Stuart S. Martin, Phd

Targeting Circulating Breast Tumor Cells to Reduce Metastasis

September 24, 2008             12:30 pm

Radiology Conference Room                        N2E14C

 

            Stuart S. Martin, PhD, is an assistant professor of physiology at the Greenebaum Cancer Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine/Medical Center. He received his doctorate in biomedical sciences from the University of California, San Diego. He came to UMSOM after postgraduate fellowships in tumor biology and apoptosis and a National Cancer Institute–funded K01 Career Award at the Harvard Medical School.

            Dr. Martin is currently the principal investigator on 4 grants related to breast cancer, with other major funding pending. His lab has recently identified 2 novel characteristics of detached breast tumor cells that provide therapeutic opportunities to destroy circulating tumor cells, independent of cell division. The lecture today will focus on these investigations into tubulin microtentacles and the process of apoptotic pathway imbalance.

            Among Dr. Martin’s publications are: 

1.       Whipple RA, Balzer EM, Cho EH, Matrone MA, Yoon JR, Martin, SS. Vimentin filaments support extension of tubulin-based microtentacles in breast tumor cells. Cancer Res. 2008;68:5678–5688.

2.       Whipple RA, Cheung AM, Martin SS. Detyrosinated microtubule protrusions in suspended mammary epithelial cells promote reattachment. Exp Cell Res. 2007;313:1326–1336.

3.       Zhou F, Leder P, Martin SS. Formin-1 protein associates with microtubules through a peptide domain encoded by exon-2. Exp Cell Res. 2006;312:1119–1126.

4.       Martin SS, Vuori K. Regulation of Bcl-2 proteins during anoikis and amorphosis. Biochem Biophys Acta. 2004;1692:145–157.

5.       Pinkas J, Martin SS, Leder P. Bcl-2-mediated cell survival promotes metastasis of EpH4 βMEKDD mammary epithelial cells. Mol Cancer Res. 2004;2:551–556.

6.       Martin SS, Ridgeway AG, Pinkas J, et al. A cytoskeleton-based functional genetic screen identifies Bcl-xL as an enhancer of metastasis, but not primary tumor growth. Oncogene. 2004;23:4641–4645.

7.       Martin SS, Leder P. Human mammary epithelial cells undergo apoptosis following actin depolymerization that is independent of attachment and rescued by Bcl-2. Mol Cell Biol 2001;21: 6529–6536.

8.       Nakashima N, Rose DW, Xiao S, Egawa K, Martin SS, et al. The functional role of Crk-II in actin cytoskeletal organization and mitogenesis. J Biol Chem. 1999;274:3001–3008.

9.       Vollenweider P, Clodi M, Martin SS, Imamura T, Kavanaugh WM, Olefsky JM. An SH2 domain-containing 5’ inositolphosphatase inhibits insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation and growth factor-induced actin filament rearrangement. Mol Cell Biol. 1999;19:1081–1091.

10.    Clodi M, Vollenweider P, Klarlund J, Nakashima N, Martin SS, Czech MP, Olefsky JM. Effects of general receptor for phosphoinositides-1 on insulin and insulin-like growth factor I-induced cytoskeletal rearrangement, glucose transporter-4 translocation, and deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis. Endocrinology. 1998;139:4984–4990.

11.    Vollenweider P, Martin SS, Haruta T, et al. The small guanosine triphosphate-binding protein Rab4 is involved in insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation and actin filament rearrangement in 3T3-L1 cells. Endocrinology. 1997;138: 4941–4949.

12.    Dharmawardhane S, Sanders LC, Martin SS, Daniels RH, Bokoch GM. Localization of p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) to pinocytic vesicles and cortical actin structures in stimulated cells. J Cell Biol. 1997;138:1265–1278.

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About Diagnostic Radiology Grand Rounds and CME Credit

Targeted audience: health care providers

Learning objectives: By completing this educational activity, the participant should gain familiarity with:

(1) The biology of long-term breast tumor dormancy and metastatic recurrence;

(2) The unique therapeutic susceptibilities of circulating breast tumor cells; and

(3) The use of confocal microscopy and whole-animal imaging to track circulating tumor cells.

Sponsored by the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Accreditation & Credit Designation Statements: The University of Maryland School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The University of Maryland School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.