Jose Gomez

Research Project:  Contribution of ErbB2 and eIF-4E in formation of premalignant cells

Specific Aims:  My thesis project will consist of in vitro and in vivo experiments that will complement the general objective of identifying the genes that, in collaboration with the overexpression of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF 4-E), contribute to the development of cancer cells in early stages. The interest of this project is to study the contribution of ErbB2 and eIF-4E for formation of premalignant cells. On the one hand, in vitro experiments would consist of transfection of vectors containing ErbB2 oncogene in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells (HMEC) which are immortalized by the expression of human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT) and maintain stable expression of Green Fluorescence (GFP)-4E. Results of these combinations of genes will be seen by clonogenic assays, soft agar and matrigel cultures of these cells. On the other hand, as a long-term goal I will work on the development of transgenic mice containing eIF-4E which selectively express it only in mouse mammary epithelial cells with expression induced during pregnancy. These mice will be crossed with transgenic mice with ErbB2, giving transgenic mice that contain both genes: contributions of both genes for development of cancer will be detected by formation of premalignant cells in the mammary gland.