Mentor Directory - The University of Maine

Dr. Clarissa A. Henry
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
The University of Maine
Clarissa.Henry@umit.maine.edu
http://biology.umaine.edu/run.php?pg=User&user_id=70

BA, University of Utah, 1995, Biology
PhD, University of Washington, 2000, Zoology

Dr. Henry works to elucidate the signaling networks that underlie muscle fiber formation and tendon attachment. Muscle and tendons function as an integrated unit to transduce force to the skeletal system and stabilize joints. The zebrafish system, with its accessible embryology and genetics, is extremely well suited to mechanistic studies of morphogenesis that integrate cellular behavior with the molecular networks that induce morphogenesis. In particular, the transition from an initial somite boundary to a stable and ECM-rich myotendinous junction in zebrafish is an ideal model system with which to investigate junction formation. The lab investigates roles for, and interactions between, cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion proteins with the goal of integrating discrete functions of important proteins into a morphogenetic network in vivo.

Henry, C.A., Urban, M.K., Dill, K.K., Merlie, J.P., Page, M.F., Kimmel, C.B., and Amacher, S.L. (2002) Two linked hairy/Enhancer of split-related zebrafish genes, her1 and her7, function together to refine alternating somite boundaries.  Development 129:3693-3704.

Crawford, B.C., Henry, C.A., Todd, C., and Hille, M.B.  (2003) Roles for Paxillin, Focal Adhesion Kinase, and Cadherin in early morphogenesis of Zebrafish embryos. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 14: 3065-3081.

Henry, C.A., and Amacher, S.L. (2004) Zebrafish slow muscle migration induces a wave of fast muscle morphogenesis. Developmental Cell 7(6):917-923.

Henry, C.A., Poage, C.T., McCarthy, M.B., Campos-Ortega, J., and Cooper, M.S. (2005) Segmentation is Regionally Autonomous within the Zebrafish Presomitic Mesoderm Zebrafish, 2(1):7-14.

Henry, C.A., McNulty, I.M., Durst, W.A., Munchel, S.E., and Amacher, S.L. (2005) Interactions Between Muscle Fibers and Segment Boundaries in Zebrafish. Developmental Biology, 287(2): 346-60.

Kok, F.O., Oster, E., Mentzer, L., Hsieh, J., Henry, C.A., Sirotkin, H.I. (2007) The role of the SPT6 chromatin remodeling factor in zebrafish embryogenesis. Developmental Biology, 307: 214-226.

Dr. Keith W. Hutchison
Professor
Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The University of Maine
keithh@maine.edu
http://www.umaine.edu/bmmb/faculty/index.php/profile/keith_hutchison

BA, University of Connecticuit 1969, Bacteriology
MS, University of Wisconsin 1972, Bacteriology
PhD, University of Wisconsin 1974, Bacteriology
Postoc, Brandeis University 1974-1980, Molecular Genetics

Dr. Hutchison’s major research focus is on determining the genomic sequences responsible for reorganization and activation of the oocyte genome in the developing embryo using the activation of LTR-containing retrotransposons as our model system. Work in the Knowles' laboratory at The Jackson Laboratory had previously shown that over 10% of the transcripts in the mouse oocyte was from the MT class of mouse retrotransposons. There are over 15000 LTRs in the mouse genome and around 3000 intact MT elements. Current work suggests that as few as 50 to 150 of these elements are actually active.  He is now designing strategies to determine why this limited subset are expressed during this important stage of development.  The Hutchison lab is also scanning the zebrafish genome for retrotransposons that may have a similar activation pattern. The zebrafish genome is less well characterized and the EST databases are not as complete as for the mouse. Nevertheless, the ease of working with embryos in the earliest stages of development make this an attractive system to explore.

Salisbury J, Hutchison KW and Graber JH. (2006) A multispecies comparison of the metazoan 3′-processing downstream elements and the CstF-64 RNA recognition motif. BMC Genomics 7: 55

Greenwood MS, Xu F, and Hutchison KW (2006) The role of auxin-induced peaks of α-expansin expression during lateral root primordium formation in Pinus taeda. Physiologia Plantarum 126: 279-288.

Hutchison KW, Singer PB, McInnis S, Diaz-Sala C and Greenwood MS. (1999) Expansins are conserved in conifers and expressed in hypocotyls in response to exogenous auxin. Plant Physiol 120: 827-832..

Greenwood MS, Diaz-Sala C, Singer PB, Decker A and Hutchison KW (1997) Differential gene expression during maturation-caused decline in adventitious rooting ability in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). In: Altman and Waisel (eds.) "Biology of Root Formation and Development" Plenum Press, NY. pp. 203-208.

Diaz-Sala C, Hutchison KW, Goldfarb B and Greenwood MS (1996) Maturation-related loss of rooting competence by loblolly pine stem cuttings: the role of auxin transport, metabolism and tissue sensitivity. Physiol. Plant. 97: 481-490.

Carol H. Kim, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology
Director, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
The University of Maine
carolkim@maine.edu
http://www.umaine.edu/bmmb/faculty/index.php/profile/carol_kim

Through disease studies with zebrafish, Professor Kim  hopes to better understand the myriad immune factors that augment, extend, and prolong the immune response to infection. In order to develop more effective vaccines and to understand host response to pathogens, an infectious disease model is essential. In the Kim lab, zebrafish are exposed to bacterial and viral pathogens that are known to cause disease in other fish species that live in similar environments (e.g. temperature, freshwater vs. marine).  Once the bacteria or viruses that cause disease in the zebrafish are identified, she can study host responses to infection and devise methods to boost host immune response.  The Toll signal transduction pathway is of particular interest because evidence suggests the existence of Toll receptors, described as "pattern recognition receptors," with the ability to detect a variety of indicators of infectious organisms, and which feed into a common activation pathway.  Through molecular dissection of this pathway in the zebrafish, a vertebrate with a less complex immune system than that of mammals, Dr. Kim seeks to identify factors that influence regulation of the innate immune response as well as its role in regulating the adaptive immune response.

Hermann, A.C. and C.H. Kim. 2005. Effects of arsenic on the zebrafish innate immune system. Mar. Biotechnol. 7:494-505.

Millard, P.J., L.E. Bickerstaff, S.E. LaPatra, and C.H. Kim. 2006. Detection of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus and infectious salmon anemia virus by molecular padlock amplification. J. Fish. Dis. 29:201-213.

Lage, C.R., A. Nayak, and C.H. Kim. 2006.  Arsenic ecotoxicology and innate immunity. Integr. Comp. Biol. Integr. Comp. Biol..2006; 46: 1040-1054.

Sullivan, C., J.H. Postlethwait, C.R. Lage, P.J. Millard, and C.H. Kim. 2007. Evidence for Evolving TICAM Function in Vertebrates. J Immunol. 178:4517-4527.

Nayak, A.N, C.R. Lage, and C.H. Kim. 2007.  Effects of Low Concentrations of Arsenic on the Innate Immune System of the Zebrafish (Danio rerio). Toxicol. Sci. 98:118-24.

Sullivan, C., and C. H. Kim. 2008. Innate Immune System of the Zebrafish, Danio rerio. In Innate Immunity of Plants, Animals, and Humans. H. Heine, ed. 113 – 133.

Michael D. Mason, Ph.D.
Asst Professor, Inst of Molecular Biophysics, Dept of Chemical and Biological Engin.
The University of Maine
mmason@umche.maine.edu
http://www.umche.maine.edu/chb/faculty/mmason.htm

BS, University of Puget Sound, 1994, Chemistry
BS, University of Puget Sound, 1995, Physics
PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2001, Chemistry

Dr. Mason is working on two projects.  The first study investigates the use of optically active metallic nanoparticles bound to novel antibodies as sight specific contrasting agents for identification of cancer cells in human pancreatic tissue.  When introduced into a sample containing both healthy and cancerous tissue (cells), it is expected that these nanoparticle-antibody conjugates will preferentially accumulate on the surface of the affected cells making it possible to more accurately identify cancerous cells and tissue.  A range of engineered noble metal nanoparticle geometries will be investigated with emphasis on optimizing the tissue labeling density.  The second project involves the development of a new optical instrument for the characterization of nanoparticle bioconjugate size, geometry, and surface properties (degree of hybridization).  Here a visible wavelength optical trap and Raman spectrographic method will be combined into a single versatile method based on recent preliminary results from the Mason lab.  Of specific interest will be determining the completeness of nanoparticle surface coverage of molecules used to improve biostability, and the development of a quantitative assay for the number of antibody bioconjugates per nanoparticle, critical values in the development of new nanoprobe systems for use in imaging and detection of a number of diseases.

Wise SS; Thompson, WD; Aboueissa, A-M; Mason, MD; Wise, JP. “Particulate Depleted Uranium Is Cytotoxic and Clastogenic to Human Lung Cells” Journal of Chemical Research in Toxicology 20 (5): 815-820 May 2007.

Kennard, R; DeSisto, W; Giririjan, TP; Mason, MD. “Single Molecule Spectroscopic Characterization of Mesoporous Silica Membranes Prepared by Micellar Templating”. Journal of Chemical Physics, 128 (1) March 14, 2008.

Wise, S.S., Wise, Jr, J.P., Xie, H., Mason M.D., Craig, G., Payne, R., Kerr, I.A.R., and Wise, Sr., J.P. The Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Sperm Whale Cells. Society of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology (SETAC); p. 295, 2007.

Kennard, R; DeSisto, W; Giririjan, TP; Mason, MD. “Single Molecule Spectroscopic Characterization of Mesoporous Silica Membranes Prepared by Micellar Templating”. Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research, 15 (8), April 15, 2008. Editorial Board Selected.

King, MD; Khadka, S; Craig, G; Mason, MD. “The effect of local heating on the SERS efficiency of single optically trapped prismatic nanoparticles” Chemistry of Materials, J.Chem.Phys.C, In Press.

Khalil, A., Mason, M., Dickey, I., Zhang, R., Aponte, C., Davisson, T., Engelman, D., Hawkins, M. “Pattern of Soft Tissue In-Growth into Porous Implants Based on Novel Imaging Tools”, Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Vol. 33, 1877, 2008.

Mary E. Rumpho, Ph.D.
Professor of Biochemistry
The University of Maine
mrumpho@umit.maine.edu
http://www.umaine.edu/bmmb/faculty/rumpho.htm

BA, Winona State University, 1978, Biology/Chemistry
PhD, Washington State University, 1982, Horticulture/Plant Phys.

As a plant physiologist/biochemist, Dr. Rumpho's research focuses on the unusual endosymbiotic association between algal (Vaucheria litorea) chloroplasts and a marine mollusc (Elysia chlorotica), resulting in photosynthetic sea slugs. Her lab is conducting research to characterize the symbiont plastids and demonstrate horizontal gene transfer between the algal nucleus and the sea slug.  In addition, she is exploring the possibility that the sea slug produces anti-cancer metabolites as an anti-predator defense mechanism.

Rumpho ME, EJ Summer, BJ Green, TC Fox and JR Manhart 2001 Mollusc/algal chloroplast symbiosis: How can isolated chloroplasts continue to function for months in the cytosol of a sea slug in the absence of an algal nucleus? Zoology 104:303-312.

Nolte BA and ME Rumpho 2001 Rapid micro-assay of camptothecin in Camptotheca acuminata.  Planta Medica 67:376-378.

Fukao T, RA Kennedy, Y Yamasue and ME Rumpho 2003 Analysis of anaerobically-induced enzymes during germination of Echinochloa crus-galli varieties tolerant and intolerant of anoxia. Journal of Experimental Botany 54:1-9.

Fukao T, S Ida, M Rumpho, R Kennedy and Y Yamasue 2003 Differential gene expression of the α-chain of mitochondrial H+- transporting ATP synthase between dormant and nondormant seeds of paddy Echinochloa weeds. Weed Biology and Management 3:15-20.

Fukao T, AH Paterson, MA Hussey, Y Yamasue, RA Kennedy, and ME Rumpho 2004 Construction of a comparative RFLP map of Echinochloa crus-galli toward QTL analysis of flooding tolerance. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 108:993-1001.

Green BJ, TC Fox, JR Manhart and ME Rumpho 2005 Stability of isolated chromophytic algal chloroplasts that participate in a unique molluscan/algal endosymbiosis. Symbiosis 40:31-40.

Rebecca Jo Van Beneden, Ph.D.
Professor, Dept. of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology
School of Marine Sciences
Supervisor, Automated DNA Sequencing Facility
The University of Maine
rebeccav@maine.edu
http://www.umaine.edu/bmmb/faculty/index.php/profile/rebecca_van_beneden

BS, Wright State University 1974, Biology
PhD, Johns Hopkins University 1983, Biochemistry
Postdoc, Johns Hopkins University 1984, Toxicology
Postoc, Frederick Cancer Research and Dev. Center 1989, Molecular Oncology

The research of this laboratory involves several related areas, all of which are relevant to the interrelationship of human and environmental health: (1) the role of oncogenes and suppressor genes in chemically-induced tumors in the Japanese medaka; (2) environmental toxicology in marine bivalve models, and (3) mutagenesis studies using fish cell lines. This comparative approach should allows Dr. Van Beneden to address the molecular mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis/ mutagenesis, which are conserved among phylogenetically-divergent species. She is investigating the role of oncogenes and suppressor genes in medaka that were exposed to known mammalian carcinogens and suspected aquatic toxicants. We are examining the changes which occur during tumorigenesis in gene regulation and structure. The long-term goal of this program is to develop nonmammalian models for toxicity assessment.

Butler, R.A., Kelley, M.L., Olberding, K.E., Gardner, G.R., and Van Beneden, R.J. The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR)-Independent effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on Softshell Clam (Mya arenaria) Reproductive Tissue. Comp. Biochem. Physiol, in press.

Olberding, K.E., Kelley, M.L., Butler , R.A. and Van Beneden, R.J. A HECT E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase with sequence similarity to E6AP does not target p53 for degradation in the softshell clam (Mya arenaria). Mutation Research 552: 61-71, 2004.

Butler , R.A., Kelley, M.L., Powell, W., Hahn , M.E. and Van Beneden, R.J. An aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) homologue from the soft-shell clam, Mya arenaria : evidence that invertebrate homologues lack 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p- dioxin and ß-naphthoflavone binding. Gene 278: 223-234, 2001.

Kelley, M.L., Winge, P., Heaney, J.D., Stephens, Farrell, J.H., Van Beneden, R.J., Reinsich, C.L., Lesser, M.P. and Walker , C.W. Expression of homologues for p53 and p73 in the softshell clam (Mya arenaria) , a Naturally-Occurring Model for Human Cancer. Oncogene 20: 748-758, 2001.

Rotchell, J.M., Ungal, E., Van Beneden, R.J. and Ostrander, G.K. Retinoblastoma gene mutations in chemically-induced liver tumors from the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) . Marine Biotechnology 3 : S44-49, 2001.

Robert Wheeler, PhD
Assistant Professor of Microbiology
The University of Maine
robert.wheeler@umit.maine.edu
http://www.umaine.edu/bmmb/faculty/index.php/profile/robert_wheeler

AB, Harvard College, 1993, Biology
PhD, Stanford University, 2000, Developmental Biology

There is an ongoing war between microbial pathogens and their hosts.  For each mode of host immunity, the challenger has designed a defense, which in turn leads the host to devise a new avenue of attack. Opportunistic pathogens such as the fungus Candida, a leading cause of hospital-acquired infection and an increasingly important killer, must be able to constantly evade the attacks of the host and exploit any break in host defense caused by a compromise of immunity.  The host, in turn, depends to a large part on innate immune responses to protect itself against this fungus.  Using high throughput cell biology and genetics, Dr. Wheeler is investigating this ongoing battle between fungi and host from both sides of the conflict.  His work studies fundamental biological questions that have clinical relevance.  In the near term, he expects to understand the normal host-pathogen interaction in disease and during drug treatment.  In the long term, he hopes to identify new means to prevent and treat fungal infection through attacking the fungus and modulating immune response.

Wheeler, R. T. and Shapiro, L. (1997) Bacterial Chromosome Segregation: Is There a Mitotic Apparatus?  Cell 88, 577-579.

Wheeler, R. T., Gober, J. W. and Shapiro, L. (1998) Protein localization during the Caulobacter crescentus cell cycle.  Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 6, 636-642.

Wheeler, R. T. and Shapiro, L. (1999) Differential localization of two histidine kinases controlling bacterial cell differentiation.  Molecular Cell 4, 683-694.

Wheeler, R. T., Kupiec, M., Magnelli, P., Abeijon, C. and Fink, G.R. (2003) A Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant with increased virulence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 100(5):2766-70.

Wheeler R.T., Fink G.R. (2006) A drug-sensitive genetic network masks fungi from the immune system.  PLoS Pathog. Apr;2(4):e35. Epub 2006 Apr 28.

Johnnidis J.B., Harris M.H., Wheeler R.T., Stehling-Sun S., Lam M.H., Kirak O., Brummelkamp T.R., Fleming M.D. and Camargo F.D. (2008) Regulation of progenitor cell proliferation and granulocyte function by microRNA-223. Nature. 451(7128):1125-9.

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