Virology
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Thomas M. Roberts, Ph.D.

Professor of Pathology
Faculty Dean for Graduate Education and Chair of the Division of Medical Sciences

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
44 Binney St., Mayer 857
Boston, MA 02115
Tel: 617-632-3049
Fax: 617-632-4770
e-mail:thomas_roberts@dfci.harvard.edu
10 postdoctoral fellows, 5 graduate students

 

 Thomas Roberts

Research in the Roberts laboratory is centered kinases, kinase inhibitors, cancer and aging. We work in wide variety of model systems and utilize approaches varying from systems biology to knockout mice to zebrafish genetics. In many cases the impetus for this work comes from studies on SV40 and polyoma tumor antigens. For instance by examining the role of small t in transformation of HMEC, we have adapted telomerase immortalized breast and prostate epithelial cells to take a systems biology approach to kinases and phosphatases. For years we have been working with Novartis to develop kinase inhibitors and we use these extensively in our model systems. Thus we can study sensitivity to inhibitors in epithelial cells while using forward genetics in zebrafish to find genes which render animals and tumors more or less sensitive to those inhibitors. We also have drilled down on several key signaling molecules which we have shown to lie downstream from activated tyrosine kinases. These include the protein serine kinase Raf-1 and PI 3 kinase( a middle t antigen target). In addition to working to understand the PI3 kinase pathway in greater detail in epithelial cells, we have generated mouse models to study the involvement of PI3K in prostate and breast cancer and a PTEN zebrafish model. We continue to work on particular kinases of interest including Bub1( a large T target) and GAK, kinases which control p53 checkpoints and receptor trafficking.

 

References:

  1. Joanne Chan, Peter E. Bayliss, Jeanette M. Wood, and Thomas M. Roberts. 2002 Dissection of angiogenic signaling in zebrafish using a chemical genetic approach Cancer Cell 1, 257-67.
  2. Zhao,Jean J Ole V. Gjoerup, Romesh R. Subramanian, Yuan Cheng, Wen Chen, Thomas M. Roberts, and William C. Hahn2003 Human mammary epithelial cell transformation through the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase Cancer Cell3(5):483-95.
  3. Hong, Y. Kate Aki Mikami, Brian Schaffhausen, Toni Jun and Thomas M. Roberts 2003 A New Class of Mutations Reveals A Novel Function for the Original Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase Binding Site Proc Natl Acad Sci. USA 100(16):9434-9
  4. Jean J. Zhao, Zhenning Liu, Li Wang, Eyoung Shin, Massimo F. Loda and Thomas M. Roberts (2005) The oncogenic properties of mutant p110? and p110? Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases in human mammary epithelial cells Proc Natl Acad Sci. USA 102(51):18443-8