The Cell and Molecular Genetics (CMG) Training Program at the University of California, San Diego is currently in its 33rd year. This program is a cornerstone of the Ph.D. training effort in the biological sciences at UCSD, as it supports the best graduate students from the Biological Sciences/Salk and Chemistry/Biochemistry Ph.D. programs. The mission of the CMG Training Program is to provide rigorous training for Ph.D. students interested in the molecular mechanisms of a diverse array of biological phenomena. Specific emphasis is placed upon the creativity, quality, and impact of the research, the ethical conduct of research, the achievement of racial diversity among researchers, the ability of the trainees to communicate their results effectively, and the promotion of cooperation and collaboration among scientists. The CMG Program Director is Dr. Randolph Hampton, Professor and a member of the UCSD Division of Biological Sciences since 1995. Dr. Hampton works with an Advisory Committee for the CMG Training Program that consists of Drs. James Kadonaga, Elizabeth Komives, William McGinnis, Gentry Patrick, Andrew Dillin, and Lorraine Pillus. There are currently 112 training faculty, most of them from the UCSD Division of Biological Sciences, the Salk Institute, and the UCSD Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The CMG Training Program provides support for 37 outstanding Ph.D. students, usually during years 2-4 of their training. These CMG trainees are selected from a current pool of about 220 qualified students that are part of the PhD degree/entry programs in the UCSD Division of Biological Sciences, and UCSD Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The trainees fulfill the general requirements of their respective degree/entry programs, and additionally participate in CMG-specific training activities, which include;a class called Advances in Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms, a biannual CMG Training Program Symposia, a Fall Reception and Poster Session, annual One-on-One Conferences with the Program Director, CMG Sponsored Workshops, an annual CMG Idea and Input Lunch, and CMG-Hosted Biology Division Seminar Speakers. Over the past 10 years, more than 100 CMG trainees have successfully completed their Ph.D. theses. Past and present CMG trainees have contributed an enormous wealth of fascinating and important knowledge to the biological sciences in over 400 research papers. The Biological Sciences have recently grown dramatically at UCSD, and we envision the implementation of an even stronger CMG Training Program over the next five years.

Public Health Relevance

The CMG Program trains a select group of graduate students in the molecular mechanisms of diverse biological phenomena. These phenomena include aging, wound healing, regeneration of nerve cells, resistance to infectious disease, cancer, drought stress in plants, and many others. This training program generates the scientific talent base that is required for informed improvements in human health.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32GM007240-38
Application #
8688248
Study Section
National Institute of General Medical Sciences Initial Review Group (BRT)
Program Officer
Gindhart, Joseph G
Project Start
1975-07-01
Project End
2015-06-30
Budget Start
2014-07-01
Budget End
2015-06-30
Support Year
38
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California San Diego
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92093
Rahnamoun, Homa; Hong, Juyeong; Sun, Zhengxi et al. (2018) Mutant p53 regulates enhancer-associated H3K4 monomethylation through interactions with the methyltransferase MLL4. J Biol Chem 293:13234-13246
Hagstrom, Danielle; Truong, Lisa; Zhang, Siqi et al. (2018) Comparative analysis of zebrafish and planarian model systems for developmental neurotoxicity screens using an 87-compound library. Toxicol Sci :
Buchwalter, Abigail; Kaneshiro, Jeanae M; Hetzer, Martin W (2018) Coaching from the sidelines: the nuclear periphery in genome regulation. Nat Rev Genet :
Yu, Seungyoon B; Pekkurnaz, Gulcin (2018) Mechanisms Orchestrating Mitochondrial Dynamics for Energy Homeostasis. J Mol Biol 430:3922-3941
Wangeline, Margaret A; Hampton, Randolph Y (2018) ""Mallostery""-ligand-dependent protein misfolding enables physiological regulation by ERAD. J Biol Chem 293:14937-14950
Zuzow, Nathan; Ghosh, Arit; Leonard, Marilyn et al. (2018) Mapping the mammalian ribosome quality control complex interactome using proximity labeling approaches. Mol Biol Cell 29:1258-1269
Banghart, Matthew R; He, Xinyi J; Sabatini, Bernardo L (2018) A Caged Enkephalin Optimized for Simultaneously Probing Mu and Delta Opioid Receptors. ACS Chem Neurosci 9:684-690
Gupta, Naveen; Liu, Roland; Shin, Stephanie et al. (2018) SCH79797 improves outcomes in experimental bacterial pneumonia by boosting neutrophil killing and direct antibiotic activity. J Antimicrob Chemother 73:1586-1594
Petty, Emily L; Evpak, Masha; Pillus, Lorraine (2018) Connecting GCN5's centromeric SAGA to the mitotic tension-sensing checkpoint. Mol Biol Cell 29:2201-2212
Rahnamoun, Homa; Lee, Jihoon; Sun, Zhengxi et al. (2018) RNAs interact with BRD4 to promote enhanced chromatin engagement and transcription activation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 25:687-697

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