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Min Fang

Fang Lab
 
 
PUBLICATIONS

Slater, D., Ronski, K., Delach, J., Benn, P., and Fang, M. (2005)  Importance of Molecular Confirmation in the Diagnosis of Myeloproliferative Disorders.  Community Oncology 2(5):418-425.

Ronski, K., Sanders, M., Burleson, J., Benn, P., and Fang, M. (2005) EGR1 Gene is Deleted in Estrogen Receptor-Negative Human Breast Cancer.  Cancer  104(5):925-930.

Li, Z., Qiao, Y., Liu, B., Laska, E.J., Chakravarthi, P., Kulko, J., Bona, R., Fang, M., Hegde, U., Moyo, V., Tannenbaum, S.H., Menoret, A., Gaffney, J., Glynn, L., Runowicz, C.D., and Srivastava, P.K. (2005)  Combination of Imatinib Mesylate with Autologous Leukocyte-derived Heat Shock Protein and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia.  Clin. Cancer Res. 11(12): 4460-4468.

Benn, P.A. and Fang, M., and Egan,J.F.X. (2005)  Trends in the use of second trimester maternal serum screening from 1991 to 2003.  Genetics in Med. 7(5) 328-331.

Benn,P.A., Egan,J.F.X., Fang,M., and Smith-Bindman, R. (2004)  Changes in the utilization of prenatal diagnosis.  Obesterics & Gynecology 103: 1255-1260.

Benn, P.A. and Fang, M. (2004) Maternal Screening for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and other Fetal Chromosome abnormalities.  J. Clin. Ligand Soc. 26: 129-36.Li, X.,

Rivas, M.P., Fang, M., Marchena, J., Mehrotra, B., Chaudhary, A., Feng, L., Prestwich, G.D., and Bankaitis, V.A  (2002) Analysis of oxysterol binding protein homologue Kes1p function in regulation of Sec14p-dependent protein transport from the yeast Golgi complex. J. Cell Biol. 157, 63-77.

Benn,P.A., Fang,M., Egan,J.F.X., Horne,D., and Collins,R. (2003)  Incorporation of Inhibin-A in Second-Trimester Screening for Down Syndrome.  Obesterics & Gynecology 101: 451-454.

Lazarov,M., Kubo,Y., Cai,T., Dajee,M., Tarutani,M., Lin,Q., Fang,M., Tao,S., Green,CL, and Khavari,P.A. (2002) CDK4 coexpression with Ras generates malignant human epidermal tumorigenesis.  Nature Medicine 8: 1105-1114.

Ortiz-Urda, S., Thyagarajan, B., Keene, DR., Lin, Q., Fang,M., Calos, MP., and Khavari, P.A. (2002) Stable nonviral genetic correction of inherited human skin disease.  Nature Medicine 8: 1166-1170.

Xie, Z., Fang, M., Bankaitis, V.A. (2001) Evidence for an Intrinsic Toxicity of Phosphatidylcholine to Sec14p-dependent Protein Transport from the Yeast Golgi Complex. Mol. Biol. Cell 12, 1117-1129.

Li, X, Routt,S.M., Xie, Z, Cui, X, Fang, M., Kearns, M.A., Bard, M. Donald, R.K., and Bankaitis, V.A. (2000)  Identification of a Novel Family of Nonclassic Yeast Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Proteins Whose Function Modulates Phospholipase D Activity and Sec14p-independent Cell Growth. Mol. Biol. Cell11: 1989-2005.

Xie, Z., Fang, M., Faulkner A.J., Sternweis P.C., Engebrecht J. and Bankaitis, V.A. (1998)  Phospholipase D is required for bypassing the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein in yeast. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sc., U.S.A., 95:12346-12351.

Kearns, M.A, Monks, D.E., Fang, M., Rivas, M.P., Courtney, P.D., Chen, J., Prestwich, G.D., Theibert, A.B., Dewey, R.E., and Bankaitis, V.A. (1998)  Novel Developmentally Regulated Phosphoinositide Binding Proteins from Soybean Whose Expression Bypasses the Requirement for an Essential Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Protein in Yeast.  The EMBO J., 17:4004-4017.

Fang, M., Rivas, M.P. and Bankaitis, V.A. (1998)  The Contribution of Lipids and Lipid Metabolism to Cellular Functions of the Golgi Complex.  Biochem et Biophys Acta, 404:85-100.

Fang, M., Kearns, B.G., Gedvilaite, A., Kagiwada S., Kearns, M., Fung, M.K.Y. and Bankaitis, V.A. (1996)  Kes1p shares homology with human oxysterol binding protein and participates in a novel regulatory pathway for yeast Golgi-derived transport vesicle biogenesis.  The EMBO Journal 15:6447-6459

Kagiwada, S., Kearns, B.G., McGee, T.P., Fang, M., Hosaka K. and Bankaitis V.A. (1996)  The Yeast BSD2-1 mutation Influences Both the Requirement for Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Protein Function and Derepression of Phospholipid Biosynthetic Gene Expression in Yeast.  Genetics 143:685-597

Kearns, M.A., Fang, M., Rivas, M., Kearns, B.G., Kagiwada, S. and Bankaitis, V.A. (1996)  Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Protein Function in Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.  Frontiers In Bioactive Lipids PartII:83-92

Fang, M,  Fan, H., Wee, S., Morrassi, G.,. and Khavari, P. Gene expression profiling in human squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and psoriasis identifies EGR1 as a differentially expressed genes in epidermal hyperplasia.  (Manuscript in revision)

 
 
LAB MEMBERS
Min Fang Principal Investigator mfang@uchc.edu
Karyn Ronski Medical Technologist II kronski@uchc.edu
Allison Kamens Medical Technologist II
Mandeep Chowdhary Graduate Student
Judy Delach Supervisor of cytogenetics

 
 
ROTATIONS

A. Characterization of hormonal effect on EGR1 gene expression levels in breast cancer cells

Early growth response gene 1 (EGR1), a zinc finger transcription factor, behaves like a tumor suppressor in breast cancer cells. We hypothesize that hormonal fluctuation in the body alters EGR1 gene expression. The goal of this project is to assess potential changes in EGR1 gene expression levels in breast cancer cell lines upon hormone treatment.

B. Case studies for mechanisms of disease:

1. Determine whether PDGFRb is involved in the pathogenesis of a patient with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor b (PDGFRb) can be leukemogenic in both myeloid (red blood cell precursor) and lymphoid (white blood cell precursor) lineages. The gene is localized on chromosome 5 and encodes a protein with tyrosine kinase activity. A patient with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma showed an abnormal chromosome 5 with an inversion, and the patient responded to Gleevec, a new drug that specifically inhibits tyrosine kinases in cells. The goal of this project is to determine whether PDGFRb is indeed involved in the disease pathogenesis of this patient using DNA sequencing based on FISH mapping result.

2. Identify the partner gene for PML in a multiple myeloma patient with complex chromosomal translocations. PML gene is a transcription factor that plays a known pathological role in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when fused with retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA). It is not unusual for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) to develop secondary leukemias after chemotherapy. An MM patient with complex chromosomal translocations showed rearrangement of the PML gene with an unknown partner gene on chromosome 6. The goal of this project is to use panhandle PCR method and identify this partner gene, which might shed light on the pathogenesis of secondary leukemias from MM.

3. Further characterization of X chromosome translocations in hematologic disorder. There are very few cases of hematologic malignancies reported with translocations involving X chromosome as primary chromosomal changes. We have a couple individual cases of X chromosome translocation. Further characterization of these translocations using FISH and molecular techniques may allow discovery of tumor suppressor genes on X chromosome.