(From Todd Epp, Northern Plains News)
South Dakota State University assistant professor Ryan Hanson has received a $452,892 grant from the National Science Foundation to study how human cells interpret and respond to stress, the university announced Thursday.
Hanson’s three-year project will focus on the c-Jun N-terminal kinase, or JNK, a protein that helps determine whether a cell repairs itself, pauses normal functions, or self-destructs after exposure to stressors such as toxins or heat, according to SDSU.
“This is very fundamental biology,” Hanson said. “This research is focused on answering fundamental biological questions relating to the control of gene expression.”
Why the Science Matters
Understanding how cells process stress is essential to unraveling diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and autoimmune disorders, according to the National Institutes of Health and research published in Frontiers in Pharmacology.
According to a 2010 review in Current Molecular Medicine and a 2004 review in Annual Review of Physiology, the cellular stress response is a set of molecular changes that protect cells against environmental threats. These threats include temperature extremes, toxins, and even some viral infections.
Cells use stress proteins—such as heat shock proteins and kinases like JNK—to detect and repair damage, or, if the damage is too great, to trigger programmed cell death, according to the National Institutes of Health and Current Molecular Medicine. This process is highly conserved across species, from bacteria to humans, and is crucial for survival and adaptation.
JNK: The Cell’s Stress Switch
JNK belongs to the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family and is activated by a wide range of stress stimuli, including ultraviolet light, heat shock, cytokines, and toxins, according to a 2016 review in Frontiers in Pharmacology. JNK can promote cell death by activating genes involved in apoptosis, but it also plays roles in cell proliferation, development, and inflammation. The pathway is so central that it has been implicated in heart disease, neurodegeneration, and cancer, according to a 2021 article in Frontiers in Pharmacology.
In neurodegenerative diseases, sustained JNK activation can trigger neuronal death and is linked to the formation of plaques and tangles in Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association and recent peer-reviewed research. In cancer, stress pathways like JNK can both suppress and promote tumor growth, depending on the context, according to a 2024 study in ACS Omega.
New Approaches at SDSU
Hanson and his team have previously developed computational models to predict how different patterns of JNK activation affect gene expression and cell fate, according to SDSU. The new grant allows them to use time-lapse fluorescence microscopy and custom biosensors to watch live cells respond to stress in real time, refining those models and potentially revealing new therapeutic targets.
“This will allow us to look at how these pathways are correlated with cell fate outcomes,” Hanson said.
National and Regional Context
Recent research at the University of Navarra and other institutions has shown that JNK and related stress signaling pathways are not simple on-off switches but are highly nuanced, integrating multiple signals to tailor the cell’s response to specific stresses. This flexibility may help explain why some cells survive while others die, and could be exploited to treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
According to a 2022 review in Frontiers in Aging, activating stress response pathways such as JNK has been shown to increase lifespan and resilience to environmental challenges in model organisms like Caenorhabditis elegans. These findings underscore the importance of stress signaling in aging, disease, and adaptation.
Local Impact and Outreach
The NSF grant will also support two graduate students and three undergraduates, providing training in experimental research and science communication, according to SDSU. Hanson will partner with Brookings-area teachers to build simple microscopes and lead science demonstrations, with outreach extending to Sioux Falls Connect middle school visits.
“We will also implement this into the Sioux Falls Connect middle school visits,” Hanson said.
What’s Next
By mapping how cells interpret stress and make life-or-death decisions, Hanson’s research could help scientists predict cellular responses in disease and aging, paving the way for new treatments and prevention strategies. For now, the project deepens South Dakota’s role in cutting-edge biomedical research and STEM education.
