George Plopper

George Plopper received his B.A. degree in general biology (cum laude) from University of California, San Diego, in 1986. He received his Ph.D. degree in cell and developmental biology from Harvard University in 1993. From 1994 to 1997, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Cell Biology at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. From 1997 to 2001, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2001, he arrived at Rensseleaer Polytechnic Institute, where he currently holds the rank of Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, as well as a joint appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He received a certificate of teaching from Harvard University, a Distinguished Teacher Award and Faculty Excellence Award from UNLV, an Early Career Award from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and was named an Education Fellow in Life Sciences by the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Plopper also serves as an Associate Editor of Stem Cells and Development, and is a Coeditor of the textbook Cells, published by Jones & Bartlett. His research interests center on cell-extracellular matrix interactions, signal transduction, tissue organization, and cell differentiation.

Biography Updated on 21 March 2007

Articles in Scholarly Journals [Incomplete List]

  1. Sensing minute changes in biological cell monolayers with THz differential time-domain spectroscopy
    Biosensors and Bioelectronics, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 1075–1080, 2007
  2. Laminin-5 activates extracellular matrix production and osteogenic gene focusing in human mesenchymal stem cells
    Matrix Biology, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 106–114, 2007
  3. Focal adhesion kinase signaling pathways regulate the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells
    Experimental Cell Research, vol. 313, no. 1, pp. 22–37, 2007
  4. Activation of FAK is necessary for the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells on laminin-5
    Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, vol. 100, no. 2, pp. 499–514, 2007
  5. Mechanical Strain Enhances Extracellular Matrix-Induced Gene Focusing and Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Through an Extracellular-Related Kinase-Dependent Pathway
    Stem Cells and Development, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 467–480, 2007
  6. Apocynin Derivatives Interrupt Intracellular Signaling Resulting in Decreased Migration in Breast Cancer Cells
    Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, vol. 2006, Article ID 87246, 10 pages, 2006
  7. Disruption of focal adhesion kinase slows transendothelial migration of AU-565 breast cancer cells
    Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, vol. 350, no. 2, pp. 405–412, 2006
  8. Encapsulation of adult human mesenchymal stem cells within collagen-agarose microenvironments
    Biotechnology and Bioengineering, vol. 92, no. 4, pp. 492–500, 2005
  9. Cell Communication and Signaling, vol. 3, no. 1, p. 2, 2005
  10. Comparing the Protein Expression Profiles of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Human Osteoblasts Using Gene Ontologies
    Stem Cells and Development, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 354–366, 2005
  11. Focusing of Gene Expression as the Basis of Stem Cell Differentiation
    Stem Cells and Development, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 608–620, 2005
  12. Laminin-5 Induces Osteogenic Gene Expression in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells through an ERK-dependent Pathway
    Molecular Biology of the Cell, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 881–890, 2004
  13. Adhesion to Vitronectin and Collagen I Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
    Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, vol. 2004, no. 1, pp. 24–34, 2004
  14. ERK Signaling Pathways Regulate the Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Collagen I and Vitronectin
    Cell Communication & Adhesion, vol. 11, no. 5-6, pp. 137–153, 2004
  15. ERK1/2 mediates PDGF-BB stimulated vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration on laminin-5
    Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, vol. 293, no. 3, pp. 1000–1006, 2002
  16. PDGF-BB enhances expression of, and reduces adhesion to, laminin-5 in vascular smooth muscle cells
    Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, vol. 294, no. 5, pp. 1017–1022, 2002
  17. A bacterial TMAO transporter
    Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, vol. 133, no. 1, pp. 29–34, 2002
  18. The Promise of Integrins as Effective Targets for Anticancer Agents
    Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 124–130, 2002
  19. Perillyl Alcohol Inhibits Breast Cell Migration without Affecting Cell Adhesion
    Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 136–140, 2002
  20. Antibody-Induced Activation of ß1 Integrin Receptors Stimulates cAMP-Dependent Migration of Breast Cells on Laminin-5
    Molecular Cell Biology Research Communications, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 129–135, 2000
  21. Screening Assay for Promigratory/Antimigratory Compounds
    Analytical Biochemistry, vol. 280, no. 1, pp. 11–19, 2000
  22. Heat Shock Protein 27 Plays Two Distinct Roles in Controlling Human Breast Cancer Cell Migration on Laminin-5
    Molecular Cell Biology Research Communications, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 196–202, 1999
  23. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 57–69, 1998
  24. Integrins and laminins in tissue remodeling
    Kidney International, vol. 51, no. 5, Article ID ki1997197, 5 pages, 1997
  25. Coating of titanium alloy with soluble laminin-5 promotes cell attachment and hemidesmosome assembly in gingival epithelial cells: potential application to dental implants
    Journal of Periodontal Research, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 287–294, 1997
  26. Direct Binding of F Actin to the Cytoplasmic Domain of the a2 Integrin Chain in Vitro
    Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, vol. 217, no. 2, pp. 466–474, 1995
  27. Rapid Induction and Isolation of Focal Adhesion Complexes
    Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, vol. 193, no. 2, pp. 571–578, 1993