Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that is very difficult to detect. It is usually too late when the patient is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The Brentnall Lab focuses on finding the genetic causes of pancreatic cancer to help better improve the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic diseases.
Our team has discovered a gene that is directly linked to familial pancreatic cancer. By comparing the tissues of pre-cancer families and normal tissues, we have discovered that those with cancer had a mutation in the gene on chromosome 4, called “Palladin.” This mutation is located on the BRCA2 gene, which is involved in inherited breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. Our team is currently trying to learn how Palladin causes the cancer. Both familial (inherited) and non-inherited (sporadic) pancreatic cancers had abnormally high levels of Palladin protein. Those without Palladin remained cancer-free.
Palladin protein also changes the cell’s shape, which led to our group to believe that if a cell had too much Palladin, the cells may start to grow “feet” and start to invade the surrounding tissues. We’ve observed that the cells with high levels of Palladin protein moved faster than normal cells, which can be a clue to how the gene may cause pancreatic cancer cells to metastasize rapidly.
PUBLICATIONS:
Ru Chen, Lisa A Lai, Yumi Sullivan, Melissa Wong, Lei Wang, Jonah Riddell, Linda Jung, Venu G. Pillarisetty, Teresa A. Brentnall, Sheng Pan 2017. Disrupting glutamine metabolic pathways to sensitize gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer. Scientific Reports.
Our team has discovered a gene that is directly linked to familial pancreatic cancer. By comparing the tissues of pre-cancer families and normal tissues, we have discovered that those with cancer had a mutation in the gene on chromosome 4, called “Palladin.” This mutation is located on the BRCA2 gene, which is involved in inherited breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. Our team is currently trying to learn how Palladin causes the cancer. Both familial (inherited) and non-inherited (sporadic) pancreatic cancers had abnormally high levels of Palladin protein. Those without Palladin remained cancer-free.
Palladin protein also changes the cell’s shape, which led to our group to believe that if a cell had too much Palladin, the cells may start to grow “feet” and start to invade the surrounding tissues. We’ve observed that the cells with high levels of Palladin protein moved faster than normal cells, which can be a clue to how the gene may cause pancreatic cancer cells to metastasize rapidly.
PUBLICATIONS:
Ru Chen, Lisa A Lai, Yumi Sullivan, Melissa Wong, Lei Wang, Jonah Riddell, Linda Jung, Venu G. Pillarisetty, Teresa A. Brentnall, Sheng Pan 2017. Disrupting glutamine metabolic pathways to sensitize gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer. Scientific Reports.