Education:

• Undergraduate: Free University of Brussels, Belgium; BS in Zoology (Molecular Biology) 1989
• Postgraduate: Wayne State University; PhD in Cancer Biology, 1996; Training at the Edward A. Smucker Memorial Workshop on Histopathobiology of Neoplasia; Keystone, Colorado, 1993
• Fellowships: University of Michigan: Department of Radiation Oncology, 1997-2001; Institute of Gerontology, 1996-97  

Interests:

• Teaching: Cancer Biology, Breast Cancer, Molecular Biology
• Research: Molecular Pathogenesis of Breast and Prostate Cancer, Regulation of Gene Expression, Signal Transduction, Proteases in Cancer

Current Research: 

YB-1 (Y-box binding protein 1) is a transcription factor that regulates genes involved in cell proliferation. YB-1 is essential for embryonic development, and YB-1 overexpression causes cancer in a mammary-specific transgenic model. Several lines of evidence suggest that YB-1 contributes to human breast cancer and other cancer types, and high levels of YB-1 correlate with poor prognosis. Using a non-biased functional assay, we found that YB-1 conferred growth factor independence to human mammary epithelial cells, one of the hallmarks of cancer cells. This effect of YB-1 was due in part to transcriptional induction of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). My laboratory is currently investigating the mechanism by which YB-1 promotes cell proliferation and cancer formation.

A second interest of my laboratory, in collaboration with the Chen and Edwards labs, is the effect of dietary lipids on breast and prostate cancer risk. In particular, we are investigating how long-chain omega-3 fatty acids mediate signaling events that result in reduced cell proliferation and increased cell death.

Selected Publications:

Sun H, Berquin IM, Owens RT, O'Flaherty JT, Edwards IJ.  Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-mediated up-regulation of syndecan-1 by n-3 fatty acids promotes apoptosis of human breast cancer cells. Cancer Res. 2008 Apr 15;68(8):2912-9.

Edwards IJ, Sun H, Hu Y, Berquin IM, O'Flaherty JT, Cline JM, Rudel LL, Chen YQ.  In vivo and in vitro regulation of syndecan 1 in prostate cells by N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. J Biol Chem. 2008 Jun 27;283(26):18441-9.

Berquin IM, Edwards IJ, Chen YQ.  Multi-targeted therapy of cancer by omega-3 fatty acids. Cancer Lett. 2008, May 12 [Epub ahead of print] (Review Article).

Chen YQ, Edwards IJ, Kridel SJ, Thornburg T, Berquin IM. Dietary fat-gene interactions in cancer. Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2007 Dec;26(3-4):535-51

Berquin IM, Min Y, Wu R, Wu J, Perry D, Cline JM, Thomas MJ, Thornburg T, Kulik G, Smith A, Edwards IJ, D'Agostino R, Zhang H, Wu H, Kang JX, Chen YQ. Modulation of prostate cancer genetic risk by omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. J Clin Invest. 2007 Jul;117(7):1866-75.

Chen YQ, Berquin IM, Daniel LW, Edwards IJ, O'Flaherty JT, Thomas MJ, Tooze JA, Wykle B. Omega-3 fatty acids and cancer risk. JAMA. 2006 Jul 19;296(3):282; author reply 282.

Wu J, Lee C, Yokom D, Jiang H, Cheang MC, Yorida E, Turbin D, Berquin IM, Mertens PR, Iftner T, Gilks CB, Dunn SE. Disruption of the Y-box binding protein-1 results in suppression of the epidermal growth factor receptor and HER-2. Cancer Res. 2006 May 1;66(9):4872-9.

Berquin IM, Min Y, Wu R, Wu H, Chen YQ. Expression signature of the mouse prostate. J Biol Chem. 2005 Oct 28;280(43):36442-51.

Sun H, Berquin IM, Edwards IJ. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids regulate syndecan-1 expression in human breast cancer cells. Cancer Res. 2005 May 15;65(10):4442-7.

Berquin IM, Pang B, Dziubinski ML, Scott, LM, Chen YQ, Nolan GP, Ethier SP. Y-box binding protein 1 confers EGF independence to human mammary epithelial cells. Oncogene. 2005 Apr 28;24(19):3177-86.

Edwards IJ, Berquin IM, Sun H, O' Flaherty JT, Daniel LW, Thomas MJ, Rudel LL, Wykle RL, Chen YQ. Differential effects of delivery of n-3 fatty acids to human cancer cells by low density lipoproteins versus albumin. Clin Cancer Res. 2004 Dec 15;10(24):8275-83.

Feroze-Merzoug F, Berquin IM, Dey J, Chen YQ. Peptidylprolyl isomerase A (PPIA) as a preferred internal control over GAPDH and beta-actin in quantitative RNA analyses. Biotechniques. 2002 Apr;32(4):776-8, 780, 782.

Berquin IM, Dziubinski ML, Nolan GP, Ethier SP. A functional screen for genes inducing epidermal growth factor autonomy of human mammary epithelial cells confirms the role of amphiregulin. Oncogene. 2001 Jul 5;20(30):4019-28.