“Jason came highly recommended to work with me on a time constrained project involving quantitative protein biochemistry. He worked diligently to develop a protocol for quantitative assessment of protein levels from immunoblots. Jason was able to produce reproducible data well within the deadline to support a collaboration with Prof. Andrew Millar. A portion of his total work was published (Pokhilko, A., J. A. Ramos, et al., 2011. J Theor Biol 270:31). Jason showed persistence and competence to take on a labor intensive task. He worked collaboratively in a team environment and got along well with other scientists. It is my pleasure to recommend Jason as a colleague. Sincerely, Rajnish Rajnish Khanna, Ph.D Senior Scientist, Research Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. 3935 Point Eden Way Livermore, CA 94545 Please feel free to contact me for any further inquiries at rkhanna@mendelbio.com”
Activity
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This week’s #onlywithHCR Series features Sriram Sudarsanam, a PhD student in the Kolodkin Lab at John Hopkins University School of Medicine!…
This week’s #onlywithHCR Series features Sriram Sudarsanam, a PhD student in the Kolodkin Lab at John Hopkins University School of Medicine!…
Liked by Jason A. Ramos, Ph.D.
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Interested in joining the Reagent R&D team at Biocare Medical and working for a rapidly growing cancer diagnostics company? Apply for our open…
Interested in joining the Reagent R&D team at Biocare Medical and working for a rapidly growing cancer diagnostics company? Apply for our open…
Shared by Jason A. Ramos, Ph.D.
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Interested in joining the Reagent R&D team at Biocare Medical and working for a rapidly growing cancer diagnostics company? Apply for our open…
Interested in joining the Reagent R&D team at Biocare Medical and working for a rapidly growing cancer diagnostics company? Apply for our open…
Shared by Jason A. Ramos, Ph.D.
Experience & Education
Publications
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Ubiquitin ligase switch in plant photomorphogenesis: A hypothesis.
Journal of Theoretical Biology
The E3 ubiquitin ligase COP1 (CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1) plays a key role in the repression of the plant photomorphogenic development in darkness. In the presence of light, COP1 is inactivated by a mechanism which is not completely understood. This leads to accumulation of COP1’s target transcription factors, which initiates photomorphogenesis, resulting in dramatic changes of the seedling’s physiology.
Here we use a mathematical model to explore the possible mechanism of COP1…The E3 ubiquitin ligase COP1 (CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1) plays a key role in the repression of the plant photomorphogenic development in darkness. In the presence of light, COP1 is inactivated by a mechanism which is not completely understood. This leads to accumulation of COP1’s target transcription factors, which initiates photomorphogenesis, resulting in dramatic changes of the seedling’s physiology.
Here we use a mathematical model to explore the possible mechanism of COP1 modulation upon dark/light transition in Arabidopsis thaliana based upon data for two COP1 target proteins: HY5 and HFR1, which play critical roles in photomorphogenesis. The main reactions in our model are the inactivation of COP1 by a proposed photoreceptor-related inhibitor I and interactions between COP1 and a CUL4 (CULLIN4)-based ligase. For building and verification of the model, we used the available published and our new data on the kinetics of HY5 and HFR1 together with the data on COP1 abundance. HY5 has been shown to accumulate at a slower rate than HFR1. To describe the observed differences in the timecourses of the “slow” target HY5 and the “fast” target HFR1, we hypothesize a switch between the activities of COP1 and CUL4 ligases upon dark/light transition, with COP1 being active mostly in darkness and CUL4 in light. The model predicts a bi-phasic kinetics of COP1 activity upon the exposure of plants to light, with its restoration after the initial decline and the following slow depletion of the total COP1 content. CUL4 activity is predicted to increase in the presence of light. We propose that the ubiquitin ligase switch is important for the complex regulation of multiple transcription factors during plants development. In addition, this provides a new mechanism for sensing the duration of light period, which is important for seasonal changes in plant development.Other authorsSee publication -
Degradation of the Auxin Response Factor ARF1.
The Plant Journal
Auxin-mediated gene expression is largely controlled through a family of DNA-binding proteins known as auxin response factors (ARF). Previous studies on the role of proteolytic regulation in auxin signaling have focused on degradation of their interacting partner, the Aux/IAA proteins. Aux/IAA family members with domain II sequences are rapidly degraded, show auxin-enhanced degradation rates, and interact with the related F-box proteins TIR1 and AFB1-3, which indicates that they are…
Auxin-mediated gene expression is largely controlled through a family of DNA-binding proteins known as auxin response factors (ARF). Previous studies on the role of proteolytic regulation in auxin signaling have focused on degradation of their interacting partner, the Aux/IAA proteins. Aux/IAA family members with domain II sequences are rapidly degraded, show auxin-enhanced degradation rates, and interact with the related F-box proteins TIR1 and AFB1-3, which indicates that they are ubiquitylated by a CUL1-dependent E3 ligase. To date, limited data have been generated regarding degradation of ARFs. Here, we focus on the degradation rate of one ARF family member, Arabidopsis thaliana ARF1, and find that the half-lives of N-terminally HA-tagged ARF1 and C-terminally luciferase-tagged ARF1 are both approximately 3-4 h. This half-life appears to be conferred by a component of the middle region (MR), and degradation of the luciferase fusion with the MR is more rapid when the fusion includes an additional nuclear localization signal. ARF1 degradation is proteasome-dependent and rates are not altered in a CUL1 mutant background, suggesting that this ARF is targeted for proteasomal degradation via an alternative set of machinery to that used for Aux/IAA degradation. Consistent with this, exogenous indole acetic acid does not affect the degradation of ARF1. Given increasing evidence that the relative ratio of Aux/IAAs to ARFs rather than the absolute quantity within the cell appears to be the mode through which auxin signaling is modulated, this half-life is likely to be biologically relevant.
Other authorsSee publication -
Motexafin Gadolinium Modulates Levels of Phosphorylated Akt and Synergizes with Inhibitors of Akt Phosphorylation.
Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
Motexafin gadolinium (MGd, Xcytrin) is a tumor-selective expanded porphyrin that targets oxidative stress–related proteins. MGd treatment of the follicular lymphoma–derived cell line HF-1 resulted in growth suppression and apoptosis whereas MGd treatment of the Burkitt's lymphoma–derived cell line Ramos resulted in growth suppression but not apoptosis. Because phosphorylation status of Akt/protein kinase B is regulated by oxidative stress, we monitored total and phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) in…
Motexafin gadolinium (MGd, Xcytrin) is a tumor-selective expanded porphyrin that targets oxidative stress–related proteins. MGd treatment of the follicular lymphoma–derived cell line HF-1 resulted in growth suppression and apoptosis whereas MGd treatment of the Burkitt's lymphoma–derived cell line Ramos resulted in growth suppression but not apoptosis. Because phosphorylation status of Akt/protein kinase B is regulated by oxidative stress, we monitored total and phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) in MGd-treated HF-1 and Ramos cells. Levels of pAkt increased within 30 minutes after MGd treatment of HF-1 but after 4 hours began to show a progressive decline to below baseline levels before cells underwent apoptosis. In MGd-treated Ramos cells, pAkt increased ∼2-fold within 4 hours and remained persistently elevated. Because pAkt activates survival pathways, we determined if MGd-induced cell death could be enhanced by inhibiting phosphorylation of Akt. The addition of specific inhibitors of Akt phosphorylation (Akt inhibitor 1 or SH-5) reduced pAkt levels in MGd-treated HF-1 and Ramos cells and synergistically enhanced MGd-induced cell death. MGd was also evaluated in combination with celecoxib, an inhibitor of Akt phosphorylation, or docetaxel, a microtubule inhibitor that can decrease Akt phosphorylation. The combination of MGd/celecoxib or MGd/docetaxel resulted in decreased Akt phosphorylation and in synergistic cytotoxicity compared with either agent alone. These data point to a potential protective role for pAkt in MGd-induced apoptosis and suggest that MGd activity may be enhanced by combining it with agents that inhibit Akt phosphorylation.
Other authors -
Rapid Degradation of Auxin/Indoleacetic Acid Proteins Requires Conserved Amino Acids of Domain II and Is Proteasome Dependent.
The Plant Cell
Auxin rapidly induces auxin/indoleacetic acid (Aux/IAA) transcription. The proteins encoded are short-lived nucleus-localized transcriptional regulators that share four conserved domains. In a transient assay measuring protein accumulation, an Aux/IAA 13–amino acid domain II consensus sequence was sufficient to target firefly luciferase (LUC) for low protein accumulation equivalent to that observed previously for full-length PSIAA6. Single amino acid substitutions in these 13 amino acids…
Auxin rapidly induces auxin/indoleacetic acid (Aux/IAA) transcription. The proteins encoded are short-lived nucleus-localized transcriptional regulators that share four conserved domains. In a transient assay measuring protein accumulation, an Aux/IAA 13–amino acid domain II consensus sequence was sufficient to target firefly luciferase (LUC) for low protein accumulation equivalent to that observed previously for full-length PSIAA6. Single amino acid substitutions in these 13 amino acids, corresponding to known auxin response mutants, resulted in a sixfold to 20-fold increase in protein accumulation. Naturally occurring variant amino acids had no effect. Residues identified as essential by single alanine substitutions were not sufficient when all flanking amino acids were alanine, indicating the importance of flanking regions. Using direct protein degradation measurements in transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings, full-length IAA1, PSIAA6, and the N-terminal 73 PSIAA6 amino acids targeted LUC for rapid degradation with 8-min half-lives. The C-terminal 109 amino acids did not affect LUC half-life. Smaller regions containing domain II also targeted LUC for rapid degradation, but the rates were not equivalent to those of the full-length protein. A single domain II substitution in the context of full-length PSIAA6 increased half-life 30-fold. Proteasome inhibitors affected Aux/IAA::LUC fusion protein accumulation, demonstrating the involvement of the proteasome.
Other authorsSee publication
Honors & Awards
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Reward for Outstanding Service
Pharmacyclics CEO Richard Miller
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Jastro-Shields Graduate Research Scholarship Award
UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
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Regents Scholarship
University of California Regents
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National Hispanic Merit Scholarship
The College Board (https://www.collegeboard.org)
Recommendations received
1 person has recommended Jason A.
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