Welcome to the Charest Lab!
In the laboratory of Dr. Pascale Charest at the University of Arizona, we study how cells migrate in response to external cues (chemoattractants), a process (chemotaxis) that is important to normal physiology and that is also implicated in the onset and progression of diseases such as cancer metastasis. Metastasis, the migration of cancer cells away from the primary tumor to other parts of the body, is by far the major cause of death from cancer. Yet, most anti-cancer drugs inhibit only cancer cell proliferation. One main reason for the lack of efficient anti-metastasis therapy is our lack of understanding of what promotes tumor cell migration and invasion. Our goal is to identify key, conserved intracellular signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms that control cell migration to guide the development of therapeutic strategies preventing the spread of cancer. For this, we work with the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum as well as normal and transformed human cells, and we use collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches.
Charest Lab News
April 2019
Congratulations to graduate student Stephen Smith who was awarded the 2019 John Hostetter Award for his impressive scholarship accomplishments! Good job!!
March 2019
We are having a great Spring semester, with a lot of really good news:
Undergraduate researcher Jamie Takashima is a recipient of a prestigious 2019 UA Beckman scholarship. Congratulations Jamie, keep up the good work!
In addition, our manuscript on the effect of caffeine in Dictyostelium has been accepted for publication in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. This was truly a collaborative work, congratulations and thanks to all contributing authors!
Finally, we have been awarded a 5-year R01 grant from NIH-NIGMS of ~1.5M to study the role and regulation of the mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2 (mTORC2) in directed cell migration. Congrats!!!
August 2018
Welcome to two new undergraduate student researchers: Jordan Pilch and Jamie Takashima. Jordan is working with graduate student Agata Orlinski on investigating the nature and role of the Rap1:SIN1 interaction in controlling mTORC2 function in cell migration; and Jamie works with staff scientist Tariq Islam on investigating mechanisms controlling chemoattractant GPCR signal transduction. Welcome to you both!
June 2018
Congratulations to graduate student Stephen Smith, recipient of a 2018-19 BCP fellowship!
Also congratulations to graduate student Shannon Collins, recipient of a 2018-2019 Dr Maria Teresa Velez Diversity Leadership Scholarship!
Keep up the good work guys!
May 2018
Undergraduate Ramya Ramesh and PhD student Maggie Scavello both graduated this semester, congratulations! In addition, Maggie defended her dissertation on May 14, and Ramya won best senior thesis in Biochemistry! You both rock! We had a fun bowling graduation/farewell party that we will all remember! We will miss you both!
Tariq Islam's manuscript, on the analysis of heterotrimeric G protein activation in response to chemoattractant stimulation in Dictyostelium using Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer, has been published in Cellular Signaling! Congrats!
April 2018
Congratulations to Maggie Scavello and Ramya Ramesh, both recipient of a Galileo Circle scholarship!
March 2018
Congratulations to Shannon Collins, the 2018 recipient of the Herbert E. Carter Award in Biological Chemistry! You deserve it Shannon, congrats!
Welcome to two new graduate students Alyssa Werner and Genesis Cahigas! Alyssa is working on the role and regulation of mTORC2 in breast cancer cell migration and Genesis is working on elucidating the role of small GTPase Rap1 in the regulation of mTORC2 and cell migration.
January 2018
Welcome to new undergraduate student researcher Isabella Brown. Isabella is working with Shannon Collins on investigating the role of Ras in regulating mTORC2 function in breast cancer cell migration.
September 2018
Welcome to new undergraduate student researcher Ethan Weiss. Ethan did a summer high school internship with us and now has started at the UA in Biochemistry! We're really happy you are joining the team, Ethan! Ethan is working with Stephen Smith on investigating how Ras interacts and activates mTORC2.
Congratulations to graduate student Stephen Smith who was awarded the 2019 John Hostetter Award for his impressive scholarship accomplishments! Good job!!
March 2019
We are having a great Spring semester, with a lot of really good news:
Undergraduate researcher Jamie Takashima is a recipient of a prestigious 2019 UA Beckman scholarship. Congratulations Jamie, keep up the good work!
In addition, our manuscript on the effect of caffeine in Dictyostelium has been accepted for publication in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. This was truly a collaborative work, congratulations and thanks to all contributing authors!
Finally, we have been awarded a 5-year R01 grant from NIH-NIGMS of ~1.5M to study the role and regulation of the mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2 (mTORC2) in directed cell migration. Congrats!!!
August 2018
Welcome to two new undergraduate student researchers: Jordan Pilch and Jamie Takashima. Jordan is working with graduate student Agata Orlinski on investigating the nature and role of the Rap1:SIN1 interaction in controlling mTORC2 function in cell migration; and Jamie works with staff scientist Tariq Islam on investigating mechanisms controlling chemoattractant GPCR signal transduction. Welcome to you both!
June 2018
Congratulations to graduate student Stephen Smith, recipient of a 2018-19 BCP fellowship!
Also congratulations to graduate student Shannon Collins, recipient of a 2018-2019 Dr Maria Teresa Velez Diversity Leadership Scholarship!
Keep up the good work guys!
May 2018
Undergraduate Ramya Ramesh and PhD student Maggie Scavello both graduated this semester, congratulations! In addition, Maggie defended her dissertation on May 14, and Ramya won best senior thesis in Biochemistry! You both rock! We had a fun bowling graduation/farewell party that we will all remember! We will miss you both!
Tariq Islam's manuscript, on the analysis of heterotrimeric G protein activation in response to chemoattractant stimulation in Dictyostelium using Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer, has been published in Cellular Signaling! Congrats!
April 2018
Congratulations to Maggie Scavello and Ramya Ramesh, both recipient of a Galileo Circle scholarship!
March 2018
Congratulations to Shannon Collins, the 2018 recipient of the Herbert E. Carter Award in Biological Chemistry! You deserve it Shannon, congrats!
Welcome to two new graduate students Alyssa Werner and Genesis Cahigas! Alyssa is working on the role and regulation of mTORC2 in breast cancer cell migration and Genesis is working on elucidating the role of small GTPase Rap1 in the regulation of mTORC2 and cell migration.
January 2018
Welcome to new undergraduate student researcher Isabella Brown. Isabella is working with Shannon Collins on investigating the role of Ras in regulating mTORC2 function in breast cancer cell migration.
September 2018
Welcome to new undergraduate student researcher Ethan Weiss. Ethan did a summer high school internship with us and now has started at the UA in Biochemistry! We're really happy you are joining the team, Ethan! Ethan is working with Stephen Smith on investigating how Ras interacts and activates mTORC2.
Charest lab March 2019.
Absent: Stephen Smith and McKenna Schultz.