New York

 

Patricia M. Berninsone, PhD

Department: Biology
Academic Unit: College of Science
Title: Assistant Professor
Professional degrees: Ph.D
Research Area: Cell Biology

Contact Information

Mail Stop: 314
Phone: (775) 784-1391
Fax: (775) 784-1302
e-mail: berninsone@unr.edu
http://www.unr.edu/biology/Berninsone.htm
http://www.unr.edu/inbre/research/Berninsone_page.asp

Research Interests

Glycoproteins are estimated to comprise 50% of eukaryotic proteomes. In contrast to DNA, RNA and proteins, the biosynthesis of complex carbohydrates is not driven by a “template”: the repertoire of glycan structures in a given cell type is primarily regulated by the activity of multiple and competitive enzymatic pathways. The resulting modifications are extremely diverse in structure: glycans have complex, branched structures and are intrinsically heterogeneous. Many glycoproteins are localized on the cell surface or secreted to the extracellular matrix, where they mediate molecular interactions critical to cell growth, inflammation, immune defense, fertilization and parasitic infection. These molecules reach their destinations by organized intracellular trafficking; it is during trafficking that they are modified by glycosylation.

The goal of our research is to gain insight into how the correct assembly of glycans is regulated and how the glycosylation status of proteins relates with their trafficking and –ultimately - with their biological activities in the context of a multicellular organism. To address these questions, we are using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a genetically tractable model organism. Our research combines biochemical and genetic strategies to study the roles of the glycosylation machinery in modulating extracellular signaling pathways.

Current Graduate Students:
Casey Snodgrass (Ph.D.)
Sarah Buzby (MS)

Selected Publications

Caffaro C., Hirschberg C.B. and Berninsone P. (2007) Functional redundancy between two Caenorhabditis elegans nucleotide sugar transporters with a novel transport mechanism. J.Biol.Chem. 282: 27970-27975

 

Caffaro C., Hirschberg C.B. and Berninsone P. (2006) Independent and simultaneous translocation of two substrates by a C.elegans Nucleotide Sugar Transporter. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 16176-16181

 

Berninsone P. (2006) Carbohydrates and glycosylation. WormBook, ed. The C. elegans Research Community, www.wormbook.org

 

Burket C.T, Higgins C.E., Hull L.C., Berninsone P. and Ryder E.F. (2006) The C.elegans gene dig-1 encodes a giant member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that promotes fasciculation of neuronal processes. Dev. Biol. 299: 193-205

 

Hoflich J., Berninsone P., Gobel C., Gravato-Noble M.J., Libby B.J., Darby C., Politz S.M., Hodgkin J., Hirschberg C.B. and Baumeister R. (2004) Loss of srf-3 encoded nucleotide sugar transporter activity in Caenorhabditis elegans alters surface antigenicity and prevents bacterial adherence. J.Biol.Chem. 279: 30440-30448