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 chemical 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 that include cellular, molecular, biochemical, biophysical and computational methods.
Charest Lab News
May 2023
Congratulations to our 2023 graduates! Nitant Soni earned a B.Sc in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Raymundo Buelna, a B.Sc. in Physiology. They are both headed to Med School. It was really nice having you two in the lab and we wish you success in all your future endeavors!
April 2023
Our work on adapting the use of APEX2-mediated proximity labeling for proteomics applications in Dictyostelium, which was led by former undergraduate student and Beckman Scholar Jamie Takashima with a contribution from graduate student Helena Woroniecka, was published in the Journal of Biological Methods. Great work work to you both!
March 2023
Welcome to new graduate student Isaiah Toth! Isaiah joined the Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology program and will work on the role of the small GTPase Rap1 in regulating mTORC2 for breast cancer cell migration.
February 2023
Undergraduate student Douglas Swango was just awarded a prestigious Beckman Scholarship from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. This scholarship will support Douglas for the next 2 years as an undergraduate researcher and provide him with the opportunity to invite a speaker and attend scientific conferences. Congratulations Douglas, well deserved!
January 2023
Welcome to 2 new undergraduate researchers: Kate Santiago and Suana Pana. Kate will work with staff scientist Tariq Islam on investigating the Ras-mediated activation of mTORC2 in Dictyostelium; and Suana will work with Tariq as well as with senior undergraduate student Nitant Soni on the role of chemoattractant receptor cAR1 phosphorylation in cAMP signal transduction. We are happy to have you join the team!
December 2022
Congratulations to Stephen Smith who graduated with his PhD! Great job Dr. Smith! Good luck with all your
future endeavors!
Our study led by graduate student Shannon Collins and then Mollie Wiegand showing that Ras promotes breast epithelial cell migration and invasion through its regulation of mTORC2 has been accepted for publication in MBoC and is highlighted on the issue cover! This was a long-time group effort to investigate whether the Ras-mTORC2 pathway originally discovered in Dicytostelium is conserved in human cells and relevant to cancer cell migration. Great work everyone!
October 2022
We are welcoming two additional undergraduate students: Elizabeth (Liz) Harper and Natalya Stanisic. Liz works with graduate student Helena Woroniecka on identifying new effectors of chemotaxis, and Natalya works with graduate student Genesis Cahigas on the role of Rap1 in regulating mTORC2 function in cell migration.
June 2022
Welcome to our summer High School KEYS intern Alex Lewandrowski. We are really happy to be able to host you in person this summer!
Also welcome to undergraduate students Raymundo Buelna, as part of the UROC-PREP and ASEMS-STAR program, and Douglas Swango, a former 2020 KEYS intern. Ray is working with staff scientist Tariq Islam on the dynamics of receptor and G protein signaling in chemotaxis, and Douglas works with Mollie Wiegand on the Ras-mediated regulation of mTORC2 in breast cancer cell migration.
Congratulations to Helena Woroniecka, who was awarded a 2022-2023 Biological Chemistry Program T32 fellowship!
May 2022
Congratulations to our three graduates: Avani Kumar (B.Sc. Biochemistry), Isa Mundo (B.Sc. Molecular and Cellular Biology), and Shon Alimukhamedov (B.Sc. Molecular and Cellular Biology)! We celebrated with a painting lab party!
Avani worked with graduate student Alyssa Werner, Isa worked with Mollie Wiegand, and Shon worked with Stephen Smith. They all greatly contributed to our research efforts and their work will be included in upcoming publications. We will really miss you and wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
January 2022
Graduate student Stephen Smith had his baby boy (after 2 girls!), Henry Winston, on Jan. 31. Congratulations!
Congratulations to our 2023 graduates! Nitant Soni earned a B.Sc in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Raymundo Buelna, a B.Sc. in Physiology. They are both headed to Med School. It was really nice having you two in the lab and we wish you success in all your future endeavors!
April 2023
Our work on adapting the use of APEX2-mediated proximity labeling for proteomics applications in Dictyostelium, which was led by former undergraduate student and Beckman Scholar Jamie Takashima with a contribution from graduate student Helena Woroniecka, was published in the Journal of Biological Methods. Great work work to you both!
March 2023
Welcome to new graduate student Isaiah Toth! Isaiah joined the Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology program and will work on the role of the small GTPase Rap1 in regulating mTORC2 for breast cancer cell migration.
February 2023
Undergraduate student Douglas Swango was just awarded a prestigious Beckman Scholarship from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. This scholarship will support Douglas for the next 2 years as an undergraduate researcher and provide him with the opportunity to invite a speaker and attend scientific conferences. Congratulations Douglas, well deserved!
January 2023
Welcome to 2 new undergraduate researchers: Kate Santiago and Suana Pana. Kate will work with staff scientist Tariq Islam on investigating the Ras-mediated activation of mTORC2 in Dictyostelium; and Suana will work with Tariq as well as with senior undergraduate student Nitant Soni on the role of chemoattractant receptor cAR1 phosphorylation in cAMP signal transduction. We are happy to have you join the team!
December 2022
Congratulations to Stephen Smith who graduated with his PhD! Great job Dr. Smith! Good luck with all your
future endeavors!
Our study led by graduate student Shannon Collins and then Mollie Wiegand showing that Ras promotes breast epithelial cell migration and invasion through its regulation of mTORC2 has been accepted for publication in MBoC and is highlighted on the issue cover! This was a long-time group effort to investigate whether the Ras-mTORC2 pathway originally discovered in Dicytostelium is conserved in human cells and relevant to cancer cell migration. Great work everyone!
October 2022
We are welcoming two additional undergraduate students: Elizabeth (Liz) Harper and Natalya Stanisic. Liz works with graduate student Helena Woroniecka on identifying new effectors of chemotaxis, and Natalya works with graduate student Genesis Cahigas on the role of Rap1 in regulating mTORC2 function in cell migration.
June 2022
Welcome to our summer High School KEYS intern Alex Lewandrowski. We are really happy to be able to host you in person this summer!
Also welcome to undergraduate students Raymundo Buelna, as part of the UROC-PREP and ASEMS-STAR program, and Douglas Swango, a former 2020 KEYS intern. Ray is working with staff scientist Tariq Islam on the dynamics of receptor and G protein signaling in chemotaxis, and Douglas works with Mollie Wiegand on the Ras-mediated regulation of mTORC2 in breast cancer cell migration.
Congratulations to Helena Woroniecka, who was awarded a 2022-2023 Biological Chemistry Program T32 fellowship!
May 2022
Congratulations to our three graduates: Avani Kumar (B.Sc. Biochemistry), Isa Mundo (B.Sc. Molecular and Cellular Biology), and Shon Alimukhamedov (B.Sc. Molecular and Cellular Biology)! We celebrated with a painting lab party!
Avani worked with graduate student Alyssa Werner, Isa worked with Mollie Wiegand, and Shon worked with Stephen Smith. They all greatly contributed to our research efforts and their work will be included in upcoming publications. We will really miss you and wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
January 2022
Graduate student Stephen Smith had his baby boy (after 2 girls!), Henry Winston, on Jan. 31. Congratulations!
Charest lab May 2023. Left to right, back row: Tariq Islam, Nitant Soni, Raymundo Buelna, Isiah Toth, Natalia Stanisic, Genesis Cahigas. Middle: Elizabeth harper, Helena Woroniecka, Alyssa Werner, Mollie Wiegand, Douglas Swango. Front: Pascale Charest, Agata Orlinski. Missing from photo: Suana Pana and Kate Santiago.
