Department of Medicine

University of Pittsburgh

Deborah L. Galson, PhD
photo

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology

Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics

Member, UPCI

Member, Molecular and Cellular Cancer Biology Program

Director, Pittsburgh Center for Bone & Mineral Research
Office: Hillman Cancer Center Research Pavilion, Rm 1.19b
5117 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
 
Phone: 412-623-1112
Fax: 412-623-1415
E-mail: galson@pitt.edu
Education
Ph.D., Brandeis University, 1984
B.S., Cornell University, 1976
Training
Postdoctoral, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1990
Instructor, Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women's Hospital, 1995
Area of Specialization/Research Interest  
Osteoclast differentiation
Signal transduction
Measles virus nucleoprotein (MVNP) and p62 (SQSTM1)
Paget's Disease
TBK1 & IKKe
Multiple myeloma
Osteoblast suppression
NFATc1, NF-kB, Spi-1/PU.1, C/EBPß, Gfi1, ATF4
Tec kinase family
 
Profile
The main theme of my research had been to investigate the regulation of differentiation starting from identifying the key transcriptional regulators outwards to reveal the important signal transduction pathways. To reveal regulatory mechanisms that underlie the concerted activation of osteoclast-specific genes during differentiation, we utilized the calcitonin receptor gene as a model system. We thus identified that NFATc1 plays a significant role in osteoclastogenesis. Our current studies focus on: 1) the mechanism by which Measles virus nucleocapsid protein, which may play a role in Paget’s disease, activates cellular genes and alters osteoclast differentiation; 2) the mechanism of cooperation between MVNP and p62 with pagetic mutations (eg. p62P392L) to generate Paget's disease; 3) the mechanism by which multiple myeloma suppresses osteoblast differentiation; 4) the role of ATF4 in osteoclastogenesis.
Lab Personnel and Web page
Benedicte Sammut, PhD Quanhong Sun, PhD Juraj Adamik, PhD
Recent Grants
Title: ATF4 and Osteoclastogenesis
Role: Co-Investigator
Amount: $1,132,200
Funding Agency: NIH/NIAMS
Start Year: 2010
End Year: 2014
Title: GFI-1 and Osteoblast Suppression in Multiple Myeloma
Role: PI
Amount: $1,451,543
Funding Agency: NIH/NIAMS
Start Year: 2010
End Year: 2015
Title: Viral and Genetic Regulation of Abnormal OCL Activity in PD (Paget's Disease)
Role: PI
Amount: $1,636,300
Funding Agency: NIH/NIAMS
Start Year: 2008
End Year: 2013
For Pub Med search results, click here.