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Research Interests:
The laboratory is interested in relationships between iron metabolism and tumor growth. Techniques of molecular biology, cell culture and animal models are being used to explore the role of iron and proteins of iron metabolism in oxidative stress and carcinogenesis, as well as the role of iron depletion in anti-tumor therapy.
Current Research:
Our laboratory is interested in relationships between iron metabolism and tumor growth. One of our active areas of investigation is the use of iron chelators as anti-tumor therapeutics. Recent work in our laboratory suggests that tachpyridine, a novel iron chelator, may function to inhibit tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, and we are currently assessing the mechanism of that response.
A related interest in the laboratory is in chemoprevention. Chemoprevention is the use of natural or synthetic compounds to prevent cancer. One way in which chemopreventive agents function is by inducing the synthesis of cytoprotective proteins. Our laboratory has begun to investigate the role of ferritin, a protein that sequesters iron and limits its availability to catalyze deleterious oxygen free radical formation, in this cytoprotective response. We have observed that oltipraz, a prototypic chemopreventive agent, induces ferritin in vivo and in vitro. We are currently assessing the mechanisms by which naturally occurring compounds in foods can serve as chemopreventive agents. In addition, in collaboration with Dr. M. Welker in the Chemistry Department of WFU, we are testing the ability of novel oxathiolene oxides to function as chemopreventive agents. A new laboratory interest is in the role of growth factor antagonists in tumor growth. These projects directly relate laboratory research to issues of cancer prevention and treatment.
Recent Publications:
Wang W, Di X, D'Agostino RB Jr, Torti SV, Torti FM. Excess capacity of the iron regulatory protein system. J Biol Chem. 2007 Jun 28.
Jennings-Gee JE, Tsuji Y, Pietsch EC, Moran E, Mymryk JS, Torti FM, Torti SV. Coordinate inhibition of cytokine-mediated induction of ferritin H, manganese superoxide dismutase, and interleukin-6 by the adenovirus E1A oncogene. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jun 16;281(24):16428-35.
Jiao Y, Wilkinson J 4th, Christine Pietsch E, Buss JL, Wang W, Planalp R, Torti FM, Torti SV. Iron chelation in the biological activity of curcumin. Free Radic Biol Med. 2006 Apr 1;40(7):1152-60.
Wilkinson J 4th, Di X, Schonig K, Buss JL, Kock ND, Cline JM, Saunders TL, Bujard H, Torti SV, Torti FM. Tissue-specific expression of ferritin H regulates cellular iron homoeostasis in vivo. Biochem J. 2006 May 1;395(3):501-7.
Regino CA, Torti SV, Ma R, Yap GP, Kreisel KA, Torti FM, Planalp RP, Brechbiel MW. N-picolyl derivatives of Kemp's triamine as potential antitumor agents: a preliminary investigation. J Med Chem. 2005 Dec 15;48(25):7993-9.
Publications:
For a listing of additional publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine
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