Shan Lu , Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) at Houston, Ph.D., 1995

Dr. Lu is trained as a molecular endocrinologist during graduate study in the Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology , University of Texas Medical School at Houston and postdoctoral training in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr Lu’s current research program is to determine the role of Vav3 oncogene in steroid-related prostate and breast cancers. Dr. Lu’s lab identified that Vav3 oncogene, a quanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rho family GTPases, is overexpressed in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells and in human prostate cancer. Further analysis revealed that Vav3 stimulates growth of prostate cancer cells, interacts with and activates androgen receptor (AR) as a coactivator. Vav3, as a signal transducer, also upregulates AR activity partially via PI3K-Akt signaling. Furthermore, Vav3 potentiates epidermal growth factor (EGF) activity for stimulation of cell growth and AR activation in prostate cancer cells. Current research projects include:

• Elucidation of the signaling pathways of Vav3 in prostate cancer.
• Determination of the role of Vav3 overexpression in prostate cancer development and progression to the androgen-independent status in mouse prostate cancer model and in human prostate cancer specimens.
• Determination of the role of Vav3 in breast cancer.

Recent Publications:

1. L u,S., Tsai,S.Y., and Tsai,M.J. (1997) Regulation of androgen-dependent prostatic cancer cell growth: androgen regulation of CDK2, CDK4, and CKI p16 genes. Cancer Res. 57:4511-4516

2. Lu,S., Tsai,S.Y., and Tsai,M.J.. (1999) Molecular mechanisms of androgen-independent growth of human prostate cancer LNCaP-AI cells. Endocrinology. 140(11):5054-9

3. Lu,S., Liu,M., Epner,D.E., Tsai,S.Y., and Tsai,M.J.. (1999) Androgen regulation of the CDK inhibitor p21 gene through an ARE in the proximal promoter. Mol. Endo. 13:376-384

4. Lu,S., Jenster,G., and Epner,D.E. (2000) Androgen induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 gene: role of androgen receptor and transcription factor Sp1 complex. Mol. Endo. 14:753-760.

5. Lu.S., andEpner,D.E.. (2001) Molecular mechanisms of cell cycle block in human prostate cancer cells by methionine restriction. Nutrition and Cancer. 38:123-130.

6. Lu,S., Hoestje,S.M., Choo,E., and Epner,D.E. (2002) Methionine restriction induces cancer cell death via the c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK1) signaling pathway. Cancer Letter. 179:51-59.

7. Lu,S., Ren,C.X., Chen, GL, Kwabi-Addo, B., and Epner,D.E. (2003) Methionine restriction selectively targets thymidylate synthase in prostate cancer cells. Biochemical Pharmacology. 6:791-800.

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