Project Grant K99GM154059

The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) was awarded a $124,767 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) on September 10, 2024. The grant supports research on RNA and genome regionalization within the giant single-celled organism Stentor coeruleus, with the goal of understanding how cellular patterning and asymmetry are established through the spatial organization of RNA and chromatin. The project leverages the unique cellular architecture and nuclear properties of Stentor to investigate two models of cellular patterning via RNA localization and genome regionalization. The research will involve subsectioning Stentor cells and nuclei to analyze RNA expression and chromatin structure across different regions. This work is expected to lead to new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular patterning and its relationship to gene expression, with potential implications for development and disease.