CONICET PhD fellow
Director: Cesar Prucca
E-Mail: tsuarez@fcq.unc.edu.ar
PhD Thesis Topic
c-Fos and Fra-1 in brain and breast tumors. Lipid synthesis as a new possible therapeutic target?
c-Fos and Fra-1 belongs to the activator protein 1 (Of 1) family of transcription factors. They have been involved in growth regulation, proliferation and cell differentiation by regulating the expression of target genes involved in these processes. c-Fos and Fra-1 associates to specific enzymes of the phospholipid synthesis pathway in the endoplasmic reticulum (IS) and activates the sinthesys by a mechanism independent of its genomic activity as transcriptor factor. The general objective of this work is move along in the knowledge of the molecular mechanism by which c-Fos and Fra-1 perform this critic function activating lipid sinthesys in brain and breast tumors to enable the high membrane biogenesis rate needed to sustain the exacerbated growth characteristic of tumors. Knowing precisely the function of c-Fos and Fra-1 like activators of membrane biogenesis is essential, not only to be able to interpret this process of the cellular physiology but also, to be able to design new therapies aimed at intervening in this function of c-Fos and Fra-1 and thus control the exacerbated growth of tumor cells.