Terrie Rife

Terrie Rife, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at James Madison University (JMU), where she has been since 1999. Her research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, investigating the nuclear functions of misfolded proteins and their impact on neurons. She teaches courses in Cell and Molecular Biology, Allied Health Microbiology, and Advanced Molecular Biology.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, 1998, Ohio State University
• M.S. in Biochemistry, 1992, Michigan State University

Research Interests:

• Role of nuclear proteins in non-diseased and diseased neurons
• Protein misfolding mechanisms and their consequences
• Transcription regulation and DNA repair in neurodegenerative contexts

Her lab employs molecular techniques to study protein-nucleic acid interactions and disease progression. Recent publications explore genetic polymorphisms in Parkinson’s disease and nitric oxide synthase regulation in neuronal cells. Collaborations with student researchers are highlighted in her work.

Grants & Advising:

• Advises graduate and undergraduate students (e.g., B. Rasoul, N. Pullen, J. Xie)
• No grants explicitly listed in provided text.

Labs/Teams: Research conducted in JMU’s Bioscience Building, focusing on molecular and cellular mechanisms of neurodegeneration.