Core--Mechanisms of Cell Signaling

描述（由申请人提供）：细胞信号传导机制研究核心专注于细胞识别和响应影响细胞增殖和存活的环境压力的信号传导机制。显然，许多环境因子改变了关键的信号通路，从而引发了刺激或抑制细胞增殖或凋亡的分子信号机制的畸变。这些改变包括癌蛋白的激活、肿瘤抑制因子的失活和凋亡信号通路的改变。与遗传学一起，信号转导对当前对细胞增殖和凋亡紊乱的分子和机制理解做出了重大贡献，例如癌症和神经退行性疾病，这些疾病通常与环境暴露有关。由于最近基因组学和蛋白质组学研究的爆炸式增长，分子毒理学中心开发了一个新的研究核心，细胞信号传导机制，由具有广泛研究经验和兴趣的研究人员组成，专注于剖析与毒理学相关的细胞信号传导途径。该核心的成员为中心提供了致力于确定关键信号通路和分析这些通路中在细胞结果中起关键作用的蛋白质的教员。核心提供了相当多的专业知识，中心的其他核心可以开发新的理解和方法来分析特定的信号通路。核心成员代表了细胞信号领域的不同利益。其成员包括对化学和生物化学以及细胞和分子生物学感兴趣的教师。然而，核心保持了一个主要的整体焦点，分析影响指示细胞增殖，DNA修复和细胞存活的信号通路的生化机制。核心有两个广泛的目标：1)提高每个实验室对研究目标的认识，从而鼓励核心和中心内部的合作可能性；2)提供强大的

Description (provided by applicant): The Mechanisms of Cell Signaling Research Core is focused on the mechanisms of signaling by which cells recognize and respond to environmental stresses that influence cell proliferation and survival. Clearly many environmental agents alter key signaling pathways, thus provoking aberrations in the molecular signaling mechanisms that stimulate or suppress cell proliferation or apoptosis. These alterations include activation of oncoproteins, inactivation of tumor suppressors, and modification of apoptotic signaling pathways. Together with genetics, signal transduction has contributed significantly to the current molecular and mechanistic understanding of disorders of cell proliferation and apoptosis, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, that are frequently linked to environmental exposures. Due to the recent explosion in genomic- and proteomic-based research, the Center in Molecular Toxicology has developed a new research core, Mechanisms of Cell Signaling, comprised of investigators with a breadth of research experience and interests that focus on dissecting cellular signaling pathways relevant to toxicology. Members of this Core provide the Center with faculty committed to determining key signaling pathways and analyzing proteins in those pathways that play pivotal roles in cellular outcome. The Core provides considerable expertise upon which other Cores in the Center can develop new understandings and approaches for the analysis of particular signaling pathways. Core membership represents diverse interests within the area of cell signaling. The members include faculty with interests in chemistry and biochemistry, as well as cellular and molecular biology. However, the Core maintains a primary overall focus, analysis of biochemical mechanisms that impact signaling pathways that dictate cell proliferation, DNA repair, and cell survival. The Core has two broad goals: 1) to increase the awareness of research objectives within each laboratory, thereby encouraging collaborative possibilities within the Core and Center, and 2) to provide strong biological expertise for addressing the biological relevance and regulation of other biochemical processes that are the focus of other Research Cores within the Center.