Carita Lanner, PhD

 2003-2004

 2001-2003

 1999-2000

1997-1999

1997

1983

1977

DNA replication is a tightly regulated, nonredundant process in all cells. Dysregulation of this process leads to serious genetic damage in a cell, malfunction of many cell processes and is often observed in cancer. DNA replication is carried out by a stable complex of enzymes and accessory proteins. I am interested in changes in DNA replication proteins in nonmalignant and malignant ovarian and breast tissue samples and cell lines. One method that can be used to screen for changes in protein isoforms and expression levels is 2 dimensional gel electrophoresis. After gel electrophoresis, proteins may be visualized in the gels by staining or transferred to membranes and blotted with antibodies for various proteins involved in DNA replication.

A current focus in my research revolves around an important component of the DNA replication complex, the accessory protein “Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen” (PCNA). PCNA tethers many of the proteins involved in DNA replication and repair to the DNA template and can affect the activity of many of these proteins. PCNA is upregulated in proliferating cells and cancer and has been used as a diagnostic tool to evaluate degree of malignancy in tumor biopsies. The screen of ovarian and breast samples for changes in protein expression related to malignancy, uncovered a novel protein associated with the expression of the PCNA protein. The novel protein is expressed in non-malignant samples and appears to be absent or present in reduced amounts in malignant samples. Characterization of the protein to date, indicates that the protein may have some homology to PCNA but is otherwise different from PCNA. A protein containing homology to the binding domain of PCNA could be capable of interacting with proteins that bind PCNA and may play a role in many of the processes that PCNA is involved in. My interest in this protein is to determine whether the novel protein affects DNA replication in non-malignant and malignant ovarian and breast epithelial cells.

Wang, Z., Lannér, C., Jin, N., Swartz, D., Li, L., and Rhoades, R. (2003) Hypoxia inhibits myosin phosphatase in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells: Role of Rho-kinase. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology 29: 465-471.

Carr, A., Schmidt, A., Suzuki, Y., del Monte, F., Sato, Y., Lannér, C., Breeden, K., Jing, S., Allen, P., Greengard, P., Yatani, A., Hoit, B., Grupp, I., Hajjar, R., DePaoli-Roach, A., and Kranias, E. (2002) Type 1 phosphatase, a negative inhibitor of cardiac function. Molecular and Cellular Biology 22: 4124-4135.

Lannér, C., Suzuki, Y., Bi, C., Zhang, H., Cooper, L., Bowker-Kinley, M., and DePaoli-Roach, A. (2001). Gene structure and expression of the targeting subunit, RGL, of the muscle-specific gylcogen-associated type 1 protein phosphatase, PP1G. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 388: 135-145.

Suzuki, Y, Lannér, C., Kim, J., Vilardo, P., Zhang, H., Yang, J., Cooper, L., Steele, M., Kennedy, A., Bock, C., Scrimgeour, A., Lawrence, J., and DePaoli-Roach, A. (2001) Insulin control of glycogen metabolism in knockout mice lacking the muscle specific protein phosphatase PP1G/RGL. Molecular and Cellular Biology 21(8): 2683-2694.

Lannér, C. (1998) Relationships of wild Brassica species with chromosome number 2n=18, based on comparison of a chloroplast DNA sequence. Canadian Journal of Botany 76: 228-237.

Lannér, C., Bryngelsson, T., and Gustafsson, M. (1997) Relationships of wild Brassica species with chromosome number 2n=18, based on RFLP studies. Genome 40: 302-308.

Lannér, C., Bryngelsson, T., and Gustafsson, M. (1996) Genetic validity of RAPD markers at the intra- and interspecific level in wild Brassica species with n=9. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 93: 9-14.

Lannér-Herrera, C., Gustafsson, M., Fält,A.-S., and Bryngelsson, T. (1996) Diversity in natural populations of wild Brassica oleracea as estimated by isozyme and RAPD analysis. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 43: 13-23.

Olin-Fatih, M., Lannér-Herrera, C., and Lindgren, H. (1996) Analysis of chromosome, mtDNA, and cpDNA patterns in five somatic hybrids between Brassica alboglabra Bailey and Brassica campestris L. Euphytica 90: 281-288.

Chen, B. Y., Simonsen, V., Lannér-Herrera, C., and Heneen, W. (1992) A Brassica campestris-alboglabra addition line and its use for gene mapping, intergenomic transfer and generation of trisomics. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 84: 592-599.