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Geert Berx
Molecular and Cellular Oncology
VIB Department for Molecular Biomedical Research, UGent
PhD: Univ. of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium, '96
VIB Group leader since 2003 (formerly Group Frans Van Roy) |
e-mail
phone +32 9 331 37 40
ADDRESS |
Current team members
Group leader: Geert Berx
Postdoctoral scientists: Bram De Craene, Trui Denecker
Ph.D. Students: Alexander Gheldof, Marianthi Tatari, Mauricio Quimbaya
Support personnel: Joachim Taminau
Keywords
E-cadherin - epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) - invasion - DHPLC mutation analysis - reverse genetics: RNAi screening
Science
Cell-cell adhesion is a predominant necessity during cellular differentiation, tissue development, and tissue homeostasis. The poor prognosis in epithelial neoplasia is associated with the acquisition of motile or invasive properties by the cancerous cells. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), an essential process during morphogenesis, represents a natural process of reshaping epithelia for cellular movement. This process is also induced through the abnormal activation of different signaling pathways during cancer progression and organ fibrosis. A crucial role in this phenotypic conversion is played by a subset of transcription factors such as Snail, Slug, SIP1/ZEB2 and EF-1/ZEB1. During the EMT process these transcription factors are able to reprogramme the epithelium at the molecular level with new biochemical instructions associated with invasive and metastatic cells. One such important gene downregulated by Snail and SIP1/ZEB2 is the invasion tumour suppressor E-cadherin. We specially focus on the identification of new target genes of these transcription factors, as they likely reflect key features of activated motility, inhibition of apoptosis, invasion and dismantling of the local basement membrane. We examine their particular role during cancer progression using cell and mice models.
Selected Publications
Vandewalle C, Van Roy F, Berx G
The role of the ZEB family of transcription factors in development and disease
CELL MOL LIFE SCI 66, 773-87, 2009
De Craene B, Gilbert B, Stove C, Bruyneel E, Van Roy F, Berx G
The Transcription Factor Snail Induces Tumor Cell Invasion through Modulation of the Epithelial Cell Differentiation Program
CANCER RES 65, 6237-6244, 2005
Vandewalle C, Comijn J, De Craene B, Vermassen P, Bruyneel E, Andersen H, Tulchinsky E, Van Roy F, Berx G
SIP1/ZEB2 induces EMT by repressing genes of different epithelial cell-cell junctions
NUCLEIC ACIDS RES 33, 6566-6578, 2005
Comijn J, Berx G, Vermassen P, Verschueren K, van Grunsven L, Bruyneel E, Mareel M, Huylebroeck D, Van Roy F
The two-handed E box binding zinc finger protein SIP1 downregulates E-cadherin and induces invasion
MOL CELL 7, 1267- 1278, 2001
Berx G, Cleton Jansen m, Nollet F, De Leeuw W f, Van De Vijver j, Cornelisse C, Van Roy F
E-Cadherin Is A Tumor Invasion Suppressor Gene Mutated In Human Lobular Breast Cancers
EMBO J 14, 6107-6115, 1995
Search Publications
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