FALL 2007

Planktonic Crustaceans Feed Brain Research

reg Sousa, an INBRE GUndergraduate Student Summer Fellow from Bates College, has learned what scientific discovery is all about while working with copepods − tiny crustaceans − at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL). “Every finding we make is novel,” he explains. “It’s extremely exciting.” As Sousa and his mentor, Dr. Andrew Christie of MDIBL and the University of Washington, are finding, copepods can help us better understand the workings of our nervous systems and may provide an evolutionary link between insects and decapod crus - taceans such as lobsters and crabs. Although they go largely unnoticed at barely 2 millimeters long, copepods constitute ninety percent of ocean plankton. Of particular importance to the ecology of the North Atlantic is the copepod which is THE CHRISTIE LAB ABOARD THE INDIGO COLLECTING COPEPODS NEAR MOUNT DESERT ROCK , Calanus finmarchicus an essential part of the marine food 25 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTH OF BAR HARBOR chain. Neurologists have long used the In this Issue: Spotlight on Summer Research nervous systems of insects and crus - taceans to study the hormonal control Summer Fellow, Katelyn Michaud, UMaine-Farmington ‘09 Page 3 of behavior, providing insights into Genomics Study Becomes a Teaching Tool Page 3 basic neurological functioning. Squalus acanthias Arthropod nervous systems are useful Summer Student Symposium Page 4 models because, being composed of Visiting INBRE Scientist, Dr. Glen Collier Page 5 thousands rather than billions of UMaine’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Enters 2nd Year Page 5 neurons, they are much easier to study New In Print Page 6 than those of more complex organisms,

Continued on page 7 2 Written by Hand . . .

experiences our undergraduate students enjoyed over the last few months. Greg Sousa’s fellowship work ( see ) exemplifies the incredible cover story mentorship that the highly collegial and collaborative atmosphere Maine researchers have created can provide. We saw at our annual Summer Student Symposium that the INBRE program has succeeded in providing many opportunities for students to learn sci - entific techniques at the bench, while also developing the presentation and publication skills they’ll need to be successful. Faculty researchers continued their very productive year this summer too, as you’ll see in our publications listing on page seven. We were pleased to host colleagues from research institu - tions around Maine this summer at the MDI Biological Laboratory – including DR. C HARLES IRVIN , D IRECTOR , V ERMONT LUNG CENTER , AND DR. P ATRICIA HAND , A DMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR , MDIBL, AND PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR , M AINE INBRE ( PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICIA TEDESCO ) several from The University of Maine, UMaine-Augusta, and Colby College – he Northeastern IDeA States’ tools and services that may not be avail - as well as welcoming Dr. Glen Collier TRegional Meeting in Burlington, able at their home institutions. We’ll from the University of Oklahoma Vermont, August 15 – 17, provided all of eagerly follow the progress of the data - INBRE. us with a great capstone to our summer. base in the next few months. As fall begins, the Graduate The conference, which showcased IDeA There was also an important gather - School of Biomedical Sciences at programs from Maine, Vermont, New ing of Bioinformatics Core representa - UMaine enters its second year. We’re Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware, tives from the northeast states to discuss pleased to be one of many partners that drew over 200 participants. The two-day progress with NENI – the North East share the goals of providing more edu - program was very rich in science, includ - Network Initiative – a regional collabora - cation, training and opportunities in ing more than ninety scientific presenta - tion to improve access to upgraded net - biomedical science in Maine. tions, creating a fertile environment for working capabilities. NENI’s goals are: researchers to share their results and learn to improve regional internet connectivity Best wishes, about each other’s work. to nationwide networks; to provide train - Patricia Hand, PhD We were pleased to see so many ing and education for scientists and edu - Principal Investigator Maine INBRE and COBRE investigators cators; to strengthen inter-institutional representing our state’s biomedical partnerships; to facilitate biomedical research. Fourteen INBRE participants research collaborations; to enable access from the Mount Desert Island Biological to distributed research resources; and to Laboratory, The Jackson Laboratory, Bates support NIH–INBRE, NIH–COBRE and College and Colby College presented five NSF–EPSCoR Networks. platform presentations and six posters over Representatives from each state the course of the two-day conference. discussed the status of the information Nine COBRE scientists from the Maine technology infrastructure available to Medical Center Research Institute also them and what our needs are – as individ - presented their research. ual states and as a collective. We’re The IDeA regional meeting provided looking forward to the strength that this us with opportunities and avenues to share network will bring in building critical our states’ scientific resources with each infrastructure for research and education other. As one outcome of the meeting, the as we move forward.

Vermont INBRE is putting together a data - Research and education were at the OUTREACH CORE CO-D IRECTOR , M ICHAEL MCKERNAN , base of core facilities resources for the heart of our summer. You’ll read in this DISCUSSES UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS OFFERED THROUGH MAINE INBRE (PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICIA TEDESCO ) northeast so that investigators can find issue about some of the fantastic research 3 Summer Fellow, Katelyn Michaud, UM-Farmington ‘09

his summer I worked in Dr. androgen to rapidly grow. This study is I am very interested in women’s cancer TWesley Beamer’s lab at The important to human health because research. Jackson Laboratory on the molecular human JGCT is rare and only a few case Thank you very much for the genetics of ovarian cancer in mice. The studies have been conducted before in opportunity to conduct research at the experience inside and outside the lab has humans. Our mouse model allows us to Jackson Laboratory for the summer. I been amazing. study the tumors in mice and make com - hope you can continue to fund students The mouse model we use is similar parisons to humans. like me in the future. to the ovarian cancer in humans called The summer program will benefit Juvenile Granulosa Cell Tumor (JGCT), my future career significantly. My Thank you again, which is an extremely rare tumor that college has limited biomedical research affects girls under the age of 20. For the opportunities, so to participate in a summer I have been doing candidate program like this has allowed me to gene sequencing of two gene loci on the experience and learn the hardships of X chromosome. I have also been condut - biomedical research. After earning my ing immunohistochemistry comparisons bachelors degree, I plan to go on to of human JGCT and mouse JGCT tumor medical school and earn my MD/PhD. tissues for the androgen receptor. I hope to conduct clinical and translation - Katelyn Michaud, Gorham, Maine We believe that these tumors need al research in the field of oncology. University of Maine-Farmington ‘09

Squalus acanthias Genomics Study Becomes a Teaching Tool

ogfish sharks ( The University of Maine-Augusta, has not all individuals carry similar genes Squalus acan - ), long a valuable model continued to study the genetic structure of which might make them all particular - Dthias for biomedical research, are becoming dogfish sharks in more depth, analyzing ly susceptible to one threat or another. more difficult to find on the Maine nine microsatellite loci in tissue samples Another challenging factor in the coast. A new effort involving investiga - from over 300 research specimens com - population’s stability is that the gesta - tors from the College of the Atlantic ing through MDIBL. tion period for dogfish sharks is almost (COA), the University of Maine and the two years – the longest of any verte - Mount Desert Island Biological brate species – placing a higher impor - Laboratory (MDIBL), is studying the tance on the success and viability of genotypes of captured sharks. The each litter. As Lage says, “other project will help scientists understand species have a refuge in fertility,” with some of the causes behind the shark’s their more numerous and more fre - dwindling population while providing a quent offspring ensuring the survival training ground for students to learn of the species. biomedical research techniques such as Adding to this already deli - PCR assays and microsatellite analysis cate reproductive balance, dogfish of genotypes. travel in schools of like size and sex, Dr. Charles Wray, an evolution - with females sticking together – where ary biologist, and staff of the laboratory predators or fishermen find one preg - of Dr. David Barnes, Associate Director nant female they will find many, and of the Center for Marine Functional potentially wipe out the offspring of Genomics Studies at MDIBL, kicked off two years’ development. this project last March with a This winter COA students Molecular class will continue the study under the guid - Biology Research Techniques including students from the University ance of Dr. Wray and Dr. Chris of Maine-Machias and University of Petersen of COA. The research will Maine-Farmington. The class examined The work is important not just in allow students to develop their molecu - the genetic structures of two dogfish understanding the reproductive biology of lar biology skills while monitoring the families using three different microsatel - the species, but because it indicates how population of that Squalus acanthias lite loci designed to help determine the much genetic variation may occur between has played such an important role in inheritance of alleles. generations. Genetic variation provides a the study of transport-related diseases This summer Dr. Christopher buffer for species against substantial such as cystic fibrosis, as well as many Lage, a population geneticist from climate change or disease by ensuring that other ailments from cataracts to cancer. 4 Summer Fellowship Students Share their Science

n August 2nd INBRE Summer OFellows from around Maine gathered at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory to present the results of their season’s projects. Students conducted research ranging from the role of calcium signaling recep - tor in chloride secretion, to the repair of LASIK corneas, and muscle fiber and myotome boundary morphogenesis in zebrafish. The outdoor poster session was very impressive, and evidenced the time and effort students had spent on their proj - ects. The interactive session attracted lots of viewers asking interesting, tough questions, and not one student was left standing idly. Fellowship participants fielded queries easily, with sophisticated answers. As another part of the Student Symposium, some INBRE fellows also presented their work orally to an audito - rium full of scientists and peers. Students gained valuable experience in All of the INBRE fellows exhibited ABOVE : SCIENTISTS , STAFF AND STUDENTS GATHER AT THE OUTDOOR POSTER SESSION presenting their research clearly in front professionalism, organization and thor - of an audience, and in developing an oughness in their presentations. This BELOW LEFT : INBRE FELLOW KRISTEN YOUNG OF BATES COLLEGE PRESENTED HER STUDY “C OMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE ACID - effective Powerpoint presentation. The group of talented students demonstrated BASE BALANCE IN THE GREEN CRAB AND THE AMERICAN LOBSTER ” question and answer portion at the end the strength of the Summer Fellows pro - CONDUCTED UNDER MENTOR MARY KATE WORDEN , P HD

of each talk made for stimulating insight gram and the valuable opportunity for BELOW RIGHT : “M OLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF NHE8 IN for both the researchers and audience in-depth research that it provides to PETROMYZON MARINUS ” WAS THE RESEARCH FOCUS OF JENN FORTIER FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE , WHO WORKED WITH members. undergraduates. SUSAN EDWARDS , P HD 5 Visiting INBRE Scientist, Dr.Glen Collier

GeneChip platform for the measurement spent the last two months at the MDI of mRNA expression in the state desig - Biological Laboratory on a study of nated for use by researchers throughout arginine kinase in the green crab the area, as well as other molecular ( ) as part of his sab - Carcinus maenas genetics services and consultation for batical. As the sister group to the researchers. hexapoda (insects like ), the Drosophila One of Collier’s own research foci, decapod crustaceans which include the as a specialist in molecular evolution and green crabs could show evolutionary genetics, is the gene-enzyme system similarity, or indicate that a molecular arginine kinase in (fruitfly). divergence had occurred. Over the Drosophila Like the human enzyme creatine kinase course of the summer Dr. Collier has (made notorious by supplements identified multiple forms of the protein designed to enhance athletic perform - arginine kinase in tissues of the green ance), arginine kinase helps make energy crab, while thus far only locating one available to cells. While arginine kinase copy of the gene. Further tests will is found in several tissues throughout the need to be done to determine the body of the fruitfly such as the ovary, genetic basis of these multiple forms muscles, and nerves, only one gene of arginine kinase. encodes the enzyme found in all these Collier hopes to return to MDIBL locations, whereas humans have multiple in the spring to finish the study. Its DR. G LENN COLLIER , M ICROARRAY CORE DIRECTOR , OKLAHOMA INBRE, copies of the gene encoding creatine findings could help scientists better AT THE MDI B IOLOGICAL LABORATORY kinase each of which is expressed in a understand gene diversification, and unique subset of tissues. Thus the genet - may have implications for gene thera - his summer Maine welcomed ic architecture of arginine kinase’s diver - py. In the meantime he’s off to Costa Oklahoma INBRE Microarray sity in is very different from Rica to study the larvae of a fruitfly T Drosophila Core Director, Dr. Glen Collier, PhD. that of creatine kinase in vertebrates. relative which develop in the petals of His core facility at The University of To explore the evolutionary history flowers of a rainforest tree, a phenom - Tulsa provides the only Affymetrix of this genetic structure further, Collier enon he wants to examine first hand. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Begins 2nd Year

s The University of Maine’s Students can attend classes and inter - arsenic on the development of zebrafish AGraduate School of Biomedical act with faculty virtually from their host embryos. This means Brothers is now Sciences (GSBS) begins its second year, institutions via a high-tech videoconfer - studying toxicology, while the Master’s a new round of students are beginning encing system. In addition to classes, degree she completed at the University their rotations at research laboratories students will complete three rotations in of Southern Maine was in Immunology. across Maine. The UMaine program at least two different partner institution Her next rotation will be in the lab of draws on close relationships between labs over the course of their studies. Dr. Carol Kim at The University of many of Maine’s research and higher The program provides a valuable Maine, examining the role of the Cystic education institutions including The in-state opportunity for Maine residents Fibrosis gene in patho - Pseudomonas Jackson Laboratory, the Mount Desert to pursue their studies in the biomedical genesis, again using the zebrafish as a Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL), sciences, but is also attracting students model organism. Brothers is enthusias - Maine Medical Center Research from other states and countries to come tic about the opportunity. “The GSBS Institute, Maine Institute for Human to Maine. Kim Brothers of Vermont is program,” she says, “promotes exposure Genetics and Health, the University of one participant who chose the program to different areas of expertise.” Southern Maine and the University of because of “the diversity of opportunities New England College of Osteopathic provided by the variety of sites for labo - Medicine. This multi-institutional ratory experiences.” Brothers is doing Do you have INBRE news? partnership brings over 80 combined her first rotation in the laboratory of Dr. faculty to the program, providing Antonio Planchart, who holds a joint Please let us know about upcoming events, items of interest and your students with a rich base of teachers and appointment at MDIBL and College of program accomplishments. mentors from diverse fields, including the Atlantic. Dr. Planchart, whose genomics, biophysics, molecular and cell research is funded by INBRE, is working Contact: Aimée Picard biology, neuroscience, and the molecular on a project which examines the effects (207) 288-3605 x101 mechanisms of disease. of three different concentrations of [email protected] 6 New In Print IDeA Network of he collaborative research team involving Bowdoin College investiga - AT LEFT : INBRE O UTREACH CORE CO -D IRECTOR MICHAEL tors , PhD, , PhD, Biomedical T PATSY DICKINSON ELIZABETH STEMMLER MCKERNAN DISCUSSES MAINE ’S and , as well as , PhD, CHRISTOPHER CASHMAN ANDREW CHRISTIE Research MDI Biological Laboratory and the University of Washington, has published another paper on their work. “Direct tissue MALDI-FTMS profiling of indi - Excellence vidual sinus glands reveals that one of three distinct combi - Cancer productus Research Institutions: nations of crustacean hyperglycemic hormone precursor-related peptide Mount Desert Island Biological (CPRP) isoforms are present in individual crabs,” authors EA Stemmler, YA Laboratory The Jackson Laboratory Hsu, CR Cashman, DI Messinger, HO de la Iglesia, PS Dickinson and AE Christie, appears in (2007) 154(1- General and Comparative Endocrinology Baccalaureate Institutions: 3):184-92. Bates College Bowdoin College Colby College Colby College researchers, , PhD, and undergraduate College of the Atlantic JULIE MILLARD The University of Maine ‘07 published “DNA Interstrand Cross-Linking by ADAM NEWMAN Epichlorohydrin,” authors Romano, Keith P, AG Newman, RW Zahran, and JT Millard, in 2007, 20: 832-838. Outreach Baccalaureate Institutions: Chemical Research in Toxicology, University of Maine at Farmington University of Maine at Machias INBRE Junior Faculty members , PhD, and CLARE BATES CONGDON , PhD, recently published two papers with collabo - Maine INBRE Director: CAROLYN MATTINGLY Patricia Hand, Ph.D. rators from the University of Illinois. “An evaluation of information content as a metric for the inference of putative conserved non-coding regions in DNA Maine INBRE Program Coordinator: sequence using a genetic algorithms approach," appears in the June 13 edition David Barnes, Ph.D. of , authors CB Congdon, J Aman, GM Nava, HR Gaskins, C IEEE/ACM TCBB INBRE External Advisory Committee: Mattingly, 10.1109/TCBB.2007.1059. Barbara Beltz, Ph.D., Chair Christopher Bayne, Ph.D. James Gentile, Ph.D. The second paper, “Towards Interactive Visualization for Exploring John G. Hildebrand, Ph.D. Lynette Hirschman, Ph.D. Conserved Motifs in Non-coding DNA Sequence,” authors CB Congdon, HR Leonard I. Zon, M.D. Gaskins, GM Nava, C Mattingly, is in Proceedings of Frontiers in the 2007 (FBIT 2007), INBRE Steering Committee: Convergence of Bioscience and Information Technologies Pamela Baker, Ph.D., Bates IEEE Press, 2007. Patsy Dickinson, Ph.D., Bowdoin Keith Hutchison, Ph.D., U of Maine Barbara Knowles, Ph.D., INBRE Junior Faculty Researcher and MDIBL Investigator, J DENRY The Jackson Laboratory was co-author on two papers published earlier this year. “Role of the Chris Petersen, Ph.D., COA SATO Edward Yeterian, Ph.D., Colby glucocorticoid receptor and environmental arsenic in acclimation to seawater in killifish ( ),” authors JR Shaw, K Gabor, E Hand, A Fundulus heteroclitus Core Directors: Lankowsky, L Durant, R Thibodeau, CR Stanton, R Barnaby, B Coutermarsh, John Gregory, Ed.D. Carolyn Mattingly, Ph.D. K Karlson, J. Sato, JW Hamilton and BA Stanton, was in the American Journal Michael McKernan , 292: David Towle, Ph.D. of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology Charles Wray, Ph.D. R1052-1060.

NSuaptiponoarlt eCde bntye: r for Research Resources The second paper, “Immunohistochemical expression of HBp17/FGFBP-1, National Institutes of Health FGF-2 and VEGF-A in head and neck tumorigenesis,” authors S Begum, Y Zhang, T Shintani, S Toratani, JD Sato, and T Okamoto, was in Oncology This publication was made possible by 17: 591-596. NIH Grant Number P20 RR-016463 Reports from the INBRE Program of the National Center for Research Resources 7 Continued from page one: Planktonic crustaceans

feed on copepods. Captain Andrew Peterson has taken Sousa and Christie to those fertile collecting grounds in COA’s 40-foot vessel Indigo, which is equipped for plankton trawls. Sousa will continue his copepod research as his senior research project at Bates College, working with Dr. Nancy Kleckner, Associate Professor of Biology. Bowdoin College researchers Dr. Patsy Dickinson and Dr. Elizabeth Stemmler – who have a long-standing collaboration with Dr. Christie, himself a Bowdoin graduate – will also mentor Sousa and provide access to their confocal microscope for imaging his fluorescently labeled nerv - ous systems. Sousa will also use their Fourier transform mass spectrometer to determine the amino acid sequences and post-translation modifications of the copepod peptide hormones. INBRE F ELLOW , G REG SOUSA (LEFT ), WITH MENTOR DR. A NDREW CHRISTIE AT MDIBL’ S ZEISS CONFOCAL “Maine INBRE is very collegial,” but still function similarly on many lev - In fact, this summer Sousa and says Christie, “we have wonderful els. In addition, comparing the nervous Christie prepared a paper that describes relationships, and it has created a systems of insects, decapods, and their for the first time a copepod neuropep - situation in which Greg can take a common ancestors teaches us about the tidergic system. Their article on allato - summer project he has been working evolution of nervous systems and neuro - statins, a family of peptides that govern on with me here at MDIBL back to his hormones. For those reasons, and developmental maturation and reproduc - home institution, with no lack of because little is known about copepod tion in arthropods, was accepted for pub - scientific mentors.” neurons and the hormones that govern lication in Sousa appreciates the opportunity General and Comparative them, Sousa and Christie set out to char - – a leading journal in the he has had to learn from so many Endocrinology acterize the neurochemistry of the cope - field of neuroendocrinology. scientists and take the research further pod nervous system. than he could have with a single ten- Sousa started working in the Christie week internship. He had to learn a lab at MDIBL on an INBRE fellowship The project has also become great deal about physiology and in the summer of 2006. In order to research techniques during his first identify the neuropeptides − neurotrans - a collaborative effort summer, but during the second sum - mitters which may be associated with involving not only MDIBL, mer he could function more as an specific behaviors − in , but several other INBRE independent researcher. The INBRE C. finmarchicus he learned how to dissect the copepod institutions around Maine, program has allowed him to develop nervous system and conduct immunohis - including Bates College, substantial relationships with the PIs tochemical labeling. Sousa mastered at MDIBL and around Maine, hone his both techniques and began imaging his Bowdoin College, networking skills, and learn how data using the confocal microscope and College of the Atlantic. projects are developed. system at the Lab. It was a steep learn - He’s looking forward to continu - ing curve, however, and Christie was The project has also become a ing his research back at Bates and will surprised when Sousa was eager to collaborative effort involving not only look for a job in a laboratory when he pursue the project again during his sec - MDIBL and Sousa’s home institution, graduates in June 2008. Eventually, ond summer at MDIBL. Bates College, but other Maine INBRE he plans to go to graduate school. “The microdissection of the copepod institutions, including College of the Sousa is undecided about whether to was so tedious, and at times frustrating, Atlantic (COA) and Bowdoin College. pursue a Ph.D., an M.D., or both, but that I wasn’t going to suggest Greg try it For instance, COA has a marine research an advanced degree, biomedical again,” Christie says, “but he has persist - station at Mount Desert Rock, 25 nauti - research, and the thrill of discovery ed and has done an amazing job.” cal miles offshore where baleen whales will definitely be part of his future. Who we are

he Maine IDeA Network of TBiomedical Research CONTACT INFORMATION: Excellence (INBRE) is an Maine INBRE NCRR/NIH-supported network of MOUNT DESERT ISLAND ten Maine institutions including BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY Mount Desert Island Biological P.O. Box 35 Salisbury Cove, ME 04672 Laboratory (lead institution), Bates www.mdibl.org College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, College of the Atlantic, The WWW .MAINEIDEA .NET Jackson Laboratory, and The University of Maine. Maine INBRE outreach institutions include The Patricia H. Hand, Ph.D. University of Maine at Farmington Maine INBRE and The University of Maine at Principal Investigator Machias. 207/288-3605 (tel) The overall goal of the Maine 207/288-2130 (fax) INBRE is to strengthen Maine’s email: [email protected] capacity to conduct NIH competitive Jerilyn M. Bowers biomedical research. Maine’s Director of Public Affairs INBRE provides research support 207-288-3147 (tel) and core facilities to junior faculty, 207-288-2130 (fax) creates research and training oppor - email: [email protected] tunities for undergraduates, serves as a pipeline for undergraduate students to pursue health research Maine’s INBRE is supported careers and enhances the scientific by NIH Grant Number P20 and technical knowledge of Maine’s RR-016463 from the INBRE workforce. Program of the National Center for Research Resources