[대학원 생명과학과 세미나 안내]
연사 : 노재석 박사(Cold Spring harbor Laboratory, NY, USA)
연제 : Enhancer regulation and cancer
일시 : 2017년 9월 15일 (금) 오후 5시
장소 : 하나과학관 A동 B131호
초청교수 : 지성욱 교수
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an aggressive malignancy with the worst outcome among all cancers, partly due to its propensity to infiltrate early and further develop metastasis. Unfortunately, available therapeutic strategies are currently limited, highlighting the importance of understanding the precise molecular mechanisms underlying PDA progression. While the mutational landscape of PDA initiation and early progression are genetically well-defined, recent comprehensive genomic analyses implicate the contribution of non-genetic factors to support PDA metastasis. The investigation of enhancers, cis-regulatory elements modulating transcription, has recently emerged as a theme to understand cancer pathogenesis but little is known about how enhancers are dynamically regulated during cancer progression. Recently developed organoid cultures of PDA progression have enabled us to characterize the biochemical and molecular properties influencing this phenomenon. Using this model, I discovered a novel mechanism involving enhancer reprogramming which supports PDA metastasis and identified the critical role of the transcription factor FOXA1 in this process.
Today I will discuss how enhancer deregulation impacts the initiation and maintenance of cancer, including PDA. Also, I would like to discuss the future direction to elucidate the precise mechanisms explaining how such epigenetic changes support PDA metastasis, and gauge the possibility that we can utilize this information to further develop therapeutic intervention of cancer metastasis.