A. ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS
The Ostrowski lab has a long-standing interest in understanding how signaling pathways elicit selective, persistent changes in gene transcription in mammalian cells. We have three ongoing projects funded by NIH ( 5R01CA053271-13, 2R01AR044719-05A1; 1P01CA097189, see: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/crisp_query.generate_screen). One project is centered on the ras/Erk/ets signaling pathway in cancer cells (abnormal signaling project) and one on the rac/p38 MAP kinase/microphthalmia transcription factor pathway during normal bone development and bone remodeling that occurs throughout life (normal signaling project), and a new project studies the role of the ras/ets pathway in the breast tumor microenvironment.
1. Abnormal Signaling: Persistent Activation of Gene Expression by the ras/ets Signaling Pathway in Inflammation and Tumorigenesis
3. Genetic Analysis of the Tumor Microenvironment in Breast Cancer Progression.
As part of a multidisciplinary collaboration that includes faculty members in 4 colleges and 7 departments at OSU, we are taking a genetic approach to study the effect of gene action from the tumor microenvironment on breast cancer progression. Collaborators on these projects include Gustavo Leone, Charis, Eng, Tom Rosol, Aki Otoshi, Stan Lemeshow, Soledad Fernandez, Lei Shen and Fred Cope. This work was recently funded as a new Program Project Grant by NCI.
4. Analysis of Redundant Roles of ets-1 and ets-2 During Mouse Development
This project is a collaboration with Bob Oshima (Burnham Insitutute, LaJolla).