Mitchell F. Denning, PhD Associate Professor Department of Pathology Cutaneous Oncology Research Program Division of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Molecular Biology Program Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center (708) 327-3358 mdennin@lumc.edu

Signal Transduction In Skin Carcinogenesis

Non-melanoma skin cancers (basal and squamous cell carcinomas) are the most common type of human cancer. Dr. Denning's laboratory studies signaling pathways which regulate normal skin homeostasis to better understand how alterations in these signaling pathways contribute to malignancy. They are focusing on the involvement of the protein kinase C (PKC) family of enzymes in the multi-step transformation of human keratinocytes. PKC is a central regulator of the normal keratinocyte differentiation program, and alterations in epidermal differentiation and PKC signaling are evident in malignant keratinocytes as well as a large number of benign skin diseases. PKC is directly activated by phorbol ester tumor promoters commonly used in mouse skin chemical carcinogenesis studies. They recently demonstrated that PKC is also activated by ultraviolet radiation, the main environmental carcinogen for human skin cancer formation. They are using a variety of cell biological, biochemical, pharmacological, and molecular genetic approaches to characterize the functional significance of PKC activation in normal and neoplastic keratinocytes. They are also examining the involvement of PKC activation in cell cycle withdrawal (G0) during normal keratinocyte differentiation. Their long-term goals are to target these signaling pathways for therapeutic or preventive interventions in skin cancer.

Graduate Student and Resident Participation

Graduate students and residents are encouraged to participate in this research program. Graduate students can join this laboratory through the Molecular Biology Program or the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. Please feel free to contact Dr. Denning directly to discuss research opportunities in his laboratory.

Publications

View a partial list of Dr. Denning's publications through the National Library of Medicine's PubMed online database.