Biomedical subjects

Kartiki Desai

Publications and source records attributed to Kartiki Desai.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Prostate cancer and the genomic revolution: Advances using microarray analyses.

The emerging technology of microarray analysis allows the establishment of molecular portraits of prostate cancer and the discovery of novel genes involved in the carcinogenesis process. Many novel genes have already been identified using this technique, and functional analyses of these genes are currently being tested. The combination of microarray analysis with other recently developed high-throughput techniques, such as proteomics, tissue arrays, and gene promoter-methylation, especially using tissue microdissection methods, will provide us with more comprehensive insights into how prostate cancer develops and responds to gene-targeted therapies. Animal models of prostate cancer are being characterized by high throughput techniques to better define the similarities and differences between those models and the human disease, and to determine whether particular models may be useful for specific targeted therapies in pre-clinical studies. Although profiling of mRNA expression provides important information of gene expression, the development of proteomic technologies will allow for an even more precise global insight into cellular signaling and structural alterations during prostate carcinogenesis. Not only will the "omic" revolution change basic science, but it will lead to a new era of molecular medicine.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Genomic approaches to understanding mammary tumor progression in transgenic mice and responses to therapy.

Scores of genetically engineered mice have been generated in the quest to understand mechanisms of breast cancer development and progression. More recently, there has been a growing trend for using such models for testing various therapeutic strategies and agents. The application of these mouse models for these purposes requires that they be characterized in ways that demonstrate they possess important similarities to human breast cancer. In particular, detailed comparisons of the features of the models to human breast cancer must include attention to the histological phenotypes, chromosomal and molecular alterations, and the predictive value of the models for preclinical testing. Whereas these models have become important tools for the study of breast cancer, the great majority of existing mouse mammary cancer models develop tumors that are estrogen receptor negative, with relatively few models demonstrating metastatic spread to the lungs, and none developing metastases to bone. This review focuses on recent studies using genomic approaches to further understand the oncogenic processes occurring in mouse models of mammary cancer and to compare these changes with those identified in human breast cancer. Gene expression profiling is being applied to help define pharmacological responses that occur in vivo. Detailed genomic analyses will provide important information for selecting models for specific experimental purposes, contribute to the understanding of oncogene-specific expression signatures and potential therapeutic targets, and further define mechanisms of chemoprevention and chemotherapy.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Molecular profiling of angiogenesis markers.

The goal of this study was to develop a sensitive, simple, and widely applicable assay to measure copy numbers of specific mRNAs using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and identify a profile of gene expression closely associated with angiogenesis. We measured a panel of nine potential angiogenesis markers from a mouse transgenic model of prostate adenocarcinoma (TRAMP) and a mouse skin model of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-driven angiogenesis. In both models, expression of VEGF correlated with expression of mRNAs encoding other angiogenic cytokines (angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2), endothelial cell receptor tyrosine kinases (Flt-1, KDR, Tie-1), and endothelial cell adhesion molecules (VE-cadherin, PECAM-1). Relative to control, in dermis highly stimulated by VEGF, the Ang-2 mRNA transcript numbers increased 35-fold, PECAM-1 and VE-cadherin increased 10-fold, Tie-1 increased 8-fold, KDR and Flt-1 each increased 4-fold, and Ang-1 increased 2-fold. All transcript numbers were correspondingly reduced in skin with less VEGF expression, indicating a relationship of each of these seven markers with VEGF. Thus, this study identifies a highly efficient method for precise quantification of a panel of seven specific mRNAs that correlate with VEGF expression and VEGF-induced neovascularization, and it provides evidence that real-time quantitative RT-PCR offers a highly sensitive strategy for monitoring angiogenesis.

Adenocarcinoma↗