Simon Geir Moller, Ph.D.
Professor and EMBO Young Investigator, BSc, MSc,
Ph.D; Professor II
St. Albert Hall
T: 718.990.1697
e:mollers@stjohns.edu
Research overview
Our research is divided into several areas. The main project in
our laboratory focuses on Parkinson's disease where we are defining
molecular and cellular mechanisms associated with disease onset and
progression. Our lab uses a combination of several model systems
including plants, zebrafish and mammalian cell lines.
In combination these models represent a powerful
approach. Our research on Parkinson’s disease benefits
tremendously from our collaboration with Professor Jan Petter
Larsen at The Norwegian Centre for Movement Disorders at Stavanger
University Hospital and with the research group of Professor Mark
Odell at Westminster University, UK. A second focus is targeted
towards iron-sulfur biogenesis mechanisms and consequences in a
cellular context within various cellular compartments. We also have
an interest in understanding how plastids divide inside plant cells
and how we can engineer the plastid genome for the production of
valuable proteins for the industry sector (for further information
see www.plastid.no)
Current Lab Members
Rashed Abdullah, Ph.D. Student
Indranil Basak, Ph.D. Student
Jan Hempel, Ph.D. Student
Dr. Sungsu Lee, Post Doc
Ketan Patil, Ph.D. Student
Dr. Shubhangi Prabhudesai, Post Doc
We
currently have two vacant Postdoctoral Associate positions
available in the lab. Please contact Professor Moller for
further details.
Selected
Publications
Pedersen KF, Alves G, Larsen JP, Tysnes OB, Møller
SG, Brønnick K. (2012) Psychometric properties of the
starkstein apathy scale in patients with early untreated Parkinson
Disease. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 20:142-148.
Xiang Ming Xu and Simon Geir Møller (2011). The
value of Arabidopsis research in understanding human disease
states. Current Opinions in Biotechnology. 22, 300-307
Jodi Maple, Per Winge, Astrid Elisabeth Tveitaskog, Daniela
Gargano, Atle Bones, and Simon Geir Møller
(2011)Genome-wide gene expression profiles in response to plastid
division perturbations.Planta.In press
Xiang Ming Xu and Simon Geir Møller
(2011).Iron-Sulfur Clusters: Biogenesis, Molecular
Mechanisms and Their Functional Significance. Antioxidants
and Redox Signaling. 15, 271-307
Xiang Ming Xu and Simon Geir Møller (2010). SOD
removal by DJ-1: Arabidopsis as a new model to understand
Parkinson’s Disease. Plant Signalling and Behaviour. 5,
1034-1036
Xiang Ming Xu, Hong Lin, Jodi Maple, Benny Björkblom, Guido
Alves, Jan Petter Larsen, and Simon Geir Møller
(2010) Conserved Stress Protective Function of Arabidopsis and
Human DJ-1 Linked to Cytosolic SOD Activity. J Cell
Science, 123, 1644-1651
Maita Latijnhouwers, Xiang-Ming Xu, Simon Geir
Møller (2010) Arabidopsis stromal 70-kDa heat shock
proteins are essential for chloroplast development.
Planta, 232, 567-578
Xiang Ming Xu, Hong Lin , Maita Latijnhouwers and Simon
Geir Møller (2009). AtHscB is a Jac1-Like Protein Involved
in Iron Sulfur Protein Biogenesis in Arabidopsis. PlosONE,
4, e7662
Jodi Maple and Simon Geir Møller (2007).
Interdependency of Min complex formation and localization controls
symmetric plastid division. J Cell Science. 120,
3446-3456.
Jodi Maple, Lea Vojta, Jurgen Soll and Simon Geir
Møller (2007) ARC3 is a stromal Z-ring accessory protein
essential for plastid division. EMBO Rep. 8, 293-299.
Xiang Ming Xu and Simon Geir Møller
(2006)AtSufE is an essential activator of plastidic and
mitochondrial desulfurases in Arabidopsis. EMBO
J. 25. 900-909.
Cassie Aldridge and Simon Geir Møller (2005)
The plastid division protein AtMinD1 is a Ca2+-ATPase stimulated by
AtMinE1. J. Biol. Chem. 280. 31673-31678
Jodi Maple, Cassie Aldridge and Simon Geir
Møller (2005) Plastid division is mediated by
combinatorial assembly of plastid division proteins.43. 811-823
Xiang Ming Xu, Sally Adams, Nam-Hai Chua and Simon Geir
Møller (2005) AtNAP1 represents an atypical SufB protein
in Arabidopsis plastids. J. Biol. Chem. 280,
6648-6654.
Xiang Ming Xu and Simon Geir Møller (2004)
AtNAP7 is a plastidic SufC-like ABC/ATPase essential for
Arabidopsis embryogenesis.
Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.U.S.A. 101, 9143-9148.
Makoto T. Fujiwara, Ayako Nakamura, Ryuuichi Itoh, Yukihisa
Shimada, Shigeo Yoshida and Simon Geir Møller
(2004) Chloroplast division site placement requires dimerisation of
the ARC11/ AtMinD1 protein in Arabidopsis. J. Cell
Science, 117, 2399-2410.
Jodi Maple, Makoto T. Fujiwara,Nobutaka
Kitahata, Tracey Lawson, Neil Baker,Shigeo Yoshida
and Simon Geir Møller (2004)GIANT CHLOROPLAST 1 is
essential for correct plastid division in Arabidopsis. Current
Biology. 14, 776-781.