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
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 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.
May 2017
Graduate students Shannon Collins and Steven Smith are both recipients of a NIH T32 2017-18 Biological Chemistry Program Fellowship. Congratulations guys! Keep up the good work!
Congratulations to our new graduates: Matthew O'Mara and Pearce Haldeman. We had a super fun farewell party at Funtastics that we will remember! We will miss you guys! Congrats!!
Congratulations to the CBC Outstanding Junior of the year, our very own lab mate Ramya Ramesh!
Welcome to graduate student Agata Orlinski. Agata is working on determining the role of Rap1 in regulating TORC2 activity in cell migration.
April 2017
Congratulations to senior undergraduate lab members Matthew O'Mara and Pearce Haldeman for their honorable mentions at the CBC Annual Poster Fair! Good job guys!
March 2017
Welcome to our newest lab member, graduate student Stephen Smith! Stephen is working to identify the human orthologue of Dictyostelium RasC and investigate TORC2 regulation in human cells.
Maggie Scavello and Alexandra Petlick's manuscript entitled "Protein kinase A regulates the Ras, Rap1, and TORC2 pathways in response to the chemoattractant cAMP in Dictyostelium" has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Cell Science! Congratulations!
January 2017
Welcome to McKenna Schultz, our new undergraduate researcher! McKenna is working with Tariq to investigate mechanisms regulating chemoattractant signal transduction by the cAMP receptor cAR1 and heterotrimeric G proteins in Dictyostelium.
December 2016
Charest Lab undergraduate researcher Matthew O'Mara is Chemistry and Biochemistry (CBC) Outstanding Student of the Month November/December 2016! Congratulations Matt! CBC Outstanding Student of the Month allows CBC students to recognize their peers for demonstrating actions and behaviors that go above and beyond expectations. We have a winner for November/December! Matthew O’Mara was nominated by Pearce Haldeman for going above and beyond as a CBC Ambassador. Matthew always shows initiative by volunteering at CBC events as an ambassador. He’s also a very helpful preceptor in CHEM 380.
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 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.
May 2017
Graduate students Shannon Collins and Steven Smith are both recipients of a NIH T32 2017-18 Biological Chemistry Program Fellowship. Congratulations guys! Keep up the good work!
Congratulations to our new graduates: Matthew O'Mara and Pearce Haldeman. We had a super fun farewell party at Funtastics that we will remember! We will miss you guys! Congrats!!
Congratulations to the CBC Outstanding Junior of the year, our very own lab mate Ramya Ramesh!
Welcome to graduate student Agata Orlinski. Agata is working on determining the role of Rap1 in regulating TORC2 activity in cell migration.
April 2017
Congratulations to senior undergraduate lab members Matthew O'Mara and Pearce Haldeman for their honorable mentions at the CBC Annual Poster Fair! Good job guys!
March 2017
Welcome to our newest lab member, graduate student Stephen Smith! Stephen is working to identify the human orthologue of Dictyostelium RasC and investigate TORC2 regulation in human cells.
Maggie Scavello and Alexandra Petlick's manuscript entitled "Protein kinase A regulates the Ras, Rap1, and TORC2 pathways in response to the chemoattractant cAMP in Dictyostelium" has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Cell Science! Congratulations!
January 2017
Welcome to McKenna Schultz, our new undergraduate researcher! McKenna is working with Tariq to investigate mechanisms regulating chemoattractant signal transduction by the cAMP receptor cAR1 and heterotrimeric G proteins in Dictyostelium.
December 2016
Charest Lab undergraduate researcher Matthew O'Mara is Chemistry and Biochemistry (CBC) Outstanding Student of the Month November/December 2016! Congratulations Matt! CBC Outstanding Student of the Month allows CBC students to recognize their peers for demonstrating actions and behaviors that go above and beyond expectations. We have a winner for November/December! Matthew O’Mara was nominated by Pearce Haldeman for going above and beyond as a CBC Ambassador. Matthew always shows initiative by volunteering at CBC events as an ambassador. He’s also a very helpful preceptor in CHEM 380.
Charest lab at Reid Park for a Holiday Party in the park, December 2017