The long-term goal of this Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) is to help grow the burgeoning biomedical research industry in Maine by positioning the University of Maine (UMaine) as a biomedical research and training hub that supports and recruits outstanding junior faculty while strengthening our unique statewide graduate program. This COBRE is focused on Regulation of Cellular Behavior in Response to Extracellular Cues. All cells interpret and respond to their environment, yet the mechanisms by which cells process signaling inputs and parse them into discrete cell behaviors are not fully understood.
How does G protein-coupled receptor signaling regulate polarity in different cell types?
How does the extracellular environment regulate muscle cell behaviors such as migration and regeneration?
How do viruses modify cells to cause disease?
Five research projects led by early career investigators from UMaine and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) will address cell-microenvironmental signaling across three contexts: mechanisms of viral infection in cultured cells and zebrafish; gradient tracking in yeast, and mechanisms of muscle homeostasis in zebrafish. The five research projects are: Cellular reprogramming in Persistent versus Lytic JC Viral Infections (Maginnis); Motility and Guidance Signals Control Migration of Muscle Precursors (Talbot); Mechanisms of GPCR-induced Autophagy (Kelley); Apelin Signaling in Muscle Regeneration (Madeleine), and Innate Immune Function in Influenza-Associated Myopathy (King).
Each project leverages the unique expertise of research project leaders while advancing the theme of extracellular impacts on cell behavior. Projects exploit existing IDeA resources and the proposed new core facility in Microscopy and Image Analysis.
This COBRE further enhances partnerships among biomedical research institutions in Maine. These partnerships were launched through the Maine INBRE grant run by MDIBL in 2001, and strengthened by the creation of UMaine’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (GSBSE) over a decade ago. GSBSE is a statewide partnership that includes UMaine, MDIBL, The Jackson Laboratory, the University of New England, and Maine Medical Center Research Institute. COBRE research project leaders will draw from the excellent pool of GSBSE students and continue to benefit from the informal mentorship that occurs in frequent GSBSE seminars and meetings. Research project leaders will continue to receive strong mentoring by Dr. Henry and also receive significant new mentoring as described in the Administrative and Mentoring Core.
This COBRE will transform the careers of our Junior Investigators by adding: external senior scientists as mentors, state-of-the art live imaging, image analytics, and an expanded zebrafish facility to strengthen the biomedical research infrastructure.
For more information, visit: Home – COBRE – University of Maine (umaine.edu)
NAIPI Website: Maine
