Chemistry Seminar - Synthesis and Luminescence of Bis(di-tert-butylphenanthroline) Cu(I): a complex with unique reactivity and applications in solar cells
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Paola Bellosta Ph.D.
Postdoctoral and PhD students positions are available.
Please send an electronic CV and two contacts for recommendation at pbellost@sci.ccny.cuny.edu
We use Drosophila as a model organism to study how dmyc, the homologous of the human c-myc protooncogene, is regulated by Nutrients and Growth factors signaling and how this affect Growth.Determining the mechanisms by which Myc is regulated will help us to shed light on how its deregulation affects development and tumorigenesis, and may therefore lead to innovative cancer therapies.
Description of Research Interests
The following projects are currently ongoing in my lab:
1-Identification of a novel mechanism for dMyc degradation
We have identified a novel mechanism for dMyc degradation that involves its phosphorylation by GSK3 and members of the CK1 family of kinases. This process has been confirmed in vitro in S2 cells and in vivo in Drosophila. We have identified the potential phosphorylation sites and we are currently characterizing their relevance for dMyc stability in vitro and in vivo.
2-Regulation of Myc by Insulin and Nutrient-signaling
GSK3 kinase is a downstream mediator of Insulin signaling. As a follow up of the previous project we have found that insulin enhances dMyc protein levels in vitro and in vivo. Moreover this regulation is dependent on the activation of TOR (target of Rapamycin) pathway indicating a link between the Nutrient signaling pathway (TOR) and activation of Myc by Insulin. We are currently analyzing the interrelationship between these signals with particular relevance to the Myc-TOR pathway.
3-In vivo studies of the regulation of growth and metabolism through dMyc and components of the Insulin and Nutrient-signaling pathways.
As our studies reveal a novel mechanism of regulation of Myc by the Insulin signaling cascade we started to analyze the relevance of this connection for metabolism and growth in vivo using larval feeding behavior as model system. We are currently expressing dMyc and components of the Insulin and Nutrient-signaling pathways in tissues relevant for metabolism such as the fat body, oenocytes and the brain, and we analyze the effect of their expression on the overall behavior of the animals at the larval and adult stages. We expect that this approach will lead to a suitable model to continue our study on the regulation of metabolism and growth.
Current Member of the lab:
Riccardo, Sara PostDoc
Parisi, Federica Graduate Biology
Lora, Carlina Master Biology
Daniel, Margaret undergraduated
Nandini Guha visiting student Biology
Kuo, Vicky undergraduated
Tombra Gavina undergraduated
Vimala Bash undergraduated
Former Member of the lab:
Galletti, Margherita (currently graduate Student at the Univ of Modena Italy)
Persaud. Amrita (Graduate in 2007 currently Student at SUNY-Downstate Med School)
Moreno, Lisaura (Graduate in 2008 currently Science High School Teacher)
Rivas, Leinny (Graduate in 2008 currently Science High School Teacher)
Drawhal, Laura 2007-2008 Sophie-Davis pre-med school CCNY
Wong, Bonnie 2007-2008 Sophie-Davis pre-med school CCNY
Serra, Alexis 2007-2008 Sophie-Davis pre-med school CCNY
Mahesh Kumar Saqcena Graduate Biochemistry now at Hunter College
Collaborators & Other Affiliations:
Grifoni, Daniela (University of Bologna)
Serras, Florenci (University of Barcelona)
Stocker, Hugo (ETH-Zurich)
Email:
pbellost [ AT ] sci.ccny.cuny.edu
Work:
(212) 650-8479 laboratory x 8572
Education:
- PhD at the University of Milan
