Maria Isabel Dominguez, PhD
Assistant Professor
Boston University School of Medicine
Dept of Medicine
Hematology & Medical Oncology

PhD, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
MSc, University of the Basque Country




The long-standing interest of my laboratory is the regulation of signaling pathways, including understanding the molecular mechanisms of action of signaling components in normal biological processes and in disease processes. We are currently focused on understanding the cascade of intracellular events that leads to the activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and the biological role of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway during embryonic development and in disease. We employ three experimental systems: Xenopus laevis, mice, and cultured cell lines and primary cells. We use these systems to gain information on gene functions with the goal to uncover and characterize biochemical and developmental mechanisms that could ultimately be used to prevent Wnt/beta-catenin deregulation in congenital and adult diseases. Our areas of interest are:

1. To characterize the molecular mechanism leading to activation (stabilization and nuclear translocation) of ß-catenin, the key intracellular Wnt component that is activated in many human tumors

2. To define the role of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling during embryonic development, including its role in dorso-ventral axis formation and organ morphogenesis

3. To determine how deregulation of Wnt/ß-catenin components leads to diseases such as cancer and congenital defects

.
I am committed in educating, training and mentoring biomedical professionals by developing training programs that foster career development skills and scientific competencies:
- Assistant Director, Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP), BUSM
- Executive Director of Professional Development, BU’s BEST, GMS, BUSM
- Co-director of the Basic Medical Sciences course (PS701), Physician Assistant Program, BUSM
- Co-director, Future Medical Educators program, BUSM
- Leader, Career Development and Advisory Commission ECUSA-USA - Spanish Scientists in USA

.
I am also engaged and committed to fostering a diverse biomedical workforce
- Director, Summer Training as Research Scholars (STaRS) Program, GMS, BUSM
- Member and former co-chair of the Faculty Development and Diversity Committee in the Department of Medicine
- Former advisor to the office of Professional Development and part of the Postdoctoral Affairs Postdoctoral Advisory Committee (PAC)
- Faculty advisor of the Minority and International Scientists Organization and the current faculty advisor for the Latino Medical Student Association
- Former GMS Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, GMS, BUSM

.

Member
Boston University
BU-BMC Cancer Center


Member
Boston University
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research


Member
Boston University
Genome Science Institute


Assistant Dean
Boston University School of Medicine
Diversity & Multicultural Affairs


Boston Medical Center


Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
Boston University School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences



2017 Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine: Education Pilot Grant
2016-2017 Department of Medicine Leadership Development Program
2014-2015 Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine: Pilot Project Grant
2013 Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine: Faculty Development Grant
2008 Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine: Faculty Development Grant
2007-2008 Karin Grunebaum Cancer Research Foundation: Junior Faculty Cancer Research Award
2007-2008 Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine: Pilot Project Grant
2003-2004 Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine: Pilot Project Grant
2002-2003 Cancer Center, BU School of Medicine: American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant
1998 The Company of Biologists: Travel Fellowship to Attend the 7th International Xenopus Meeting
1996-1998 Basque Government: Postdoctoral Fellowship
1994-1996 Spanish Government: Postdoctoral Fellowship
1990-1994 Basque Government: Postgraduate Fellowship
1988-1989 Iberduero S.A.: Postgraduate Fellowship
1987-1988 Basque Government: Undergraduate Fellowship


STaRS at BU - Summer Training as Research Scholars at Boston University
05/01/2018 - 04/30/2023 (PI)
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
5R25HL118693-07


Control of Embryonic Development by CK2: CK2 as a Core Wnt/beta-catenin component
08/01/2011 - 06/30/2017 (PI)
NIH-NIGMS
5R01 GM098367-04

Effect of CK2 disregulation on heart morphogenesis
07/01/2010 - 06/30/2014 (PI)
American Heart Assoc

Role of Protein Kinese Ck2 Alpha in Cardiac Development
07/01/2007 - 06/30/2010 (PI)
American Heart Assoc


Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2020 STaRS at BU - Summer Training as Research Scholars at Boston University 5R25HL118693-08
2019 STaRS at BU - Summer Training as Research Scholars at Boston University 5R25HL118693-07
2014 Control of embryonic development by CK2: CK2 as a core Wnt/beta-catenin component 5R01GM098367-04 13
2013 Control of embryonic development by CK2: CK2 as a core Wnt/beta-catenin component 5R01GM098367-03 13
2012 Control of embryonic development by CK2: CK2 as a core Wnt/beta-catenin component 5R01GM098367-02 13
2011 Control of embryonic development by CK2: CK2 as a core Wnt/beta-catenin component 1R01GM098367-01 13

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Dominguez I, Zumwalt AC. Integrating the basic sciences in medical curricula: focus on the basic scientists. Adv Physiol Educ. 2020 Jun 01; 44(2):119-123.View Related Profiles. PMID: 32108509
     
  2. Bolgioni, AF, Barbercheck,CR, Hokanson, SC, Dominguez, I, Spencer, JL, Hyman, LE, Schreiber BM. BEST: Implementing Career Development Activities for Biomedical Research Trainees. BU’s BEST: Using biomedical workforce data to inform curriculum and influence career exploration. Academic Press. San Diego. 2020; 1-10.
  3. Schaefer S, Doktor TK, Frederiksen SB, Chea K, Hlavacova M, Bruun GH, Rabjerg M, Andresen BS, Dominguez I, Guerra B. Down-regulation of CK2a correlates with decreased expression levels of DNA replication minichromosome maintenance protein complex (MCM) genes. Sci Rep. 2019 10 10; 9(1):14581. PMID: 31601942; DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51056-5;
     
  4. Ann C. Zumwalt, Isabel Dominguez. Integrating the Educators: Outcomes of a Pilot Program to Prime Basic Science Medical Educators for Success in Integrated Curricula. Medical Science Educator. 2019; 29(3):637–642. View Publication
  5. Marivin A, Morozova V, Walawalkar I, Leyme A, Kretov DA, Cifuentes D, Dominguez I, Garcia-Marcos M. GPCR-independent activation of G proteins promotes apical cell constriction in vivo. J Cell Biol. 2019 05 06; 218(5):1743-1763.View Related Profiles. PMID: 30948426
     
  6. Chua MMJ, Lee M, Dominguez I. Cancer-type dependent expression of CK2 transcripts. PLoS One. 2017; 12(12):e0188854. PMID: 29206231; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188854;
     
  7. Leyme A, Marivin A, Maziarz M, DiGiacomo V, Papakonstantinou MP, Patel PP, Blanco-Canosa JB, Walawalkar IA, Rodriguez-Davila G, Dominguez I, Garcia-Marcos M. Specific inhibition of GPCR-independent G protein signaling by a rationally engineered protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 11 28; 114(48):E10319-E10328.View Related Profiles. PMID: 29133411
     
  8. Lee M, Chea K, Pyda R, Chua M, Dominguez I. Comparative Analysis of Non-viral Transfection Methods in Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast Cells. J Biomol Tech. 2017 Jul; 28(2):67-74. PMID: 28507462; DOI: 10.7171/jbt.17-2802-003;
     
  9. Chua MM, Ortega CE, Sheikh A, Lee M, Abdul-Rassoul H, Hartshorn KL, Dominguez I. CK2 in Cancer: Cellular and Biochemical Mechanisms and Potential Therapeutic Target. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2017 Jan 28; 10(1).View Related Profiles. PMID: 28134850; DOI: 10.3390/ph10010018;
     
  10. Marivin A, Leyme A, Parag-Sharma K, DiGiacomo V, Cheung AY, Nguyen LT, Dominguez I, Garcia-Marcos M. Dominant-negative Ga subunits are a mechanism of dysregulated heterotrimeric G protein signaling in human disease. Sci Signal. 2016 Apr 12; 9(423):ra37.View Related Profiles. PMID: 27072656; PMCID: PMC4870087; DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aad2429;
     
Showing 10 of 48 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 48 publications over 22 distinct years, with a maximum of 4 publications in 1993 and 2005 and 2012 and 2017

YearPublications
19912
19922
19934
19943
19952
20001
20011
20031
20042
20054
20071
20083
20092
20101
20111
20124
20142
20152
20161
20174
20193
20202

In addition to these self-described keywords below, a list of MeSH based concepts is available here.

Cell proliferation and fate
Signal Transduction Pathways
Wnt Signaling Pathway
Congenital Defects
Xenopus leaevis
Mouse models
Cell Transformation, Neoplastic
Developmental Biology

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650 Albany St Evans Biomed Research Ctr
Boston MA 02118
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