During year 5 we funded a new research project led by W. Jack Pledger, PhD.
This project has three aims:
AIM 1: Identify gene expression changes in normal and tumorigenic cells that are specifically related to changes in cell density. Genes differentially expressed in the tumor derived cell lines will provide a collection of biomarkers for cancer detection.
AIM 2: Examine the changes that occur in receptor and receptor proximal signaling complexes as a result of density arrest. This will provide potential targets that might be useful in the development of novel therapies that would selectively inhibit tumorigenic cells.
AIM 3: Establish the changes in gene expression profiles and PDGF receptor complex organization in WI-38 cells that have specifically lost growth regulation through direct alteration of either cell-cell adhesion or mitogenic signaling. It is our expectation that the use of these prototype transformation models will provide both a basic understanding of how these two opposing forces in cell growth are balanced and also provide information that will be useful in developing clinically important diagnostics and therapeutics.
Updated 4/26/07