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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology
Discovery Of Novel Mechanisms Regulating Cancer Extravasation In The Chorioallantoic Membrane Model, Yohan Kim
Discovery Of Novel Mechanisms Regulating Cancer Extravasation In The Chorioallantoic Membrane Model, Yohan Kim
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Cancer metastasis is a multistep process that begins with the invasion of tumour cells into the stroma and migration towards the blood vessels. Tumour cells that have entered the bloodstream must then survive and leave by a process known as extravasation. Finally, extravasated cells proliferate and establish the secondary site in the metastatic cascade. Although extravasation encompasses key events during cancer cell invasion to aid in the development of effective treatments, an in vivo model that rapidly, reproducibly and economically recapitulates cancer cell extravasation is needed. Therefore, the objectives of my research were to 1) establish and validate an in …
The Cdk-Resistant Prb-E2f1 Complex Recruits Chromatin-Organizing Proteins To Repetitive Dna Sequences, Charles A. Ishak
The Cdk-Resistant Prb-E2f1 Complex Recruits Chromatin-Organizing Proteins To Repetitive Dna Sequences, Charles A. Ishak
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
This thesis investigates mechanistic links between genome integrity and the recruitment of chromatin organizing proteins to repetitive DNA sequences mediated by the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRB). I demonstrate that a CDK-resistant interaction between the pRB C-terminus and the E2F1 coiled-coil marked box domain establishes a scaffold that facilitates recruitment of multiple chromatin-organizing proteins to repetitive sequences across the genome throughout the cell cycle. Specifically, pRB recruits the enhancer-of-zeste-homologue 2 (EZH2) histone methyltransferase to establish repressive facultative heterochromatin at repetitive sequences, and the Condensin II complex to ensure proper DNA replication and mitotic progression. To disrupt the CDK-resistant pRB-E2F1 interaction …
Investigating E2f Independent Cell Cycle Control And Tumor Suppression By Prb, Michael J. Thwaites
Investigating E2f Independent Cell Cycle Control And Tumor Suppression By Prb, Michael J. Thwaites
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Cellular division is primarily controlled at the G1 to S-phase transition of the cell cycle by the retinoblastoma tumor-suppressor protein (pRB). The ability of pRB to restrict S-phase entry is primarily attributed to the repression of E2F transcription factors required to upregulate cell cycle target genes necessary for cellular division. Interestingly, while pRB is disrupted in the vast majority of human cancers, mutations typically target upstream regulators of pRB leading to inactivation through hyperphosphorylation. The rarity of direct pRB mutations suggests that the regulation of the cell cycle by pRB may involve additional mechanisms outside of E2F repression, as this …