DF/HCC Program Affiliation

Prostate Cancer
Breast Cancer

Research Abstract

We are interested in how kinases in general, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K) in particular, control malignant transformation. We have developed a number of experimental systems, including knockout and transgeneic mouse models, synthetic human tumors, and kinome-wide libraries of gain/loss-of-function kinases to understand how kinases work, in order to harness their potential as targets for cancer therapies.

Publications

• Liu P, Cheng H, Roberts TM, Zhao JJ.Targeting the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway in cancer.Nat Rev Drug Discov 2009 Aug;8(8):627-44.
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• Cheng H, Liu P, Wang ZC, Zou L, Santiago S, Garbitt V, Gjoerup OV, Iglehart JD, Miron A, Richardson AL, Hahn WC, Zhao JJ.SIK1 couples LKB1 to p53-dependent anoikis and suppresses metastasis.Sci Signal 2009;2(80):ra35.
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• Jia S,Liu Z,Zhang S,Liu P,Zhang L,Lee SH,Zhang J,Signoretti S,Loda M,Roberts TM,Zhao JJ.Essential roles of PI(3)K-p110beta in cell growth, metabolism and tumorigenesis.Nature 2008 Aug 7;454(7205):776-9.
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• Boehm JS, Zhao JJ, Yao J, Kim SY, Firestein R, Dunn IF, Sjostrom SK, Garraway LA, Weremowicz S, Richardson AL, Greulich H, Stewart CJ, Mulvey LA, Shen RR, Ambrogio L, Hirozane-Kishikawa T, Hill DE, Vidal M, Meyerson M, Grenier JK, Hinkle G, Root DE, Rober
  17574021
• Zhao JJ, Cheng H, Jia S, Wang L, Gjoerup OV, Mikami A, Roberts TM.The p110alpha isoform of PI3K is essential for proper growth factor signaling and oncogenic transformation.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006 Oct 31;103(44):16296-300.
  17060635
• Zhao JJ, Liu Z, Wang L, Shin E, Loda MF, Roberts TM.The oncogenic properties of mutant p110alpha and p110beta phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases in human mammary epithelial cells.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005 Dec 20;102(51):18443-8.
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