Cell migration is a fundamental process required in both physiological conditions, such as organ and tissue development, and pathological conditions such as wound healing, inflammation and cancer. Despite many pathways and molecules involved in cell migration have been identified, there are still several open questions regarding the molecular regulation of this very sophisticated process.
In particular, cancer cell migration and invasion in the surrounding tissues is the initial step in the cancer progression and metastasis formation, and metastasis, the dissemination of malignant cells to distant tissues and organs, is the most frequent cause of death for patients with cancer, being responsible of about 90% of cancer-associated mortality.
Despite this incredibly high mortality rate, not all the molecular mechanisms regulating the processes of tumor cell migration and invasion are known.
Recent reports and our results suggest a novel role for Rab proteins, mainly known as master regulators of intracellular transport, in the processes of cell migration and tumor progression. In this project, we therefore aim to identify which members of the Rab family are directly involved in the regulation of cancer cell migration, their interactors and the underlying molecular mechanisms.
We have recently performed a screening to identify Rab proteins involved in cancer cell migration. The aim of this master project is to characterize the functional significance of the identified proteins in cancer cell migration. The master student will deplete cancer cells of the proteins of interest by RNA interference and study the effects on cytoskeleton and cell motility using migration, invasion and chemotaxis assays together with live imaging techniques.
Methods:
The student will use several state-of-the-art microscopy techniques, all available at the NorMic imaging platform (http://www.mn.uio.no/ibv/english/research/about/infrastructure/imaging/), and quantitative image analysis. The project involves also various cellular and molecular biology techniques, including recombinant DNA technology, PCR, protein expression and purification, Western blotting, immunoprecipitation, RNA interference, cell culture, and cell transfection.
Contact info: c.a.m.progida@ibv.uio.no
Phone: 22854441
Room: 3626