Austyn Smith
Pronouns: he/him/his
Research Mentor(s): Priyan Weerappuli, Postdoctoral Scholar
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Biological and Material Sciences, School of Dentistry
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 1 (10am-10:50am)
Breakout Room: Room 7
Presenter: 4
Abstract
In 2017, researchers at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York discovered a relationship between metastasis and NETs (neutrophil extracellular traps). They found that when neutrophil infiltration, or the production of NETs by infiltrating neutrophils, was inhibited; the 4T1 cell line, a cell line that usually metastasizes, did not metastasize. The 4T1 cell line and the 4T07 cell line share a common genetic background. The cell lines produce different amounts of CXCR-2 ligands (substances that form a complex with something for a biological purpose) in vitro, but similar amounts when cultured in the presence of DHMs (DNA histone mesostructures). The main question is what mutations are present in the 4T1 cells that are not present in the 4T07 cells that enable it to metastasize. The team began analyzing data provided by Siegel Lab (McGill in Canada). The relative intensity of each gene was identified in separate replicate experiments. Each research member compiled data on multiple signaling pathways to try and identify what pathway causes the 4T1 to metastasize. The team identified 39 different pathways that could be potential influencers on 4T1 metastasis; however, results are still pending as to which pathways impact 4T1 metastasis. From these identified pathways, experiments involving inhibitors for each individual pathway will be conducted in the future and the results will be presented.
Authors: Austyn Smith, Olivia Brigando, Priyan Weerappuli
Research Method: Qualitative Study
