Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
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Anant B. Parekh, D.Phil.
Chief, Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory;
Senior Investigator
Tel 984-287-4545
[email protected]
John A. Cidlowski, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief, Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory;
Senior Investigator
Tel 984-287-3545
[email protected]
Research Summary
The overall goal of the Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory is to define the mechanisms that cells, tissues and organisms use to respond to physiological and environmental stimuli. Responses of cells to environmental signals, toxins and stressors have profound implications for diverse aspects of human health and disease including development, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, asthma, heart, autoimmune diseases and cancer.
The delineation of the signal transduction pathways affected in these and other complex human diseases is likely to present new avenues for therapeutic intervention and understanding of human disease mechanisms. The Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory seeks to achieve this goal through cutting edge basic research and training of junior scientists in aspects of environmental health related science that are critical to the mission of NIEHS. It is anticipated that research in signal transduction will have a central role in environmental human health in the post-genomic era.
Several signal transduction pathways that occur in the human cell.
Shared and Core Facilities
For more information about facilities that support research activities at the NIEHS campus, please see
Shared and Core Facilities
The Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory investigates the following topics:
Glucocorticoid receptors and their actions in genetically modified animals
Mechanisms involved in the regulation of apoptosis in normal and neoplastic cells
Intracellular Ca
2+
pools involved in cellular signaling, and the basis for intracellular [Ca
2+
]i oscillations
Inositol phosphate family of intracellular signals, and their responses to environmental insults
Gene-environment interactions in metabolism and metabolic diseases, with focus on sirtuins, post translational modifications, and epigenetics
The roles played by a small family of CCCH tandem zinc finger proteins in the physiological regulation of mRNA turnover and responses to environmental stimuli
Molecular mechanisms governing eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis
Principal Investigator
Calcium Signaling in Health & Disease
Anant B. Parekh, D.Phil.
Chief, Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory;
Senior Investigator
Tel 984-287-4545
[email protected]
Metabolism, Genes, and Environment
Xiaoling Li, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Tel 984-287-3484
[email protected]
Molecular Endocrinology
John A. Cidlowski, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief, Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory;
Senior Investigator
Tel 984-287-3545
[email protected]
Nucleolar Integrity
Robin E. Stanley, Ph.D.
Stadtman Investigator
Tel 984-287-3568
[email protected]
Post-Transcriptional Gene Expression
Perry J. Blackshear, M.D., D.Phil.
Senior Investigator
Tel 984-287-3452
[email protected]
Scientific Support Staff
Carol J. Coatney
Administrative Specialist
Tel 984-287-3498
[email protected]
Judy L. Bartz
Administrative Technician
Tel 984-287-3497
[email protected]
Publications
Recent Publications
Kumar R, Blackshear P, Patial S, Saini Y. Deficiency of ZFP36L1 and ZFP36L2 impairs liver homeostasis and initiates cholestatic liver injury.
Hepatology communications
2026 May 01;10(5):.
Abstract
Kumar R, Blackshear P, Patial S, Saini Y. Deficiency of ZFP36L1 and ZFP36L2 impairs liver homeostasis and initiates cholestatic liver injury. Hepatology communications. 2026 May 01
Stanley R, Lowe T, Ignatova Z. The regulation, function and disease relevance of cytoplasmic tRNAs.
Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology
2026 Apr 21 [Epub ahead of print].
Abstract
Stanley R, Lowe T, Ignatova Z. The regulation, function and disease relevance of cytoplasmic tRNAs. Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology. 2026 Apr 21
Bhardwaj R, Massri A, Bird G, Parekh A. Deletion of Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Enhances Calcium Signals by Slowing Calcium Clearance and Triggers Adaptive Transcriptomic Remodeling.
The Journal of biological chemistry
2026 Apr 17 [Epub ahead of print].
Abstract
Bhardwaj R, Massri A, Bird G, Parekh A. Deletion of Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Enhances Calcium Signals by Slowing Calcium Clearance and Triggers Adaptive Transcriptomic Remodeling. The Journal of biological chemistry. 2026 Apr 17
Garcia-Peterson L, Wellman A, Xu X, Ji M, Duval C, Shats I, Wu X, Randall T, Bostan H, Cunefare D, Ganta C, Sifre M, Xu X, Blumberg R, Li J, Li X. Paneth cell SIRT1 deficiency increases intestinal stress resistance by modulating the gut microbiota.
EMBO reports
2026 Apr;27(7):1830-1857.
Abstract
Garcia-Peterson L, Wellman A, Xu X, Ji M, Duval C, Shats I, Wu X, Randall T, Bostan H, Cunefare D, Ganta C, Sifre M, Xu X, Blumberg R, Li J, Li X. Paneth cell SIRT1 deficiency increases intestinal stress resistance by modulating the gut microbiota. EMBO reports. 2026 Apr
Le Y, Sun Y, Li X, Wynne R, Twaddle N, Bishop M, Beland F, Gwinn W, Heflich R, Cao X, Wang Y. Comparative genotoxicity assessment of ortho-phthalaldehyde using human in vitro organotypic airway epithelial cultures and standard in vitro genotoxicity assays.
Archives of toxicology
2026 Mar 05 [Epub ahead of print].
Abstract
Le Y, Sun Y, Li X, Wynne R, Twaddle N, Bishop M, Beland F, Gwinn W, Heflich R, Cao X, Wang Y. Comparative genotoxicity assessment of ortho-phthalaldehyde using human in vitro organotypic airway epithelial cultures and standard in vitro genotoxicity assays. Archives of toxicology. 2026 Mar 05
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Last Reviewed: April 22, 2026