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Faculty
 Min Fang
Assistant Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology
mfang@uchc.edu
Areas of Interest:
This laboratory focuses on the application of molecular genetic
techniques to the diagnosis and management of patients. Toward this
goal, two general interest areas are explored.
The first is cancer genetics. We aim to employ current knowledge and
advances in gene discoveries and functional analysis to identify
biomarkers important for early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic
decision-making in cancer and to design clinical tests that can directly
benefit patients. We have been studying the role of early growth
response gene 1 (EGR1) in tumorigensis. Available evidence suggests that
the effects of EGR1 on tumorigenesis are critically dependent on the
cellular context. In prostate cancer, EGR1 is overexpressed and its
deletion significantly delays prostate tumor progression. In contrast,
in other tumor types including breast cancer, skin cancer, glioblastoma/astrocytomas,
and acute myeloid leukemia, EGR1 expression is often absent or
repressed. Our data from studying epidermal hyperproliferative disorders
including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma suggested
that EGR1 exerts growth regulatory role through regulation of the G1/S
transition of the cell cycle. In breast cancer, we found that EGR1 gene
appeared to be deleted specifically in estrogen receptor-negative
carcinomas. Currently, we are exploring genetic differences between
ER-negative and ER-positive breast carcinomas on a genomic scale using
SNP array-based comparative genome hybridization (CGH). Application of
array CGH to other areas of disease diagnosis is also under active
investigation.
The second area of interest is pharmacogenetics and personalized
medicine. Genetic polymorphisms predispose an individual to different
drug responses. Acquired mutations in cancer can also change the outcome
of a standard therapy. By applying genetic information to clinical
administration of medications, one can enhance both efficacy and safety.
Ongoing projects include study of Gleevec resistance mechanism in CML.
Lab Rotation Topics:
We encourage motivated students and postdocs to explore research
opportunities in the above areas of interest. A few examples are:
(1) Epigenetic regulation of EGR1 in breast cancer.
(2) Hormonal regulation of EGR1 in breast and prostate.
(3) Array CGH validation in prenatal and postnatal diagnosis.
(4) Pharmacogenetics of warfarin.
Selected Publications:
Fang, M, Fan, H., Wee, S., Morrassi, G.,. and Khavari, P. Gene
expression profiling in human squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell
carcinoma and psoriasis identifies EGR1 as a differentially regulated
gene in epidermal hyperplasia. (Manuscript in revision)
Gorusu, M., Benn, P., Li, Z., and Fang, M. (2007) On the Genesis and
Prognosis of Variant Translocations in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Cancer
Genet. Cytogenet. In press.
Murphy, M., Murphy, L., Fang, M., Cartun, R., Jurzyk, R., and Grant-Kels,
J. (2007) True intranuclear inclusions in a melanocytic nevus: report of
a case and review of the literature. J. Cutaneous Pathol. In press.
Slater, D., Ronski, K., Delach, J., Benn, P., and Fang, M. (2005)
Importance of Molecular Confirmation in the Diagnosis of
Myeloproliferative Disorders. Community Oncology 2(5):418-425.
Ronski, K., Sanders, M., Burleson, J., Benn, P., and Fang, M. (2005)
EGR1 Gene is Deleted in Estrogen Receptor-Negative Human Breast Cancer.
Cancer 104(5):925-930.
Li, Z., Qiao, Y., Liu, B., Laska, E.J., Chakravarthi, P., Kulko, J.,
Bona, R., Fang, M., Hegde, U., Moyo, V., Tannenbaum, S.H., Menoret, A.,
Gaffney, J., Glynn, L., Runowicz, C.D., and Srivastava, P.K. (2005)
Combination of Imatinib Mesylate with Autologous Leukocyte-derived Heat
Shock Protein and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. Clin. Cancer Res.
11(12): 4460-4468.
Benn, P.A. and Fang, M., and Egan,J.F.X. (2005) Trends in the use of
second trimester maternal serum screening from 1991 to 2003. Genetics in
Med. 7(5) 328-331.
Benn,P.A., Egan,J.F.X., Fang,M., and Smith-Bindman, R. (2004) Changes in
the utilization of prenatal diagnosis. Obesterics & Gynecology 103:
1255-1260.
Benn,P.A., Fang,M., Egan,J.F.X., Horne,D., and Collins,R. (2003)
Incorporation of Inhibin-A in Second-Trimester Screening for Down
Syndrome. Obesterics & Gynecology 101: 451-454.
Lazarov,M., Kubo,Y., Cai,T., Dajee,M., Tarutani,M., Lin,Q., Fang,M.,
Tao,S., Green,CL, and Khavari,P.A. (2002) CDK4 coexpression with Ras
generates malignant human epidermal tumorigenesis. Nature Medicine 8:
1105-1114.
Ortiz-Urda, S., Thyagarajan, B., Keene, DR., Lin, Q., Fang,M., Calos,
MP., and Khavari, P.A. (2002) Stable nonviral genetic correction of
inherited human skin disease. Nature Medicine 8: 1166-1170.
Li, X., Rivas, M.P., Fang, M., Marchena, J., Mehrotra, B., Chaudhary,
A., Feng, L., Prestwich, G.D., and Bankaitis, V.A (2002) Analysis of
oxysterol binding protein homologue Kes1p function in regulation of
Sec14p-dependent protein transport from the yeast Golgi complex. J. Cell
Biol. 157, 63-77.
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