Marcelo Behar

Marcelo Behar

POSITION : Postdoctoral Research Fellow
EMAIL: mbehar@nullucsd.edu
PHONE: 858-822-4673

Education

Ph.D Physics (Biophysics) (2008)
The University of North Carolina. Chapel Hill, NC
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Program in Cellular and Molecular Biophysics (T. Elston Lab, Dept. of Pharmacology)
Dissertation topic: “Dynamic regulation and information transfer in intracellular-signaling pathways”

M.S. Physics (2005)
The University of North Carolina. Chapel Hill, NC
Department of Physics and Astronomy (Y. Wu Lab)
Masters Topic: “NMR study of Anomalous spin relaxation in carbon nanotubes”

Licentiate Physical Sciences (1999)
University of Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Check out more about me and my research at CellularCrossroads.org

Research Interests

I am interested in dynamical aspects of intracellular signaling events and the mechanisms that impart signal specificity.

My research goal is to understand the functional principles underlying biological networks. To this end, I use mathematical models, single-cell experiments, and multi-scale computational simulations to gain insight about how cells overcome the operational constraints they face when dealing with changing environmental and internal conditions. Many of the most significant advances in the life sciences arose from collaborations that cut across disciplines. My approach to scientific research is multidisciplinary and collaborative. I expect findings to enable novel therapeutic strategies based on the restoration of malfunctioning information pathways or induction of new patterns of information flow to control cellular functions impacted by disease.

Publications

14. Shinohara H*, Behar M*, Inoue K, Hiroshima M, Yasuda T, Nagashima T, Kimura S, Sanjo H, Maeda S, Yumoto N, Ki S, Akira S, Sako Y, Hoffmann A, Kurosaki T, Okada-Hatakeyama M (2014). Positive Feedback Within a Kinase Signaling Complex Functions as a Switch Mechanism for NF-κB Activation, Science, 344, pp.760-764. PMID: 24833394. (* equal contribution)

13. Behar, M., B.arken, D., Werner, S.L., Hoffmann, A (2013). The Dynamics of Signaling as a Pharmacological Target. Cell, 155, pp.448-461. PMID: 24120141.

The equilibrium, quasi-equilibrium, and out-of equilibrium parts of a signal can be manipulated through different perturbation strategies and, under some conditions, selectively suppressed (or enhanced)

12. Mukherjee SP, Behar M, Birnbaum HA, Hoffmann A, Wright PE, et al. (2013). Analysis of the RelA:CBP/p300 Interaction Reveals NF-κB-Driven Transcription. PLoS Biol 11(9): e1001647. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001647. PMID: 24019758.

11. Behar M, A. Hoffmann. (2103) Tunable Signal Processing through a kinase control cycle: the IKK signaling node. Biophys. J. 105(1):231-41. PMID: 23823243.
10. Basak S., M. Behar, A. Hoffmann. (2012). Lessons from modeling the NFkB pathway. Immunol Rev. 246(1):221-38. PMCID: PMC3343698
9. Jin M., B. Errede, M. Behar, W. Mather, S. Nayak, J. Hasty, H.G.  Dohlman, T. Elston. (2011). Saccharomyces cerevisiae dynamically modifies pheromone gradients to achieve better mating efficiency, Sci Signal 4(186): ra54. PMCID: PMC3557793
8. Schröfelbauer B., S.Polley, M.Behar, G.Ghosh, A. Hoffmann. (2011). NEMO ensures signaling specificity of the pleiotropic IKKb by directing its kinase activity towards IkBa. Mol Cell 13;47(1):111-21. PMCID: PMC3398199
7. Behar M., A. Hoffmann. (2010). Understanding the Temporal Codes of Intra-Cellular Signals. Curr Opin Genet Dev 20(6):684-93. PMCID: PMC2982931
6. Behar, M., N. Hao, R. Shanks, H. G. Dohlman, T. C. Elston. (2008). Dose-to-duration encoding and signaling beyond saturation in intracellular signaling networks. PLoS Comput. Biol. 4:e1000197. PMCID: PMC2543107
5. Hao, N., M. Behar, T. C. Elston, and H. G. Dohlman. (2007). Systems biology analysis of G protein and MAP kinase signaling in yeast. Oncogene 26:3254-3266. PMID: 17496920
4. Behar, M., H. G. Dohlman, T. C. Elston. (2007). Kinetic insulation as an effective mechanism for achieving pathway specificity in intracellular signaling networks. PNAS 104:16146-16151. PMCID: PMC2042176
3. Hao, N, S. Nayak, M. Behar, R. Shanks, M. Nagiec, B. Errede, J. Hasty, T. C. Elston, H. G. Dohlman. (2007). Regulation of cell signaling dynamics by the protein kinase-scaffold Ste5. Mol Cell. 30:649-56. PMCID: PMC2518723
2. Hao, N., M. Behar, S. C. Parnell, M. P. Torres, C. H. Borchers, T. C. Elston, and H. G. Dohlman. (2007). A Systems-Biology Analysis of Feedback Inhibition in the Sho1 Osmotic-Stress-Response Pathway. Curr Biol 17:659-667. PMID: 17363249
1. Behar, M., N. Hao, H. G. Dohlman, and T. C. Elston. (2007). Mathematical and Computational Analysis of Adaptation via Feedback Inhibition in Signal Transduction Pathways. Biophys J 93:806-821. PMCID: PMC1913166