Eason Chang
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 3 (1pm-1:50pm)
Breakout Room: Room 12
Presenter: 2
Abstract
There is a known neutrophil-derived material called Neutrophil Extracellular Trap (NETs), made of DNA fibers, histones, and granular antimicrobial proteins, which is secreted by neutrophils to physically ensnare pathogens and fight infections. The presence of NETs in a cellular environment is known to alter protein expression. However, it is difficult to research its other functions in a cellular context because it is expensive to isolate a substantial amount of NETs from cells. We are employing a synthetic biomaterial, known as DNA-Histone mesostructure (DHMs) which mimics structural and functional properties of NETs and assessing whether it promotes the production of CXCR-2 ligands through the same pathways as NETs do. CXCR-2 activity is important for cancer metastasis, and if CXCR-2 ligand production is reduced by inhibiting DHM activity, then there is the possibility of inhibiting metastasis of cancers that might otherwise be the result of NET activity. The 4T1 and 4T07 cell lines are cultured in the presence/absence of DHMs, and protein levels of different pathways, as well as cytokine and mRNA levels in solution, are measured, which will be compared to data of previous cultures of the 4T1 and 4T07 cultured in the same media contents but with the presence/absence of NETs. We expect that DHMs will affect the cytokine production and the expression of the genome and proteome of 4T1 and 4T07s in the same way that NETs do. Should our hypothesis be correct, it would suggest DHMs may be used as a screening tool to identify the risk of metastasis in certain tumor lines and to test pharmaceuticals capable of inhibiting NET-related interactions.
Authors: Eason Chang, Priyan Weerappuli
Research Method: Qualitative Study
