Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory

Anant B. Parekh, D.Phil.
Chief, Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory;
Senior Investigator
Tel 984-287-4545
anant.parekh@nih.gov

John A. Cidlowski, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief, Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory;
Senior Investigator
Tel 984-287-3545
Fax 919-541-1367
cidlows1@niehs.nih.gov

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.

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 Ca²⁺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
anant.parekh@nih.gov

Metabolism, Genes, and Environment

Xiaoling Li, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Tel 984-287-3484
Fax 919-541-1898
lix3@niehs.nih.gov

Molecular Endocrinology

John A. Cidlowski, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief, Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory;
Senior Investigator
Tel 984-287-3545
Fax 919-541-1367
cidlows1@niehs.nih.gov

Nucleolar Integrity

Robin E. Stanley, Ph.D.
Stadtman Investigator
Tel 984-287-3568
robin.stanley@nih.gov

Post-Transcriptional Gene Expression

Perry J. Blackshear, M.D., D.Phil.
Senior Investigator
Tel 984-287-3452
Fax 919-541-7560
black009@niehs.nih.gov

Scientific Support Staff

Carol J. Coatney Administrative Specialist Tel 984-287-3498 carol.coatney@nih.gov

Judy L. Bartz Administrative Technician Tel 984-287-3497 bartzjl@niehs.nih.gov

Publications

Zhang L, Wu M, Tu L, Liu L, Wu C, Li W, Liu Y, Luan M, Han X, Tan F, Wang Q, Li X. ERS-mediated metabolic toxicity: The IRE1α/XBP1s pathway as a critical driver of Cr(VI)-Induced disruption in glucose and lipid metabolism. Chemico-biological interactions. 2026 Oct 01;438:112308. [ Abstract]
Wu W, Liu L, Zhou J, Wu C, Liu Y, Luan M, Tan F, Han X, Tu L, Wu M, Ma Y, Zou Y, Wang Q, Li X, Li W. β-carotene alleviates PM_2.5-induced pulmonary fibrosis via suppression of the Frizzled5-mediated Wnt5a/Ca²⁺pathway. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety. 2026 Sep 18;324:120816. [Abstract]
Gordon J, Seely S, Wang H, Krahn J, Peele W, Borgnia M, Warren A, Stanley R. Structural insights into RNA phosphorylation by the RNase PNK module of the human rixosome complex. Nucleic acids research. 2026 Sep 07;54(17):. [ Abstract]
Braun R, Ferretti M, Lee J, Miller J, Castellana L, Acuña J, Whig K, Dohnalová L, Descamps H, Huber A, Muramatsu H, Hewins P, Li Y, Bhutda S, Etwebi Z, Dittmar M, Cook T, Schultz D, Blackshear P, Jurado K, Thaiss C, Pardi N, Lynch K, Cherry S. Selective decay of interferon mRNAs controls antiviral immunity and innate memory. Molecular cell. 2026 Sep 03;86(17):3565-3584.e10. [ Abstract]
Kwack K, Sohn J, Zhang L, Li L, Mullaney R, Arao Y, Blackshear P, Kirkwood K. Gut microbiota transmits osteoimmune dysregulation and exacerbates trabecular bone loss in tristetraprolin-deficient mice. Journal of bone and mineral metabolism. 2026 Aug 17 [Epub ahead of print]. [ Abstract]