Karen Smith, PhD

Mentor:      Peter Bitterman, MD

Title of Research Project:    

Translational control and its involvement in epithelial to mesenchymal transition in lung epithelial cells.

Education:     1979 – 1983, B.S., Purdue University
                      1983 – 1986, M.S., University of Illinois,
                            Champaign-Urbana, IL
                      1986 – 1991, Ph.D., University of Illinois,
                            Champaign-Urbana, IL

Specific Aims:

Aim 1. To investigate the involvement of translational regulation in EMT in human epithelial lung cells. 

A.  Express the translationally-limiting factor, eif4E, in immortalizing human  lung epithelial cells and determine if this intervention changes the epithelial cell behavior or epithelial/mesenchymal marker expression of the cells.

B. In the established model of TGF-b- induced EMT in human lung A549 cells, decrease expression of eif4E using shRNA knockdown and examine the effect on EMT and epithelial/mesenchymal cell marker expression.

Aim 2. To investigate ILEI/FAM3C’s involvement in EMT in human epithelial lung cells. 

A. In the established model of TGF-b- induced EMT in human lung A549 cells, decrease expression of FAM3C using shRNA knockdown and examine the effect on  epithelial/mesenchymal cell marker expression and EMT.

B. Express epitope-tagged human FAM3C in immortalized human lung epithelial cells and examine the effect of FAM3C expression on epithelial/mesenchymal cell marker expression and EMT.

Course Work:

Course #:  LaMP 4177
Course Description:   Pathology for Allied Health
Completed:  August 2007 

Publications:

Larsson O, Li S, Issaenko OS, Avdulov S, Peterson M, Smith K, Bitterman PB, Polunovsky VA.  eIF4E-induced progression of primary HMECs along the cancer pathway is associated with targeted translational deregulation of oncogenic drivers and inhibitors.  Cancer Res   2007; 67(14): 6814-24.

Last updated 3/27/2008