerequisites: undergraduate chemistry (general, organic physical); physics; calculus. Recommended prerequisite or corequisite: BCHM 4400 or CHEM 4531. Same as BCHM 5491.
BCHM 5491 - Modern Biophysical Methods
Primary Instructor - Fall 2020 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2024
Covers the basic theory of biophysical methods widely employed in biochemistry and biology, including: electrophoresis, mass spec, calorimetry, evanescent waves, plasmon resonance, Xray diffraction, absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy, magnetic resonance, electron and optical microscopy and single molecule methods. Discusses ways to maximize rigor and reproducibility in biophysical studies. Same as BCHM 4491. Department enforced prerequisites: undergraduate chemistry (general, organic, physical), biochemistry, physics, calculus.
BCHM 6601 - Biochemistry Seminar
Primary Instructor - Fall 2019 / Spring 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024
Restricted to and required for all currently funded NIH/CU Biophysics trainees and current NIH/CU Biophysics affiliates. Credit is deferred until presentation of satisfactory seminar. Formerly CHEM 6601.
BCHM 6901 - Research in Biochemistry
Primary Instructor - Fall 2022 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024
May be repeated up to 15 total credit hours.

Background

education and training

Ph.D., California Institute of Technology 1984
B.A., Earlham College 1978

awards and honors

Outstanding Investigator Award (R35), conferred by National Institutes of Health, 2022
Fellow of the Biophysical Society, conferred by Biophysical Society, 2015

International Activities

geographic focus

http://dbpedia.org/page/Taiwan Geographic Region
Belgium Country
China Country
Europe Continent
Germany Country

Other Profiles

ORCID iD

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3704-4694

ResearchGate

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joseph_Falke

Academia.edu

https://www.colorado.edu/lab/falke/