Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics » Announcements

Yeni Grad Öğrenci Alımları

admin — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:25:10 +0000

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(CLICK) 2013 Bilkent MBG Graduate School – Call for Applications

Seminar: “Dr. Emine Erçıkan-Abalı”

admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:25:34 +0000

BİLKENT UNIVERSITY
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS SEMINARS

Date: Thursday 30 May, 2013 – at: 10:30

Faculty of Science Building B, Room Z-14

Dr. Emine Erçıkan-Abalı

Limitation of NADPH Pools as a Therapeutic Strategy to Target Cancer Cells

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), because of its essential role in DNA synthesis,has been targeted for the treatment of a wide variety of human diseases, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. Methotrexate (MTX), a tight binding inhibitor of DHFR, is one of the most widely used drugs in cancer treatment and is especially effective in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and osteosarcoma. Limitations to its use in cancer include natural resistance and acquired resistance due to decreased cellular uptake and decreased retention due to impaired polyglutamylate formation and toxicity at higher doses. Here, we describe a novel mechanism to induce DHFR degradation through cofactor depletion in neoplastic cells by inhibition of NAD kinase, the only enzyme responsible for generating NADP, which is rapidly converted to NADPH by dehydrogenases/reductases. We identified an inhibitor of NAD kinase, thionicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPS), which led to accelerated degradation of DHFR and to inhibition of cancer cell growth. Of importance, combination treatment of NADPS with MTX displayed significant synergy in a metastatic colon cancer cell line and was effective in a MTX-transport resistant leukemic cell line. We suggest that NAD kinase is a valid target for further inhibitor development for cancer treatment.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Piscataway, New Jersey

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Host: Dr. Ebru Erbay, Dr.Işık Yuluğ

Seminar: “Dr. Emre Sayan”

admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:45:33 +0000

BİLKENT UNIVERSITY
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS SEMINARS

Date: Wednesday 29 May, 2013 – at: 15:40

Faculty of Science Building B, Room Z-14

Dr. Emre Sayan

New Treatment Strategies For Metastatic Liver Cancer

Epithelial-Mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a conserved developmental process by which tumour cells lose epithelial characteristics, acquire stem cell-like features and become highly motile. Equally important, cancer cells generated via EMT pathways are resistant against conventional therapies. Identifying and targeting this pool of tumour cells is a major challenge in cancer research. Here, we analysed the immuno-expression of important EMT regulators, ZEB1 and SIP1, in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ZEB1 presence correlated with metastases and represents an independent prognostic factor of poor prognosis in 2 independent patient cohorts. Moreover, we identified a class of protein kinase inhibitors selectively killing mesenchymal HCC cells.Our findings suggest that stratifying patients according to ZEB1 expression and combining such kinase inhibitors with conventional chemotherapy may have a profound effect on HCC related mortality.

University of Southampton, Faculty of Medicine and CRUK center

Department of Cell Biology

Host: Dr. Ebru Erbay

2013 Internship Deadline- April 22, 2013

admin — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:25:27 +0000

Click for internship documents.

FACULTY POSITION AVAILABLE

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:28:27 +0000

FACULTY POSITION AT THE BILKENT UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF SCIENCE, DEPARTMENT OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS

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