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Wendie Cohick
Professor
Rutgers University
Dept. of Animal Sciences
Foran Hall, Room 108
School of Env & Biol Sciences
New Brunswick. NJ 08903
(848) 932-6319
FAX- 6996
cohick@aesop.rutgers.edu
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Cell biology (growth factors. signal
transduction. mammary gland biology)
Research in my
laboratory focuses on the role of the insulin-like growth factors (IGF)
in mammary gland growth and development. A specific focus is to
understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which these growth
factors regulate growth. differentiation and cell survival of mammary
epithelial cells. This cell type is responsible for milk synthesis and
is also a common site of origin of mammary carcinoma. The IGFs associate
with a family of high-affinity binding proteins (IGFBP) which modulate
their biological activity. For example we have found that IGF-I
specifically stimulates the synthesis of IGF binding protein-3 by
mammary epithelial cells. When these cells are transfected to
overexpress this protein. they exhibit enhanced responsiveness to IGF-I
in terms of DNA synthesis. We are currently investigating the mechanisms
underlying this observation. Specific areas of research include:
- regulation of
IGF binding protein gene transcription
- the role of IGF
and IGF binding protein-3 in regulating growth. differentiation and
apoptosis of mammary epithelial cells
- signal
transduction pathways by which IGF-I regulates growth of mammary
epithelial cells and mammary fibroblasts
- interactions
between the extracellular matrix and growth factors in the mammary
gland
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