Maria Isabel Isabel Dominguez, PhD
Assistant Professor, Medicine
Biography
The long-standing interest of my laboratory is the regulation of signaling pathways, including understanding the molecular mechanisms of action of signaling components in normal biological processes and in disease processes. We are currently focused on understanding the cascade of intracellular events that leads to the activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and the biological role of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway during embryonic development and in disease. We employ three experimental systems: Xenopus laevis, mice, and cultured cell lines and primary cells. We use these systems to gain information on gene functions with the goal to uncover and characterize biochemical and developmental mechanisms that could ultimately be used to prevent Wnt/beta-catenin deregulation in congenital and adult diseases. Our areas of interest are:
1. To characterize the molecular mechanism leading to activation (stabilization and nuclear translocation) of ß-catenin, the key intracellular Wnt component that is activated in many human tumors
2. To define the role of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling during embryonic development, including its role in dorso-ventral axis formation and organ morphogenesis
3. To determine how deregulation of Wnt/ß-catenin components leads to diseases such as cancer and congenital defects
.
Other Positions
- Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center, Boston University
- Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research, Boston University
- Member, Genome Science Institute, Boston University
- Assistant Dean, Diversity & Multicultural Affairs, Boston University School of Medicine
- Boston Medical Center
- Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students), Boston University School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences
Education
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, PhD
- University of the Basque Country, MSc
- University of the Basque Country, BS
Classes Taught
- PS701
Publications
- Published on 11/21/2020
Guerra B, Dembic M, Siddiqui MA, Dominguez I, Ceppi P, Andresen BS. Down-Regulation of CK2a Leads toUp-Regulation of the Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27KIP1 in Conditions Unfavorable for the Growth of Myoblast Cells. Cell Physiol Biochem. 2020 Nov 21; 54(6):1177-1198. PMID: 33216476.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/1/2020
Dominguez I, Zumwalt AC. Integrating the basic sciences in medical curricula: focus on the basic scientists. Adv Physiol Educ. 2020 Jun 01; 44(2):119-123. PMID: 32108509.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/1/2020
Bolgioni, AF, Barbercheck,CR, Hokanson, SC, Dominguez, I, Spencer, JL, Hyman, LE, Schreiber BM. BEST: Implementing Career Development Activities for Biomedical Research Trainees. BU’s BEST: Using biomedical workforce data to inform curriculum and influence career exploration. Academic Press. San Diego. 2020; 1-10.
- Published on 10/10/2019
Schaefer S, Doktor TK, Frederiksen SB, Chea K, Hlavacova M, Bruun GH, Rabjerg M, Andresen BS, Dominguez I, Guerra B. Down-regulation of CK2a correlates with decreased expression levels of DNA replication minichromosome maintenance protein complex (MCM) genes. Sci Rep. 2019 10 10; 9(1):14581. PMID: 31601942.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/4/2019
Ann C. Zumwalt, Isabel Dominguez. Integrating the Educators: Outcomes of a Pilot Program to Prime Basic Science Medical Educators for Success in Integrated Curricula. Medical Science Educator. 2019; 29(3):637–642.
Read at: Custom - Published on 4/4/2019
Marivin A, Morozova V, Walawalkar I, Leyme A, Kretov DA, Cifuentes D, Dominguez I, Garcia-Marcos M. GPCR-independent activation of G proteins promotes apical cell constriction in vivo. J Cell Biol. 2019 05 06; 218(5):1743-1763. PMID: 30948426.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/4/2017
Chua MMJ, Lee M, Dominguez I. Cancer-type dependent expression of CK2 transcripts. PLoS One. 2017; 12(12):e0188854. PMID: 29206231.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 11/13/2017
Leyme A, Marivin A, Maziarz M, DiGiacomo V, Papakonstantinou MP, Patel PP, Blanco-Canosa JB, Walawalkar IA, Rodriguez-Davila G, Dominguez I, Garcia-Marcos M. Specific inhibition of GPCR-independent G protein signaling by a rationally engineered protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 11 28; 114(48):E10319-E10328. PMID: 29133411.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 4/29/2017
Lee M, Chea K, Pyda R, Chua M, Dominguez I. Comparative Analysis of Non-viral Transfection Methods in Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast Cells. J Biomol Tech. 2017 Jul; 28(2):67-74. PMID: 28507462.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/28/2017
Chua MM, Ortega CE, Sheikh A, Lee M, Abdul-Rassoul H, Hartshorn KL, Dominguez I. CK2 in Cancer: Cellular and Biochemical Mechanisms and Potential Therapeutic Target. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2017 Jan 28; 10(1). PMID: 28134850.
Read at: PubMed
View 39 more publications: View full profile at BUMC