à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã

South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University assistant professor Ryan Hanson has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to better understand the mechanisms that control stress-responsive gene expressions.

When our cells experience physical stresses, toxins or other forms of stimulus, a stress-activated protein is triggered. These proteins are crucial for determining the response of the cell to the stimulus. Will the cell pause normal functions? Will it repair the damage? Or will it trigger cell death?

These complex processes are not widely understood in the field of human biology and remain a key topic of study. A new project from South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University's College of Natural Sciences seeks to better understand the ways in which our cells interpret and respond to stress.

Ryan Hanson, assistant professor in SDSU's Department of Biology and Microbiology, received to study how c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), a protein kinase activated in response to cellular stress, contributes to gene expression patterns. 

Hanson and his research team have previously studied the dynamics of JNK activation and found that different methods of activation can give rise to specific gene expression patterns, ultimately deciding the fate of the cell. In this new study, Hanson and his team will take their work one step further and seek to understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for these patterns.

"This is very fundamental biology," Hanson said. "This research is focused on answering fundamental biological questions relating to the control of gene expression."

Hanson, an accomplished researcher who spent time doing postdoc work at the National Cancer Institute, will use cutting-edge technology, including time-lapse fluorescence microscopy and the development of new fluorescent biosensors, to study how cells respond to stress over time. This approach will allow Hanson and his team to analyze how stress-induced pathways are activated over time.

"This will allow us to look at how these pathways are correlated with cell fate outcomes," Hanson said. 
Previously, Hanson had developed a computational model to predict how manipulation of JNK activation patterns can influence gene expression. The results of this research will enhance the model, enabling a greater understanding of JNK activation and gene expression patterns.

"In theory, the results of this research would allow us to predict gene expression patterns based on the dynamics that we see in response to different stimuli," Hanson said.

A secondary component of this project includes outreach efforts at local elementary and middle schools. Hanson will collaborate with teachers at a Brookings-area school to build microscopes from plywood and magnifying lenses and provide science demonstrations.

"We will also implement this into the Sioux Falls Connect middle school visits," Hanson added.

The NSF award, which is slated to last three years, will enhance the South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã STEM workforce through the support of two graduate students and three undergraduate students. The students will receive key experience and training in experimental research and science communication.