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Yisong Wang Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
Keywords:
Cell cycle, cancer, cell cycle regulatory proteins, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, protein ubiquitination and degradation, mass spectrometry, ENU-induced mutant mice.
Research Area:
Incorporate mass spectrometry, bioinformatics, and molecular biochemical approaches to dissect protein networks that manipulate cell cycle control and cancer development. Explore functions of cell cycle regulatory proteins using ENU-induced mutant mice as model systems.
Description of Research:
The fundamental task of the cell cycle is to ensure that DNA is faithfully replicated once during S phase and that identical chromosomal copies are distributed equally to two daughter cells during mitosis. Genetic alterations affecting proteins that control cell cycle progression are frequently found in human cancers. Uncontrolled cell proliferation is the hallmark of cancer and tumor cells have typically acquired damage to genes that directly regulated their cell cycles. A great majority of DNA damage is the result of environmental insults, such as exposure to irradiation and chemical mutagens. Our research primarily focuses on identifying and characterizing proteins and their networks that regulate cell cycle progression and that contribute to the development of cancer when the protein functions are disrupted. Our efforts incorporate the use of the state-of-the-art mass spectrometric analysis, bioinformatics, and molecular/biochemical approaches to understand the functions of cell cycle regulatory proteins.
Another research area in my lab involves the generation and study of ENU-induced mutant mice carrying specific mutations in key cell cycle regulatory genes. The findings will provide invaluable information of the regulatory genes in cell cycle control and a better understanding of the development of cancer.
Selected Publications:
- to be entered