Maxim Sokolov, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
PhD: Weizmann Institute of Science
Postdoctoral Training: University of Kansas
Postdoctoral Training: Harvard University Medical School
Joined the faculty: 2005
Affiliations: Department of Ophthalmology, West Virginia University Eye Institute, Center for Neuroscience
Teaching: NBAN 795, BIOC 339
Office: 240
Phone: 304-598-6958
Fax: 304-598-6928
Email: sokolovm@rcbhsc.wvu.edu
Research Interests:
Molecular chaperones are proteins that assist biosynthesis of other proteins by helping their nascent polypeptide chains to fold into the unique three-dimensional shapes found in the mature proteins. Chaperone-assisted protein folding is an essential cellular function, because malfunction of even one kind of molecular chaperones may have a broad negative effect on protein biosynthesis. Endoplasmic reticulum stress and the unfolded protein response, evoked by aberrant protein folding, are widely recognized as a potent cause of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, understanding molecular mechanisms of protein homeostasis in neurons that require molecular chaperones are primary research interests of this laboratory.
We recently identified an essential eukaryotic chaperonin complex, TRiC/CCT, to be strongly expressed in retinal photoreceptors. Our next goal is to elucidate specific roles of TRiC/CCT and its cofactor phosducin-like protein 1 and phosducin in the folding and assembly of visual heterotrimeric G proteins, transducin. These studies are expected to provide important insights into the mechanisms of transducin homeostasis, which is essential for visual function and photoreceptors viability. Our multi-tiered experimental approach provides an opportunity to master a variety of technique, including measuring gene activities and proteins expression and stability, studies of protein-protein interaction using molecular and optical approaches, visual electrophysiology, and mouse gene manipulations.
Lab Website:
Sokolov Lab
Selected Publications:
Edrington T, Sokolov M, Boesze-Battaglia K (2011) "Peripherin/rds Co-distributes with Putative Binding Partners in Basal Rod Outer Segment Disks" Experimental Eye Research in press
Posokhova E, Song H, Belcastro M, Higgins L, Bigley L, Michaud N, Martemyanov K, Sokolov M (2011) "Disruption of Chaperonin Containing TCP-1 Function Affects Protein Networks Essential for Rod Outer Segment Morphogenesis and Survival" Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, 10(1): M110.000570
Linton JD, Holzhausen LC, Babai N, Song H, Miyagishima KJ, Stearns G, Lindsay K, Wei J, Chertov AO, Peters T, Caffe R, Pluk H, Seeliger M, Tanimoto N, Fong K, Bolton L, Kuok LTD, Sweet IR, Bartoletti TM, Rady R, Travis GH, Zagotta WN, Van der Zee C, Sampath AP, Sokolov M, Thoreson W, Hurley JB (2010) "Flow of Energy in Outer Retina in Darkness and in Light" Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107: 8599-860
Kanan Y, Matsumoto H, Song H, Sokolov M, Anderson R, Rajala R (2010) "Insulin Receptor Signaling Regulates the Activity of Retinal Serine/Threonine Phosphatases, PHLPP and PHLPPL" Journal of Neurochemistry 113: 477-488
Song H, Sokolov M (2009) "Analysis of protein expression and compartmentalization in the retinal neurons using serial tangential sectioning of the retina" Journal of Proteome Research 8: 346 - 351
Krispel CM, Sokolov M, Chen YM, Song H, Herrmann R, Arshavsky VY, Burns ME (2007) "Phosducin regulates the expression of transducin bg subunits in rod photoreceptors and does not contribute to phototransduction adaptation" Journal of General Physiology 130 : 303-312.