Diane L. Barber (born 1952) is an American cell biologist. She is an Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and an elected American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow in recognition of her "distinguished contributions on cell signaling by plasma membrane ion transport proteins and on the design and function of proteins regulated by intracellular pH dynamics." In addition to teaching graduate and professional students and her administrative service, she directs a research laboratory funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Early life and education
Barber was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. Her father, Leo Barber (Berberian), and mother, Helen Barber (nee Garabedian), were first-generation Armenian Americans whose families emigrated from the Anatolia region of Eastern Turkey; Karput and Diyarbakir, respectively. She earned a BS in Biological Sciences in 1975 and MS in Physiology in 1977 from the University of California, Davis, followed by a PhD in Anatomy under Andrew Soll and John Walsh in 1985 in the Centre for Ulcer Research and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Supported by a National Research Service Award fellowship from the NIH, she completed her postdoctoral work under Susan Leeman in the Department of Physiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, MA. Her first faculty appointment was as an Assistant Professor at Yale University in the Department of Surgery, Section of Anatomy between 1987-1991. She joined the faculty in the Department of Stomatology and Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco in 1992. She is currently a Professor and former Chair of the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology at the University of California, San Francisco.
Research
A major aspect of Barber's research is determining in molecular detail how intracellular pH (pHi) dynamics regulate cell behaviors, with a focus on epithelial plasticity, including transformed cancer cells, and stem cell differentiation. Barber addresses questions on how signaling networks and the actin cytoskeleton control normal and pathological cell behavior, particularly the post-translational modifications of proteins by protonation and by phosphorylation. Her research bridges protein structure and electrostatics with cell biology to reveal how pHi dynamics regulate cell behaviors though protonation of titrating amino acids as a post-translational modification to affect protein structure and function. Her group revealed design principles and functions of "pH sensors" described as endogenous proteins regulated within the cellular pH range, which they showed have critical roles in cell division, migration, and tumorigenesis. Additionally work from her group showed how increased pHi is necessary for adult and embryonic stem cell differentiation. Through their work, Barber's research group developed new genetically-encoded biosensors to quantitatively measure cytoplasmic and lysosome pH dynamics in clonal cells and animals. Collectively, Barber's work is highlighted by an h-index of 46 for her group's publications and her election as a fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and being the plenary or keynote speaker at multiple international and national scientific conferences.
Cancer cell biology
One focus of her research is on cancer cell biology, specifically in regards to the pHi (intracellular pH) of cancer cells., which is increased in comparison to normal cells. The research focuses on the relationship between the increased pHi and their ability to perform necessary functions. The laboratory group showed in molecular detail how it is necessary for the directed cell migration for metastasis. This was accomplished through the use of selective pH sensors that defined how proteins were regulated by cellular changes in pH. The group subsequently worked on the effect of increased pHi on the glycolytic enzymes necessary for metabolic programming, somatic mutation biology, and tumorigenic behaviors. The research uses optogenetic tools to control the pHi of the cells, biosensors that are genetically encoded to quantify the pHi of single cancer cells as well as cells in vivo, and computational programming to identify ionizable residues in proteins and amino acid mutation signatures that are present in numerous cancer databases.