Cellutations
Newsletter for the Department of Cell Biology, UMass Medical School
Focus
Recent PhD Recipients
Congratulations to three Cell Biology students who successfully defended their doctoral theses this past year!
Concetta Marfella, a student in Tony Imbalzano’s lab,
defended her thesis titled “A Role For Chd2 in Mammalian
Development and Disease” in March 2007. She is currently
a postdoctoral fellow with Laurie Jackson-Grusby at Children’s Hospital, Boston.
Yuqing Hou, a student in George Witman’s lab, successfully defended her thesis titled “Identification and characterization of components of the intraflagellar transport
(IFT) machinery.” She is now a postdoc in the Witman lab
working to identify the specific domain of the IFT-particle
protein IFT46 that is involved in transport of an IFT cargo,
specifically the outer dynein arms, and whether this interaction is direct or mediated by another protein.
In June, Gayle Pageau successfully defended her thesis titled “The Maintenance Of Constitutive And Inactive X Heterochromatin In Cancer And The Link To BRCA 1.” Gayle
was mentored by Jeanne Lawrence. Gayle is an MD/PhD
student and is now continuing with her third year medical
school rotations here at UMMS. After finishing her medical
degree Gayle plans on doing clinical cancer research.
The Graduate Program in the Department of Cell Biology
has graduated 24 new PhDs since 2002 along with 5 students earning MS degrees. The department currently has 13
students enrolled in the Cell Biology Graduate Program and
hosts several other students who are mentoring with Cell
Biology Faculty. Current Cell Biology graduate students
are Krystin Bedard, Andrew Coles, Caroline Dacwag, Jason
Dobson, Christopher Dowdy, Tera Filion, Hugh Gannon,
Tingting Huang, Eric Johnson, Sandhya Pande, Charu
Ramkumar, Giovane Tortelote, and Yeonsoo Yoon. Watch
for more thesis defenses in early 2008.
Top; Tony Imbalzano and Concetta Marfella. Middle; George Witman and
Yuqing Hou. Bottom; Jeanne Lawrence and Gayle Pageau.
Volume 8, 2007
New Program Project Grant Awarded
Zelda Haidak Scholar
A five-year Program Project Grant was awarded to Cell Biology Department faculty to study Bone Cell Structure and Gene Expression. Investigators on the grant
are Jane Lian, Gary Stein, Janet Stein, Andre van Wijnen, Tony Imbalzano, Steve
Jones, Jeff Nickerson, David Lapointe, and affiliated department members Lucia
Languino, Amjad Javed and Martin Montecino. The grant is a multi-discipline
team approach to examine components of nuclear structure that are linked to expression of genes for bone development, bone remodeling and tumor metastasis to
bone. This grant complements the recent renewal of another Program Project grant
to study Nuclear Structure in Cancer that includes Steve Doxsey along with the
investigators of the new grant.
NIH MERIT Award
Concetta Marfella was awarded the
Zelda Haidak Memorial Scholar award
for the 2006-2007 academic year. A winner for the 2007-2008 year has not yet
been announced.
Master Teacher Award
George Witman was recently honored by the NIH with a MERIT Award – Method
to Extend Research in Time. George was honored for his work with Flagellar Motility and Assembly. Recent articles in the UMMS Focus featured George, his work
and his award. George was quoted saying “the MERIT Award is not just an honor
for me; it also recognizes the past and current research by my graduate students,
post-docs and colleagues.”
Local Hosts for International MDM2 Workshop IV
Susan Gagliardi is the first recipient of
the Master Teacher Award presented by
the International Association of Medical Science Educators. The award is
presented for long standing teaching
excellence and is based on peer and
student evaluations and contributions
to medical scholarship.
Councilor at Large - AACA
Cristian Stefan was elected Councilorat-Large for the American Association
of Clinical Anatomists for a three-year
term (2006-2009). Cristian serves also
as Co-Chair of the Educational Affairs
Committee of the same association.
Course Assistant
Jaime Rivera was invited as an assistant to the "Molecular Embryology of the
Mouse" course held at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory from June 6-26, 2007.
Cellutations Staff
Charlene Baron
Carole MacKay
Jean Vigliotti
Nancy von Hone
2
Steve Jones from Cell Biology and Steve Grossman from Cancer Biology were
co-hosts to the fourth International MDM2 Workshop. Members of the Jones and
Grossman lab along with Cell Biology staff were key support people for the conference. The workshop took place in Woods Hole at the Marine Biological Laboratories. 130 people participated in the meeting, approximately one third traveled
from other countries. The four day conference was packed full of presentations and
poster sessions. The banquet took place on Martha’s Vineyard with a clambake at a
sailing camp.
New Faculty Member
Cell Biology
welcomes new
faculty member,
Jaime Rivera to
the department.
Jaime comes to
the department
from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill where he
did postdoctoral
work with Terry
Magnuson. They
both moved to
Chapel Hill from Jaime Rivera poses with his wife Marivel and their daughter Monsie.
Case Western
Reserve University
in Cleveland, after Dr. Magnuson became the Head of the Genetics Department.
Jaime’s research involves the study of mammalian development. The main focus
of his research is to understand how the mouse embryo takes shape.
Jaime grew up in Sabinas, Coahuila, Mexico, in the northern part of the country.
He received his BS in Biology from the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon,
in Monterrey, Mexico. He went on to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston
and worked in the lab of Allan Bradley, a pioneer of mouse embryonic stem cells.
Jaime did his PhD work at the University of Texas, Houston in the laboratory of
Dr. Richard Behringer.
Weddings
Karen Concaugh
(Gardiner)
Karen Concaugh married Robert Gardiner on Saturday, June 24th in Spencer, MA. They spent a week in Aruba
for their honeymoon and currently live in
Worcester.
Angela Meile
(Chamberland)
Jaime’s research here at UMass will continue with his study of embryonic development. Currently, his work is concentrated in understanding how the anterior-posterior (head to tail) axis forms during early post-implantation stages. His research
suggests that extra-embryonic tissues play a major role in patterning the embryo.
To study the embryo Jaime labels single cells using iontophoresis, a technique that
utilizes electric current to deliver ions into a cell. He is able to label one cell in an
embryo. This allows him to determine the fate of a labeled cell, a requisite to determine how cells in the embryo differentiate. Understanding this patterning process
will help to delineate the initial stages of development of the several organs that
include the brain, heart and liver. Among the clinical aspects, Jaime’s studies will
help to understand how monozygotic or co-joined twins develop.
Jaime met his wife, Marivel, during his studies in Monterrey. They have a 13 year
old daughter, Monsie, and currently live in Shrewsbury. Jaime enjoys everything
outdoors – hiking, fishing, and camping. He loves nature and has pleasure gardening and bird watching. Jaime and Marivel also enjoy the arts especially watching
their daughter Monsie dance ballet. She was in the 2006 production of the Nutcracker.
Jaime really enjoys UMass and living in Shrewsbury. He says the people are very
nice the only thing that’s needed is more Mexican food and restaurants!
Angela Meile, from the Stein Lab, was
married to Jamie Chamberland, October
14th at St Bridget Church in Maynard,
MA followed by a reception at Wedgewood Pines Country Club in Stow, MA.
They went to Southern California for
their honeymoon visiting Los Angeles,
Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Beach.
Their favorite place visited was Santa
Barbara and the vineyards. The newlyweds are now living in Marlborough.
3
Wedding
Publications
Yang, M, MacKay, CA, Mason-Savas, A, Aubin, J, Odgren, PR. 2006.
Chemokine and chemokine receptor gene expression during colony stimulating factor-1-induced osteoclast differentiation in the toothless osteopetrotic rat:
a key role for CCL9 (MIP-1γ) in osteoclastogenesis in vivo and in vitro. Blood
107(6):2262-2270.
Odgren, PR, Birnbaum, MJ, Yang, M, Mailhot, G, MacKay, CA, Mason-Savas, A.
2006. Osteopetrotic mutations as tools to study tooth eruption: recent progress in
understanding the role of chemokines in osteoclast differentiation in vivo. Proc 8th
International Conference on Biomineralization, Eruption, and Movement of Teeth.
Z. Davidovitch, J. Mah, S. Suthanarak, eds. In press.
Zhaoyoung Li was married to Xuemei
Yu in Bejing, China on March 22, 2007.
Zhaoyoung is a member of the Stein,
Lian, van Wijnen lab. His wife recently
joined him in Massachusetts.
Yang, M, Mailhot, G, Birnbaum, MJ, MacKay, CA, Mason-Savas, A, Odgren, PR.
2006. Expression and requirement for ovarian cancer G-protein coupled receptor 1
(OGR1) in osteoclast differentiation. J Biological Chemistry, 281:23598-23605.
Odgren PR, MacKay, CA, Mason-Savas, A, Yang, M, Mailhot, G, Birnbaum,
MJ. 2006. False-positive β-galactosidase staining in osteoclasts by endogenous
enzyme: studies in neonatal and month-old wild type mice. Connective Tissue
Research, 47(4):229-34.
Arnott JA, Nuglozeh E, Rico MC, Arango-Hisijara I, Odgren PR, Safadi FF and
Popoff SN. 2007. Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF/CCN2) is a Downstream Mediator for TGF-beta1-Induced Extracellular Matrix Production in Osteoblasts. J Celluar Physiology, 210(3):843-52.
Fellow and President
Li, J-M, Zhang, X, Nelson, PR, Odgren, PR, Nelson, JD, Vasiliu, C, Park, J, Morris, M, Lian, J, Cutler, BS, Newburger, PE. 2007. Temporal evolution of gene
expression in rat carotid artery following balloon angioplasty. J. Cellular Biochemistry, 15;101(2):399-410.
de la Serna, IL, Y Ohkawa, C Higashi, C Dutta, J Osias, N Kommajosyula, T
Tachibana, and AN Imbalzano. 2006. The microphthalmia transcription factor
(Mitf) requires SWI/SNF enzymes to activate melanocyte specific genes. J. Biol.
Chem. 281:20233-20241.
Charlene Baron, FBCA was honored
with Fellowship in the BioCommunications Association in July 2007 at the
annual meeting in Tucson, AZ. Fellowship in BCA is granted “for distinguished
craftsmanship and meritorious contribution to the advancement of media in
the life sciences.” Charlene was also
elected President of the BioCommunications Association with her term beginning at the fall of the gavel at the end of
the Tucson meeting.
Marfella, CGA, Y Ohkawa, AH Coles, DS Garlick, SN Jones, and AN Imbalzano.
2006. Mutation of the SNF2 family member Chd2 affects mouse development and
survival. J Cell. Phys. 209:162-171.
Guidi, CJ, R Mudhasani, K Hoover, A Koff, I Leav, AN Imbalzano, and SN Jones.
2006. Functional interaction of the Rb and Ini1/Snf5 tumor suppressors in cell
growth and pituitary tumorigenesis. Cancer Res. 66:8076-8082.
Park, J-H, E-J Park, H-S Lee, SJ Kim, S-K Hur, AN Imbalzano, and J. Kwon.
2006. Mammalian SWI/SNF complexes facilitate DNA double-strand break repair
by promoting γ-H2AX induction. EMBO J 15:3986-3997.
Marfella, CGA and AN Imbalzano. 2006. The Chd family of chromatin remodelers. Mutation Res. In press. (Review)
Dacwag, CS, Y Ohkawa, S Pal, S Sif, and AN Imbalzano. 2007. The protein
arginine methyltransferase Prmt5 is required for myogenesis because it facilitates
ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling. Mol. Cell. Biol. 27:384-394.
4
Jaime A. Rivera-Perez, Diefes Hunter and Magnuson Terry. A simple enzymatic
method for removal of the parietal yolk sac in early post-implantation mouse embryos. Developmental Dynamics 236, 489-493.
Bae JS, Gutierrez S, Narla R, Pratap J, Devados R, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Stein
GS, Lian JB, and Javed A. 2007. Reconstitution of Runx2/Cbfa1-null cells identifies a requirement for BMP2 signaling through a Runx2 functional domain during
osteoblast differentiation. J Cell Biochem, 100:434-49.
Becker KA, Ghule PN, Therrien JA, Lian JB, Stein JL, van Wijnen AJ, and Stein
GS. 2006. Self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells is supported by a shortened G1 cell cycle phase. J Cell Physiol 209:883-893.
Flavor of the
Department
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip
Muffins
Contributed by Steve Jones
Bravo S, Paredes R, Izaurieta P, Lian JB, Stein JL, Stein GS, Hinrichs MV, Olate
J, Aguayo LG, and Montecino M. 2006. The classic receptor for 1alpha,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 is required for non-genomic actions of 1alpha,25-dihydroxy
vitamin D3 in osteosarcoma cells. J Cell Biochem 99:995-1000.
Incredibly rich and spicy, filled with
chocolate chips, these muffins are delicious with steaming cups of espresso.
Children also love them with cold milk.
Make one or two days ahead for best
flavor.
Hassan MQ, Tare RS, Lee SH, Mandeville M, Morasso MI, Javed A, van Wijnen
AJ, Stein JL, Stein GS, and Lian JB. 2006. BMP2 commitment to the osteogenic
lineage involves activation of Runx2 by DLX3 and a homeodomain transcriptional
network. J Biol Chem, 281:40515-26.
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup plain pumpkin (half of a 1 pound
can)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips
Milk to correct dryness of batter
Jackson RA, Murali S, van Wijnen AJ, Stein GS, Nurcombe V, Cool SM. 2006.
Heparan sulfate regulates the anabolic activity of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cells by
induction of Runx2. J Cell Physiol 210:38-50
Ling L, Murali S, Dombrowski C, Haupt LM, Stein GS, van Wijnen AJ, Nurcombe
V, Cool SM. 2006. Sulfated glycosaminoglycans mediate the effects of FGF2
on the osteogenic potential of rat calvarial osteoprogenitor cells. J Cell Physiol
209:811-25
Pockwinse SM, Rajgopal A, Young DW, Mujeeb KA, Nickerson J, Javed A,
Redick S, Lian JB, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Stein GS, and Doxsey SJ. 2006.
Microtubule-dependent nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of Runx2. J Cell Physiol
206:354-362.
Stein GS, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Lian JB, Montecino M, Zaidi SK, and Braastad
C. 2006. An architectural perspective of cell-cycle control at the G1/S phase cellcycle transition. J Cell Physiol 209:706-710.
Villagra A, Cruzat F, Carvallo L, Paredes R, Olate J, van Wijnen AJ, Stein GS,
Lian JB, Stein JL, Imbalzano AN, and Montecino M. 2006. Chromatin remodeling
and transcriptional activity of the bone-specific osteocalcin gene require CCAAT/
enhancer-binding protein beta-dependent recruitment of SWI/SNF activity. J Biol
Chem 281:22695-22706.
Vradii D, Wagner S, Doan DN, Nickerson JA, Montecino M, Lian JB, Stein JL,
van Wijnen AJ, Imbalzano AN, and Stein GS. 2006. Brg1, the ATPase subunit of
the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, is required for myeloid differentiation to granulocytes. J Cell Physiol 206:112-118.
Heat oven to 350° F. Grease muffin
tray, or use foil or paper muffin baking
cups. Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, pie
spice, baking soda, baking powder, and
salt in a large bowl. Break eggs into
another bowl. Add pumpkin and melted
butter, and whisk until well blended.
Stir in chocolate chips. Pour over dry
ingredients and fold in with a rubber
spatula just until the dry ingredients are
moistened. Add milk to correct dryness
of batter (two to four Tablespoons).
Scoop batter evenly into muffin cups.
Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the center
of the muffin is puffed and springy to
the touch. Allow to cool slightly, then
turn muffins onto a rack to cool. Wrap
in a plastic bag and keep for one to two
days for best flavor. May keep for a
week in refrigerator or freeze for longer
storage. Reheat before serving.
*One and 1/2 teaspoon each of ground
cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg may be
used in place of 1 and 1/2 Tablespoon
Pumpkin Pie Spice. Recipe may be
doubled.
Zaidi SK, Javed A, Pratap J, Schroeder TM, Westendorf J, Lian JB, van Wijnen
AJ, Stein GS, and Stein JL. 2006. Alterations in intranuclear localization of Runx2
affect biological activity. J Cell Physiol 209:935-942.
5
Babies
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
28th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, September 2006
M. Yang, G. Mailhot, M. Birnbaum, C.A. MacKay, A. Mason-Savas, P.R. Odgren.
2006. The ovarian cancer G-protein coupled receptor (OGR1), a sensor for extracellular pH and bioactive lipids, has a novel role in osteoclast differentiation.
Helfrich, M, A Villa, A Frattini, L van Wesenbeeck, W van Hul, P Odgren, C.
Mackay, M. van Roij, S. Kilic, K. Doerholt, F. Coxon. 2006. In vitro study of osteoclast phenotypes in different types of human osteopetrosis.
Jacqueline Akech – poster presentation entitled “Runx2 Levels are Correlated with
Osteolytic Disease in Prostate Cancer Cells.”
Klaus Becker – poster presentation entitled “Unique Cell Cycle Kinetics of Human
Embryonic Stem Cells.”
Nadiya Teplyuk and her husband
Victor welcomed their third son, Victor
Junior, October 30, 2006. He recently
celebrated his first birthday with older
brothers Fedia 12 years old and Oleg
who is 13. Victor Jr. is interested in
all the wires connected to his father’s
computer and has fun turning off and
on lights, reports his mother. Nadiya
is a member of the Stein, Lian, van
Wijnen Lab.
Mario Galindo – poster presentation entitled “Post-mitotic expression of transcription factor RUNX2 defines a novel regulatory transition during the G1 phase of
proliferating pre-osteoblasts.”
Mohammad Hassan – poster presentation entitled “Regulation of Osteocalcin,
Alkaline Phosphatase and Bone Sialoprotein Genes by Hoxa10 in a Runx2 Independent Manner Reveals a Direct Role in Osteoblastogenesis.”
Mohammad Hassan – poster presentation entitled “The Osteoblast-Specific Factor
Runx2 Physically Interacts with the UBF/SL1/Pol I Complex and Regulates Ribosomal RNA Transcription.”
Jilin Liu – poster presentation entitled “C/EBPβ Contributes to Chromatin Remodeling of the Osteocalcin Gene for Basal and Vitamin D Enhanced Transcription.”
Daniel W. Young – poster presentation entitled “Mitotic Retention of the Bone
Phenotype by the Cell Fate Determining Transcription Factor Runx2.”
Sayyed K. Zaidi – poster presentation entitled “Defects in Intranuclear Localization
of Runx2 Alter Osteoblast Differentiation Ex Vivo.”
Yang Lou and his wife Jingke Cao are
the proud parents of their first child,
Caroline Lou. There new daughter was
born June 27, 2007. Yang is a member
of the Stein, Lian, van Wijnen Lab.
European Calcified Tissue Society, May 2006
33rd Annual Meeting, Prague, Czech Republic
Van Wesenbeeck L, Odgren PR, Coxon FP, Frattini A, Moens P, Perdu B, MacKay
CA, Van Hul E, Timmermans JP, Jacobs R, Peruzzi B, Rogers MJ, Helfrich MH,
Teti A, Villa A, Van Hul W. 2006. The plekhm1 protein is involved in osteopetrosis
in rat and human and may have a putative role in vesicular transport in the osteoclast.
Coxon, F.P., J. Greenhorn, K. MacKenzie, L. van Weesenbeeck, A.Frattini, A. Pangrazio, A. Villa, J. Aubin, A. Mason-Savas, P.R. Odgren and M.H. Helfrich. 2006.
Functional and ultrastructural studies of osteoclasts from osteopetrotic patients.
6
American Society for Bone and Mineral
Research Honor Gary Stein and Jane
Lian with the William F. Neuman Award
For the past 26 years, the American Society for Bone and
Mineral Research (ASBMR), the world’s largest society of
basic scientists, clinicians and nurse practitioners researching skeletal biology and pathology, has annually recognized
a researcher for his or her significant contributions to the
field of bone and mineral research by awarding the researcher the William F. Neuman Award. This year, for the
first time, the prestigious award was shared by two of our
professors: Gary S. Stein, PhD, the Gerald L. Haidak, MD,
and Zelda S. Haidak Professor of Cell Biology and Professor and Chair of Cell Biology and Deputy Director of the
University of Massachusetts Cancer Center, and his colleague Jane B. Lian, PhD, Professor of Cell Biology. Gary
and Jane have been colleagues for over 20 years. The award
acknowledges Drs. Stein and Lian’s 20 years of collaborative work and contributions to defining at the molecular
levels stages of osteogenesis, tissue specific transcriptional
regulation of genes that control skeletal development, as
well as tumors metastasizing to bone.
Stein and Lian first joined forces in 1985 on a National Institutes of Health grant, while employed by separate institutions. They continued to work together on additional grants,
and by the late 1980s, both Stein and Lian had accepted
faculty positions at UMMS. During their early collaborations, Stein and Lian developed a technique to isolate the
DNA and RNA of bone. This approach led to defining a series of stages during bone cell differentiation, each containing a distinct marker for gene expression. In working with
UMMS clinicians, Stein and Lian used the technique to
study the bone of patients suffering from skeletal diseases.
This method enabled researchers and clinicians to understand the diseases’ ability to alter gene expression, which
is important in monitoring the effectiveness of treatment
and in understanding the preferred modality of treatment,
according to Stein.
Following this success, Stein and Lian cloned the osteocalcin gene. The osteocalcin gene, which was identified
by Lian, is a marker for mature bone-forming cells known
as osteoblasts. Stein and Lian used a cloned osteocalcin
gene and histone gene, which represents the growth stage
of a bone cell, to extract regulatory factors detailing the
osteoblasts’ stages of maturation. This led Stein and Lian to
discover an entire series of proteins essential for regulating
the osteoblasts’ course of differentiation.
The research team, which includes Janet Stein, Andre van
Wijnen, Martin Montecino, and Amjad Javed, focused on
“intranuclear-trafficking,” the directing of a regulatory protein to its correct microenvironment within a cell nucleus,
that allows the protein to engage its proper function. This
process has a profound influence on cell differentiation and
interactions of cancer cells with their microenvironment.
When Runx1, a hematopoietic tissue specific transcription
factor, carries a mutation that prevents it from traveling
to the correct microenvironment, leukemia cells develop.
In observing the bone tissue specific transcription factor,
Runx2, which they discovered, Stein and Lian learned that
the intranuclear targeting function of Runx2 is necessary
for bone formation.
Stein and Lian’s research is not only biologically significant, but it is clinically relevant as well. Stein cited osteoporosis and breast and prostate cancer tumors metastasizing
to bone as the two bone diseases that have greatly impacted
public health. Osteoporosis and bone metastasis are very
important right now. They both cause great pain and suffering, and there is a tremendous economic impact. “Consequently, trying to understand how bone is formed and
altered as well as the way tumors interact with bones are
extremely important from a clinical standpoint.”
By developing a culture system for bone formation from
isolated bone cells, Stein and Lian laid the groundwork for
clinicians to treat metabolic bone disorders with hormones
and growth factors and to observe the various effects of
these treatments. “This information provides a better understanding for designing treatments for patients.”
Stein and Lian received the highest recognition of the
ASBMR Society, the Neuman Award, at the 28th Annual
Meeting held in Philadelphia, Pa. In addition to recognizing Stein and Lian’s research contributions to the field, the
award also acknowledges the professors training of postdoctoral fellows and graduate students and teaching. At the
award presentation, Gary and Jane emphasized the impact
of their past and present colleagues, fellows, and students
who have had made major contributions to the research
program.
7
Academic
Awards
In April Cell Biology faculty members were honored at the Academic
Awards Ceremony.
In the photograph top
left Outstanding Medical
Educator Awards were
presented to department members Susan
Gagliardi, Anne Gilroy
and John Cooke also
pictured are Henri Cuenoud and David Clive.
Educational Achievement Awards were presented to department
members Cristian Stefan and Anca Stefan
along with Eric Alper,
Silvia Corvera, Dennis
Tighe, Aldo Rossini and
Mike Czech.
Celebrations
In August Jaime Rivera’s lab hosted a fiesta celebrating the labs one year anniversary. It was a
multi-cultural affair with food from Mexico, India, China, Brazil, South Korea, Puerto Rico and the US.
Pictured in the photo above from left to right are Adrián Cora-Morges, Yeonsoo Yoon, Sakthi Sundararajan and her son Tejas, Jaime Rivera, Elise McDevitt, Tingting Huang, and Giovane Tortelote.
The department turned out in record numbers to celebrate Shirwin Pockwinse’s decade birthday in
November. The variety and quantity of food was exceptional as was the praise and best wishes for
Shirwin. Pictured middle right is Shirwin blowing out the candles on her cake. Bottom right Sue Gagliardi celebrates with Shirwin.
8
Department Members Retire
Pat Early retired after 35 years at UMMS. Pat
was the glass washer for the department labs
and knew everyone. In the photo left, Gary
Stein, Department Chair praises Pat while
Nancy von Hone looks on. The department
presented Pat a UMMS rocking chair and
a photo collage of Cell Biology friends and
colleagues.
Carole MacKay retired from UMMS after 25
plus years. Carole was a senior technician
in Paul Odgren’s lab and worked with Sandy
Marks. The department and friends presented
a UMMS chair to Carole at a potluck dinner
party. Carole is seated in her new chair in the
photo below.
Summer Students
College undergrads presented their summer research projects at a poster
session in August. Below Adrián Cora-Morges discusses his work in the
Rivera Lab with Zdenka Matijasevic. Bottom left Soana LaGuerre presents
from the Witman lab and bottom right Min Zhang from the Nickerson lab
discusses her poster with Sakthi Sundararajan.
9
New Faces
Tom
Barthel
Thomas Barthel is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Orthopedics. He
is currently doing research in the Stein/Lian lab. Tom received his BA from John
Hopkins University and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tom’s research interest is in bone Growth and Development. Currently he
is working on the role of Runx2 in osteoblastogenesis and the role of FGFR3 in
achondroplasia. Tom comes to us from The University of Arizona in Tucson. He
is here with his wife Marci Jones and his 4 year old son Sullivan. In his spare time,
Tom likes to travel. He used to have a private pilots license but gave up flying for
his wife’s peace of mind. His other interests are food and wine, astronomy and the
weather.
Xinna Chen came to the United States from China in July 2007. She is a Ob/
Gyn doctor, specializing in reproductive medicine. She received her MD Degree
from Peking University in China. Xinna is a Post Doc in Mary Lee’s Lab where
she is working on the Leydig cell development. In her free time she enjoys watching movies, dancing, playing badminton and table tennis, hiking, cooking and the
company of friends and family.
Xinna
Chen
Branch
Craige
Hang
Cui
Diogo
DaSilva
10
Branch Craige is a Post doc addition to George Witman’s Lab. Branch was raised
in ElPaso, Texas then moved to Atlanta for college at Emory University. At Emory
he received his B.S. in Biology, his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Cell and Developmental Biology. He also met his wife Siobhan at Emory and they stayed at
Emory for their graduate studies. Branch’s research interest is in how cells build,
maintain, and take apart organelles and how cells target proteins to the appropriate
organelle. He is currently working on identifying the functions of proteins involved in cilia assembly, transport, and motility. Branch moved here with his wife
and daughter, Keelin, at the end of July. His wife, Siobhan, is a Post doc with John
Keaney. She has many family members in Massachusetts and New England. In
their free time, they enjoy playing with their daughter, going on long hikes in the
woods, cooking a nice meal, and visiting/entertaining friends and family.
Hang Cui is a Post Doc in Dr. Hong Zhang’s lab. Hancy, her English name, comes
from P.R. China with her husband. Hang received her Ph.D at the University of
Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. Her research interest is in Cancer. Although
her project in Dr. Zhang’s lab is not defined, it will be related to cell senescence
and human aging. Hang likes sports and outdoor activities. Basketball is her favorite, which was one of her reasons for moving to the USA, she said. She also likes
to cook and loves to try different food styles. She enjoys making friends with people from different countries with various cultural backgrounds. Welcome Hang!
Diogo DaSilva (Dee-oh-guo) or you can just call him “D” for short, is working in
DNA Sequencing and helping in the Enzyme Freezer Program at Biotech I, for Hal
Hills. He is originally from Brazil but has always lived in Massachusetts. He has
been in Worcester for over 5 years now with his family. “D” is attending Worcester State College and is in his senior year pursuing a BS in Biotechnology with a
minor in Chemistry. His research interest is in Neuroscience and Stem Cells. In
his free time Diogo loves playing tennis, going to the beach and sailing. He is an
amateur at sailing but he says it is just a great hobby to have. He is also interested
in politics so he tries to follow and understand what is going on instead of only
criticizing. He loves dogs and cats but he said having a pet in New England is
hard. Welcome “D”.
Karthi Devi-Veeraraj is a Research associate in the Stein/Lian Lab. Karthi is
from India. She came to the United States on September 2005. She recently
moved to Worcester from Connecticut with her Fiancée. Karthi received her BS in
Microbiology and her MS in Biotechnology in India. She did her 2nd MS in Cell
and Molecular Biology at the University of New Haven, CT. Her research interest
is to determine the role of Runx2 in Lung Cancer and Breast Cancer progression.
Currently, in the Stein/Lian Lab, she is working on making Lenti Viral constructs
for in vivo research. In her free time, she loves making crafts, painting, and spending time with her dog.
Zhiyou Fang is a Post Doc in Beth Luna’s Lab. Zhiyou came from China in
March. He left his wife and baby in China but they both will be joining him later
this year. Zhiyou graduated from the University of Science and Technology of
China (USTC) where he acquired his Doctor’s degree. Zhiyou’s research interest is
in cell dynamics, especially on cytoskeletal-membrane dynamics. He is currently
participating in Professor Luna’s projects and will try to dig out supervillin interacting partners and their potential functions on vesicle trafficking. When Zhiyou is
not doing research, he likes to play basketball or ping pong.
Tera Filion is a graduate student working in Jane Lian’s lab. Tera is from Churubusco, NY and has been here since August, 2005. She attended Clarkson
University in Potsdam, NY where she received her B.S. in Biology and minored
in Psychology. Her research interest is in human embryonic stem cells and she
would eventually like to become involved in stem cell therapies. Currently, in the
Lian lab, Tera is working on mRNA levels of apoptosis-related genes, especially
surviving, in hES cells in response to gamma irradiation. Besides her research
interests, Tera loves anything related to music (singing, writing music and listening
to music). She was in an a cappella group for 4 years before coming to UMass and
has been involved in music-related projects most of her life.
Shawn Galdeen joined Kip Sluder’s Lab in March. Shawn comes from Saginaw,
Michigan and attended Grad School in Minneapolis. Shawn received his Ph.D.
degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Genetics at the
University of Minnesota (MN). His research interests are in Centrosomal duplication, cellular adhesion and light microscopy. He is currently working on centriole
duplication mechanism in cell culture and echinoderms. Shawn’s outside interests
include indoor soccer, racquetball, running and skydiving.
Hugh Gannon is a 2nd year graduate student working in Steve Jones’ lab. Hugh is
a recent graduate of Boston University (2005) with a BS degree in Human Physiology. His research interest is in the genetic basis of cancer. He is currently working on elucidating the role of the potential tumor suppressors ING4 and Wnt5a.
Hugh and his immediate family and fiancée, Kristina, live in the Lowell area.
Outside the lab, Hugh’s special talent is that he is an amateur bass guitar player
and loves music. He is also a sports enthusiast.
Karthi
Devi-Veeraraj
Zhiyou
Fang
Tera
Filion
Shawn
Galdeen
Hugh
Gannon
11
New Faces (continued)
Jonathan
Gordon
Anurag
Gupta
Tingting
Huang
Marissa
Johnson
Silvana
Konda
12
Jonathan Gordon is a Post-doctoral Fellow in the Stein, Stein, van Wijnen, and
Lian Lab. He is from London, Ontario, Canada and attended the University of
Western Ontario. Jonathan has a BSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry and a PhD in
BioChemistry. His research interests include the study of bone formation, specifically mesenchymal commitment, osteoblast differentiation and mineralization. He
is currently examining the role of homeobox proteins (and co-factors) in regulating
osteoblast differentiation. Jonathan lives in Newton with his long-time girl friend.
In his free time he enjoys seeing all the sites in New England and looks forward to
snowboarding and playing hockey this winter.
Anurag Gupta, a Graduate student in the Stein Lab is from Bikaner, which is
located in the North West part of India, in the State of Rajasthan. It is a beautiful
place in Thar Desert surrounded by sand dunes. Anu (nickname) joined the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Sept. 2007. He has a medical degree (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery – MBBS) from Sardar Patel Medical
College, Bikaner, India. After graduating in medicine, he did Master of Medical
Science and Technology (MMST) from the School of Medical Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India. Anu is interested in
Bone Biology, differentiation of cells and cancer metastasis. Currently he is working on the Role of RUNX2 in proliferation control of preosteoblasts. In his free
time Anu likes to play Badminton, Tennis, Cricket and many other games. Another
talent of Anu is pencil sketching. We hope he will share them with us someday.
Tingting Huang is a Graduate student in Jaime Rivera’s Lab. Tina (short for
Tingting) is from China and has been here for one year. She attended school in
China where she received her B.S. degree. Her research interest is in mouse embryonic development. She is currently working on the role of Wnt3 in the development of the primitive streak and establishment of the anteroposterior axis. When
not in the lab, Tina loves to read, travel and cook. Welcome Tina!
Marissa Johnson, a research technician in tissue culture, is a new addition in the
Stein/Lian Lab. Melissa graduated from Mary Baldwin College, which is a small
school in Staunton Virginia (in the Shenandoah Valley) where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology. After four years in the south during college, Marissa
decided to come back home to New England after graduation. She is originally
from New Hampshire. Marissa’s research interest is fairly broad in the fields of
biology and medicine, but is particularly interested in cancer. Eventually she will
continue her education, once she decides what direction she wants to take – medical school or a Ph.D. program. Besides research, Marissa is a volunteer advocate
for Bridges, a non-profit agency that helps victims of sexual assault and domestic
violence. She takes calls on their crisis line, educates victims on what their options are, and can accompany them to the hospital or police station if they request
it. Other than that, Marissa says she is boring! She spends time with her family
and friends, especially her nieces and nephews. She loves music and going to concerts, reading, cooking, etc.
Silvana Konda is a Research Associate in Tony Imbalzano’s Lab. In the lab
she is currently working on the role of transcription factors in fat differentiation.
Silvana received her M.S. in biology at Worcester State College. She is originally
from Albania and has been in the U.S. for almost 14 years. She lives here with her
husband and two daughters. When not working in the Lab, Silvana loves to spend
time with her family.
Yahui Kong, a post doc in Hong Zhang’s lab, is from Tai zhou, Jrangsu, China.
She received her Ph.D. from Fuden University, Shanghai, China. Yahui’s research
interests are in cell and molecular biology and cancer research. Currently, in the
lab, she is working on the mechanism of senescence and its function in cancer.
Yahui loves to shop, cook, but most of all, loves meeting new people and making
friends.
Yahui
Kong
Kimberly LeBlanc is an MD/Ph.D. student working in the Stein/Lian lab. A
true central Massachusetts native, Kimberly was born in Worcester, and grew up
in Webster, MA. Kimberly went to Bartlett High School in Webster and Clark
University in Worcester, where she received her B.A. Her research interest is still
undefined. “I just love the process of discovery, I think I’d be happy doing research
on pretty much of anything,” she says. In her free time Kim is the choreographer
for the Jr. High Show choir at her old high school. She loves dance so she takes
hip-hop dance classes and will start taking Salsa this year. She recently started
running and did her first half marathon on October 14th. She hopes to do her first
marathon sometime next year. Kim is also interested in road biking and swimming
and does pretty much of anything to stay active!
Kimberly
LeBlanc
Scott E. LeBlanc, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Dr. Anthony Imbalzano’s
Lab, began his position here in September. Scott is originally from Haverhill,
Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Biotechnology with a minor in Spanish from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2002, and
also received a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Molecular and
Cellular Pharmacology in 2007. His research interest is in Transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Right now he is working on deciphering higher order
chromatin alterations during the development of fat cells known as adipocytes.
Scott tells us he is an avid trivia fan, enjoys traveling, reading and relaxing.
Scott
LeBlanc
Chandrashekara Mallappa, a Postdoctoral Associate in Tony Imbalzano’s lab arrived here from India in September 2007. Chandru received his PhD degree from
JNU, New Delhi, India and did his research work for his Ph.D. at National Institute
for Plant Genome Research. His research interests include chromatin remodeling
and functional genomics. Currently he is working on chromatin remodeling in
myogenesis and adipogenesis. In his free time Chandru is trying to standardize
a few experiments for preparing “delicious Indian dishes”. He hopes to come up
with some great protocols soon and publish them in Nature Protocols. Maybe we
can sample some of his famous dishes at our Mid Month Madness get-together!
Chandru
Mallapa
Loren Massa, our Educational Technology Associate for Histology and other
medical education courses, comes to the Cell Biology Department, from Manlius,
NY (a suburb of Syracuse). Loren attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, and received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Medical Illustration. She is primarily
interested in Anatomy and Histology. When not working at UMMS, Loren does
freelance Medical Illustration and is into graphic, interior, and fashion design as
well. In her spare time she currently is working on her certification for Medical Illustration. Loren, an avid musician, has played viola for 13 years and hopes to find
a quartet or chamber group in the area that needs a violist.
Loren
Massa
13
New Faces (continued)
Charusheila
Ramkumar
Elise
Salerno
Sakthi
Sundararajan
Giovane
Tortelote
Shengqin
Wan
Yeonsoon
Yoon
14
Charusheila Ramkumar is a graduate student working in Hong Zhang’s Lab.
Charusheila is from Pune, India and came to the US a little over a year ago. She
attended school in India where she received her MD degree. Charu’s interest in
research is in basic science, which has an impact at the clinical level as well. She
is particularly interested in working on aging and cancer. Charu is currently working on a gene called Smurf2 which induces senescence in cells. She is trying to
elucidate its mechanism of action and determine the downstream players in the
pathway it utilizes to induce senescence. Charusheila came to the US by herself,
but she does have a few cousins living in Boston. Charu enjoys cooking and trying
out new recipes, likes to read, fiction as well as non-fiction, and her favorite author
is PG Wodehouse.
Elise Salerno is our new glass washer. She filled in for Pat Early before Pat retired
and joined our department permanently in July. Elise has been here at UMASS for
the past four years (part-time) working in other Departments. Although originally
from Italy she has lived in Worcester for the past 32 years. Elise loves to baby sit
for her 3 grandchildren, crochet, knit, cook and bake (her cookies are wonderful!).
Welcome Elise.
Sakthi Sundararajan is a Research Associate in Jaime Rivera’s lab. Sakthi is
from Chennai, India. She attended school in India where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and a Master’s degree in Microbiology from Bheirathidasan University, India. She has been here in the US for four years. Sakthi’s
research interest is in mammalian development. Sakthi lives here with her family.
She has a young son named Tejas. Sakthi likes to listen to music, read books, watch
TV and her very favorite past time is playing with her son Tejas.
Giovane Tortelote, a graduate student in Jaime Rivera’s Lab, is from Brazil. He’s
been at UMMS for one year. He received his Master’ Degree in Biophysics in
Brazil in 2004. His research interest is in Mammal Embryology, ES cells. He is
currently working on the importance of the Wnt signaling in the A-P axis formation
in mouse embryos. When he is not working in the Lab, Giovane likes to play soccer, tennis and enjoys going out with friends. One more item of interest, Giovane is
a Brown Belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (but he says there is no such thing over here).
Shengqin Wan is from China. She worked as a researcher in China and Japan and
is now a research associated in Mary Lee’s lab. She and her husband Weijun Chen
have two children, their son Jhun Chen is 5 years old and daughter Xi Chen is 15.
Shengqin likes to share her free time with her family and also enjoys reading books
and playing table tennis.
Yeonsoo Yoon is another graduate student in Jaime Rivera’s Lab. Yeonsoo is from
South Korea and has been here since August 2006. He received his master degree
in biological science in South Korea. His research interest is in Developmental
Biology. In Jaime’s lab he is currently working on anterior-posterior axis formation
in mouse early development. Yoon likes to watch movies and baseball games, and
also likes to play basketball.
Fellowships
Rajini Mudhasani, from the Jones Lab, recieved a Postdoctoral Fellowship from
American Heart Association for a period of two years starting July, 2006.
Gayle Pageau a student in the Lawrence Lab, received a fellowship to present a
talk on her work on the breast cancer tumor suppressor, BRCA1, and heterochromatin at the International Society of Human Genetics in Brisbane Australia.
Summer in the Lab
Transitions
April Mason-Savas has accepted a
position in the Department of Orthopedics. We will continue to see April in the
department as she collaborates with
Cell Biology members.
Scott Luro, a senior at
Wachusett Regional
High School, spent
his second summer
in the Department of
Cell Biology as a research intern. Under
the supervision of
Karl Lechtreck in the
laboratory of George
Witman, he generated
motility mutants of
the green flagellate
Chlamydomonas by
insertional mutagenesis. For transformation Scott used a ‘minimalistic’ selectable
marker gene without flanking vector sequences that will facilitate cloning of the affected genes. This novel approach produced promising results and the Witman lab
is considering large scale mutagenesis using this technique. George says “Scott
is truly amazing for a high school student. He is as good as the best of the undergraduates who worked in my lab when I was at Princeton University. In fact, he
generally reasoned and performed at the level of a graduate student.”
Arun Rajgopal, a Post Doc in the Stein
Lab, accepted a position at Alticor, Inc,
in Western Michigan
In the summer of 2006, also in the Witman lab, Scott cloned several genes encoding uncharacterized flagellar proteins. He further analyzed intraflagellar transport
(IFT), a microtubule-based transport system required to assemble cilia and flagella.
After school started in the fall, he continued lab work in his spare time. In the
spring, he entered his project, titled “The Promise of Nature’s Assembly Line: The
Effect of Flagellar Regeneration on IFT” in local, regional, and finally, state science fairs. He received a 1st place (4th overall) and the Naval Science Award at the
state science fair! Congratulations, Scott!
Laura Saltman, Research Associate
from the Stein Lab, moved to Brooklyn,
NY.
Scott’s summer internship at UMMS is a continuation of his long interest in basic
science. As a sophomore he studied hydrogen production by Chlamydomonas in
the laboratory of Bill Theurkauf (Department of Molecular Medicine). He first became interested in science because his uncle is an organic chemist. Inspired by the
television show “Bill Nye the Science Guy”, he built his own basement science lab
to carry out experiments. Scott enjoyed the friendly and helpful atmosphere in the
Cell Biology Department and writes “That in itself was one of the greatest qualities I saw in science.” His experience at UMMS showed “how truly interesting a
career in science could be.” Who would disagree?
Scott currently is applying to colleges, where he plans to major in biology or a related field. Eventually, he hopes to have a career allowing him to continue to carry
out research in academia.
Shivakumara Bheemanaika, a Post
Doc in the Stein Lab, accepted a Research Position at Ohio State University
Megan Stowell, – Research Associate
and WPI student, Jane Lian’s Lab, left
to do her MQP for WPI.
Hengyi Xiao accepted a position as
Instructor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at University of Florida
– Xiao will be working with Tanmay Lele,
a new faculty member there. She will
be measuring the assembly of complexes containing the tumor suppressor
Rb in complexes inside the nucleus by
FRAP.
David Hill, Post Doc in Anthony
Imbalzano’s Lab, accepted a position
as a Scientist, Athena Diagnostics, Inc.,
Worcester, MA
Emily Bazner, Secretary to Jane Lian,
has relocated to Danvers, MA where
she took a position in the private sector.
Saeko Takada, Instructor, George
Witman’s Lab, accepted a position at
Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Christopher Lynch , Research Associate, Jeanne Lawrence’s Lab, left to go
to Cornell Veterinary School.
Stephen Lambert, Professor, Bio IV,
has accepted a faculty position at the
University of Central Florida.
15
Hidden Talents
Meg Byron has really
been a part of the Cell
Biology Department
for about twenty-five
years. Both of her
parents worked here
for many years and
all three of the very
adorable “Byron girls”
were frequent visitors!
Many Girl Scout cookies were bought from
these girls.
Meg joined the Lawrence lab and the Department of Cell Biology for real in 1993. She always had
an interest in baking. During high school her sister, Amy,
called her Betty Crocker! Meg decided a few years ago
to pursue this interest by attending a weekend program at
Johnson and Wales
Culinary School in
Rhode Island. Every Sunday, for two
years, she learned
how to make bread,
rolls, cakes, petit
fours, various types
of frostings and of
course chocolate
truffles. Meg said
she made a pastiage piano, as if I
had any idea what
that was. It apparently is special
sugar dough that you can shape how you like and it has a
porcelain look to it. I think that took too long to make for
anyone to eat.
16
In order to complete the program at Johnson and Wales
you have to do a three month internship. Meg did hers at
the Radisson Hotel in Warwick, R.I. She had to get up at
3:45 AM inorder to get to work by 5:00 AM to start cooking. She cooked desserts that were served to many happy
customers for sure.
Meg attended the
French Pastry School
in Chicago for a three
day course with world
renowned pastry chef
Nicolas Lodge. Mr.
Lodge made Princess
Di’s wedding cake! In
Chicago Meg learned
how to make gum
paste, this is what you
use to make some of
the beautiful flowers you see on cakes. Meg also learned
how to make flowers with Marzipan and decorate with
fruits and other specialties! Meg feels baking is very much
like working in the lab. You follow a protocol or a recipe
and hope it turns out well.
Meg took great pleasure in making her sister’s wedding
cake for her wedding this past October. She has also made
cakes for various members of the department and will take
“Special Requests” for people if they would like to try one
of her “Specialties”. Submitted by Carole MacKay