UW-River Falls

Name: Scott Ballantyne

Title: Assistant Professor

Department: Biology

Training and Background:

2002- University of Wisconsin – River Falls, Department of Biology, River Falls, WI. Assistant Professor.

Research Project:PAB binding proteins in Xenopus laevis embryos..Experience: Establishing an undergradate research laboratory for studying protein:protein interactions and mRNA regulation. Implementing a research based molecular biology laboratory course to prepare students for careers in biomedical research.

1991-1998: University of Wisconsin – Madison, Department of Biochemistry, Madison, WI. Biochemistry Graduate student. (advisor: Marvin Wickens).

Research Project (PhD): Identification and regulation of trans acting factors responsible for cytoplasmic polyadenylation during Xenopus oocyte maturation. Experience: Recombinant DNA. Isolating and sequencing full-length cDNA. Protein biochemistry and immuno-detection. Isolation and analysis of endogenous and synthetic mRNA from frog oocytes.

1998-2002 University of Wisconsin – Madison, Department of Biochemistry, Madison, WI. Post-doctroral associate and Research Scientist. (advisors: Marvin Wickens and Judith Kimble).

Research Project:mRNA regulation during early development.Experience: as above, Identifying and characterizing RNA binding proteins using yeast two and three hybrid assays. Analyzing mRNA regulatory proteins using a tethered-function assay.

1988-1991: University of California – San Diego, Department of Biology, La Jolla, CA. Biology Graduate student. (advisor: Daniel Donoghue).

Research Project (MS):Biological effects of c-mos overexpression.Experience: Recombinant DNA. Transfecting DNA into cultured animal cells. Xenopus laevis oocyte and embryo manipulation. Preparing and microinjecting synthetic mRNA into frog oocytes and embryos.

Course Responsibilities:

BIOL 295: Laboratory Research Experience

BIOL 350: Generics and Evolution

BIOL 451: Molecular Biology

BIOL 495: Undergraduate Research

Awards and Recognition:

2002 UWRF Recruitment and Retention Allocation:

Principal Investigator – Money awarded at the discretion of the Dean of Arts and Sciences. $15,000 for supplies and student assistant salary.

2002-2006 UWRF Research and Scholarly Activity Grants:

Principal Investigator – Money to support individual student research projects providing student salaries and equipment. Five awards ranging from $500 - $3000

2003 UWRF Foundation Grant:

Co-Principal Investigator – Title: Establishing an Aquatic Learning Center at UWRF. $26,000 for aquatic habitats and supplies to house Xenopus laevis and local stream fish.

2006 UWRF Incentive Grant:

Principal Investigator – 25% reassign time from teaching to prepare NIH (R15) AREA proposal

Research Interests and Professional Activities:

My research centers on post-transcriptional mechanisms for controlling gene expression. Once viewed as an anomaly limited to special cell types or mRNAs, mRNA regulation has emerged as a ubiquitous method for controlling protein levels throughout life. I study mRNA control during development of the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. Young frog embryos lack significant transcription and rely instead upon a dowry of maternal mRNA stored in the egg. I would like to understand the molecular mechanisms used to control where and when protein is made from this maternal mRNA pool. This regulation often involves sequence specific mRNA binding proteins that bind to and control individual mRNA. As a post-doc I demonstrated that several known mRNA regulatory proteins bind to the poly(A) binding protein (PAB). This suggested that PAB binding might be used as a tool to find new mRNA regulatory proteins. Students in my laboratory and molecular biology course at UWRF have been using a protein interaction screen in yeast to identify and characterize over 100 frog proteins that bind PAB. They use bioinformatic tools to determine whether or not the resulting cDNA sequences: (1) have already been reported, (2) are related to proteins in other organisms, (3) contain conserved functional domains, (4) possess known PAB binding motifs, and (5) have established biological functions. The results have been extremely promising. The majority of the proteins found are either known or predicted to bind RNA and several are known mRNA regulators with critical biological functions. We are currently focusing on three novel proteins that are predicted to bind RNA and which are related to human proteins that have been implicated in disease. In addition to the laboratory intensive molecular biology course referred to above, I teach a lecture course in genetics and an introductory lab course. The introductory lab course focuses on DNA analyses (typically paternity testing) in Alaskan husky sleddogs (my other passion).