Academic Education:

B.S., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley


Appointments:

Assistant Professor, Northeastern University (2006 - present)

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Princeton University (2001-2006)

Research Interests:

Interactions between cells and their extracellular environment play an essential role in controlling tissue architecture, cell survival, and cell migration. These processes are important for normal animal development and are disrupted in many human diseases. The Cram lab uses the nematode C. elegans to investigate the conserved processes that control cell migration and mechanosensation in vivo.


Teaching Activities:

To become a successful scientist, the student must understand the fundamentals of the discipline, think critically and creatively, and communicate effectively. My goal is to help students learn theory and content in my Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Molecular Cell Biology classes and to practice what they have learned in research experiences in my lab.

Selected Publications:

I. Kovacevic, R. Ho, E.J. Cram. (2012) CCDC-55 is an essential gene required for larval development and distal tip cell migration in C. elegans. in press Mechanisms of Development.

C. DeMaso, I. Kovacevic, A. Uzun and E.J. Cram. (2011) Structural and functional evaluation of C. elegans filamins FLN-1 and FLN-2. PLoS One, 6(7):e22428. Epub Jul 25, 2010

I. Kovacevic and E.J. Cram. (2010) FLN-1/Filamin is required for maintenance of actin and exit of fertilized oocytes from the spermatheca in C. elegans. Developmental Biology, Nov 15;347(2):247-257.

H. Tannoury, V. Rodriguez, I. Kovacevic, M. Ibourk, M. Lee, and E.J. Cram. (2010) CACN-1/Cactin interacts genetically with MIG-2 GTPase signaling to control distal tip cell migration in

C. elegans. Developmental Biology, May 1;341(1):176-185.

M. Lee, E.J. Cram (2009) Quantitative analysis of distal tip cell migration in C. elegans. Methods Mol Biol. 2009;571:125-36. PubMed PMID: 19763963.

E.J. Cram, K.M. Fontanez, J.E. Schwarzbauer. (2008) Functional characterization of KIN-32, C. elegans homolog of focal adhesion kinase. Developmental Dynamics Mar; 237(3):837-846.

E.J. Cram, H. Shang, J.E. Schwarzbauer. (2006) A systematic RNA interference screen reveals a cell migration gene network in C. elegans. Journal of Cell Science 119:4811-4818.

E.J. Cram, J.E. Schwarzbauer. (2004) The talin wags the dog: New insights into integrin activation. Trends in Cell Biology Vol. 14, No. 2, p 55-57.

E.J. Cram, S.G. Clark, J.E. Schwarzbauer. (2003) Talin loss-of-function uncovers roles in cell contractility and migration in C. elegans. Journal of Cell Science 116: 3871-3878.

M. Lee, E.J. Cram, B. Shen, J.E. Schwarzbauer. (2001) Roles for bpat-3 integrins in development and function of Caenorhabditis elegans muscles and gonads. Journal of Biological Chemistry 276: 36404-10.

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