Dan O'Day

Danton H. O'Day

Professor Emeritus
Biology

Research

Cell and Developmental Biology. Calmodulin is the primary, essential calcium-binding protein of all eukaryotes and has changed little throughout evolution. It plays a fundamental role in a diverse number of biomedically-relevant events including chemotaxis, growth and differentiation. We study the proteins to which calmodulin binds and regulates, to further understand how it mediates these processes. Using the model eukaryotic amoebozoan Dictyostelium, we have been isolating and sequencing cDNAs that encode novel calmodulin binding proteins. The cellular and developmental functions of these genes are then studied by generation of mutants expressing various forms of the protein. We also discovered the link between calmodulin and Alzheimer’s disease and shown that many of the proteins involved in the formation of plaques and tangles are calmodulin binding proteins.

Professor O'Day is the co-inventor of DNA games including Codon, The DNA Dice Game© and Gene Rummy, The DNA Card Game©, and the inventor of Messenger, The DNA Dice Game© that are published by Carolina Biological Supply Company. Also, see videos by him at “DantonCanada” on YouTube.

Publications

  • Danton H. O’Day, Kristeen Eshak, and Michael A. Myre, 2015. Calmodulin Binding Proteins and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Online 26Mar2015; 17pp; DOI 10.3233/JAD-142901)
  • Robert J. Huber, Danton H. O’Day, 2017. Extracellular matrix dynamics and functions in the social amoeba Dictyostelium: A critical review. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1861: 2971-2980.
  • O’Day, Danton H., 2017. The Golden Age of Rubaiyat Art, 1884-1913. Volume I. The Illustrators. Emeritus Press, ISBN: 9781389861109.
  • O’Day, Danton H., 2018. Early Artists of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, 1914-1929. Emeritus Press, ISBN: 978138877342.
  • Myre, Michael A., Robert J. Huber and Danton H. O’Day, 2018. Functional Analysis of Proteins Involved in Neurodegeneration Using the Model Organism Dictyostelium: Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Batten Disease. In: Molecular-Genetic and Statistical Techniques for Behavioral and Neural Research, Wim E. Crusio and Robert T. Gerlai (Eds), Elsevier. (in press).