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Archives Fall 2001
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From the Source

Photo by Will Owens

Alumna Marcie Colledge investigates cellular communication

Carolina alumna Marcie Colledge is helping pioneer neuroscience research at the Vollum Institute, part of Oregon Health Sciences University. For three years, she has researched communication in the central nervous system as a post-doctoral fellow. Colledge received her doctorate from Carolina’s Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology in May 1998 with the help of the Henry H. Dearman Dissertation Fellowship in the Society of Fellows. The Fountain’s Elizabeth Spainhour spoke with Colledge from her lab in Portland, Ore., on February 28, 2001.

The Fountain: What made you choose to attend graduate school at Chapel Hill?

Marcie Colledge (MC): I had long thought I would go to medical school after college, but as an undergraduate, I discovered that I loved research. I also did some teaching and found I really loved that as well. Because of this, I felt as though academic research would best suit me. I had thought I might enter a neurobiology program, but a friend of mine from college came to the physiology department at UNC-Chapel Hill. I came to visit her in Chapel Hill and loved the department. The reputation of the department is excellent, and they have a strong focus on neuroscience research. Once I interviewed at UNC-Chapel Hill, there was no question where I would go. The quality of research was wonderful and the atmosphere was very friendly. It was an easy decision.

Fountain: Can you describe your dissertation research?

MC: My interest is in how cells talk to each other, especially cells in the nervous system. In order for information to be transferred in the nervous system, two cells have to be able to communicate, although they are not physically connected. A gap, called a synapse, separates the two cells. The first cell makes a chemical called a neurotransmitter and releases it; the neurotransmitter diffuses across the space between the two cells and has to find and bind to its receptor, which is a protein on the surface of the second cell. In order for this process to occur efficiently, the neurotransmitter release system on the first cell and the receiving system on the second cell must be aligned in space. I studied (and still do) how the two cells develop their molecular specializations appropriately so that this process of information transfer, or cell-cell communication, occurs efficiently and rapidly. My dissertation research was focused on a specialized synapse — the one between a motor neuron and a muscle fiber. This synapse is called the neuromuscular junction.

Fountain: How is this different from the research you are now involved with at the Vollum Institute?

MC: I’ve moved away from the neuromuscular junction to studying the process of synaptic communication in the central nervous system. At the neuromuscular junction, only one motor neuron contacts one muscle fiber. However, one nerve cell, or neuron, in the brain can be contacted by thousands of other neurons. It’s a much more complex system. I’m still asking the same questions, but now I’m asking how one neuron talks to another neuron rather than how one neuron talks to a muscle fiber.

Fountain: What is the end goal of your research?

MC: We think that strengthening and weakening of these synaptic connections underlies the storage
of memories. Our goal is to understand how the human brain organizes information, forms memories
and works during learning processes.

Fountain: What discoveries have you made in your research?

MC: I’ve been particularly interested in the proteins that bind to neuro-transmitters and how these proteins are regulated. My research team recently published a paper in a scientific journal Neuron, showing an unexpected way in which the neurotransmitter receptors are modified.

Fountain: How would you characterize your experience in the graduate program at Carolina?

MC: The professors in the physiology department were exceptionally interested in graduate students,
both in the classroom and in the lab. There was really a feeling of community that left me with a very positive experience. In having visited a lot of other research institutes, I realized that the community spirit at Carolina was special. I felt as though what I was working so hard doing was worthwhile and that people appreciated my efforts.

Fountain: How did the Dearman Dissertation Fellowship affect your experience at Carolina?

MC: I think my last year would have been very different without it. I loved that it was interdisciplinary and that every month I got to meet with graduate students in different programs and hear about their work. It really put my work in perspective. The program also forced me to discuss my research from a different point of view. Scientists are used to talking with other scientists about their work, and we make assumptions that everyone is starting from the same point of reference. Talking to non-scientists about your work is a really valuable experience.

Fountain: In what ways did your experience in the Royster program help position you uniquely in your field?

MC: One of the hardest things to do in any field is to step back and get perspective on the importance
of your work. It’s a real gift to be able to explain clearly what you do. Interacting with the Royster Fellows helped me do that. Even applying for the fellowship forced me to do that; it was the first time I had ever written a fellowship proposal where I couldn’t just assume that people would understand what I meant. It was a really eye-opening experience to think about my research from the big-picture perspective.

Fountain: What are your plans for the future after completing your post-doctoral work at the Vollum Institute?

MC: I would love to get an assistant professorship at a research university. I would want to go to an institute known for its research programs, particularly in the neurosciences. I also want to have the opportunity to teach at the undergraduate, graduate or medical school level.

 

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