The grant of $850,000 over five years will be used to identify and study the regulatory target genes and pathways through which the sea urchin Runx protein, SpRunt, controls cell proliferation during embryogenesis. Runx proteins are transcription factors that are critical for normal development of blood, bone, and other tissues in vertebrates. They are frequently mutated in leukemia and other human cancers. Runx proteins promote both cell differentiation and cell proliferation, depending on context.

     Little is currently known about the mechanisms used by this family of transcription factors to control cell proliferation. The sea urchin embryo is a particularly useful system for studying this problem because it has a simple pattern of cell proliferation and only one Runx gene. Vertebrates have three Runx genes, and fruit flies have four. Additionally, sea urchins are one of the best in vivo cell and developmental biological systems available for molecular and biochemical analyses of gene regulation. This project will take advantage of the recently sequenced genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.

     “We congratulate Dr. Coffman in his successful application for support from the National Institutes of Health for his studies of the Runx protein,” said William B. Neaves, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Stowers Institute. “The grant will enable him to pursue his interesting research in new directions.”

About the Institute
     Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing and curing disease. The Institute was founded by Jim and Virginia Stowers, two cancer survivors who have endowed it with more than $1.7 billion in support of basic research of the highest quality. Additional information about Dr. Coffman ’s research program may be found at http://www.stowers-institute.org/labs/CoffmanLab.asp. Photos available upon request.