Susan A. Rotenberg, Professor
Ph.D. Brown University (1985)
Office: Remsen 117B
Lab: Remsen 115
Phone: (718) 997-4133
FAX: (718) 997-5531
E-mail: Susan.Rotenberg@qc.cuny.edu
Research Interests: Biochemistry
- Protein kinase C (PKC) is a Ca2+ and phospholipid-dependent
protein kinase that is a vital component in various signaling pathways that
govern proliferation, differentiation, and cell movement. In malignant cells,
PKC promotes unregulated cellular growth and metastasis, as evidenced by 1) its
role as the cellular receptor for tumor promoters, 2) its elevated levels of
expression in certain tumors, and 3) disturbances in proliferation, migration,
and reduction-oxidation processes of cells genetically engineered to
overproduce PKC.
Because
of its role in promoting cell proliferation and invasion, PKCa
continues to be a critical target for the design of novel anti-cancer agents.
PKCa is
universally expressed and has been linked with promoting metastasis of several
cell types such as melanoma and breast cells.
Pertinent
to its role in metastasis, PKCa governs signaling pathways that promote cell
motility of murine melanoma and human breast cells. These cells offer important
systems in which 1) to identify immediate protein substrates of PKCa, and
2) to assign these substrates to specific PKC-controlled signaling pathways
that govern the metastasis of cancer cells. Our research is yielding new targets
for designing anti-metastasis drugs and for detecting malignant human breast
cancer cells.
This
research has been supported by grants from The National Cancer Institute, The
Breast Cancer Alliance, The Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Foundation, and The
Professional Staff Congress of the C.U.N.Y. Research Foundation.
RECENT
PUBLICATIONS (since 1998)
T.P.
Abeyweera, X. Chen, and
[Recommended
by Faculty of 1000 Biology, Sept. 2009]
J.-P.
Truman, S.A. Rotenberg, J.-H. Kang, G. Lerman, Z. Fuks, R. Kolesnick, V.E.
Marquez, and A. Haimovitz-Friedman. “PKCa
activation down-regulates ATM and radio-sensitizes androgen-sensitive human
prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.” Cancer Biol. & Ther. 8: 54-63, 2009.
D. Duan, D.M. Sigano, J.A.
Kelley, C. Lai, N.E. Lewin, N. Kedei, M.L. Peach, J. Lee, T.P. Abeyweera, S.A.
Rotenberg, H. Kim, Y.H. Kim, S. El-Kazzouli, J.-U. Chung, H.A. Young, M.R. Young, A. Baker,
N.H. Colburn, A.
Haimovitz-Friedman, J.P. Truman, D.A. Parrish, J.R. Deschamps, N.A.
Perry, R.J. Surawski, P.M. Blumberg, and V.E. Marquez. “Conformationally
constrained analogues of diacylglycerol. 29. Cells sort diacylglycerol-lactone
chemical zip codes to produce diverse and selective biological activities.” J. Med. Chem. 51: 5198-5220, 2008.
P.
Sun, F.O. Laforge, T.P. Abeyweera, S.A. Rotenberg, J. Carpino, and M.V. Mirkin.
“Nano-electrochemistry of mammalian cells.”
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 105: 443-448, 2008.
F.O.
LaForge, J. Carpino, S.A. Rotenberg, and M.V. Mirkin “Electrochemical
attosyringe.” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 104: 11895-11900, 2007.
T.P.
Abeyweera and
C.
S. A.
Rotenberg and M. V. Mirkin. "Scanning Electrochemical Mircroscopy of Human
Breast Cells." J. Mamm. Gland Biol. Neoplasia 9: 375-382, 2004.
C.
Kerfoot, W. Huang, and S. A. Rotenberg. “Immunohistochemical Analysis of
Advanced Human Breast Carcinomas Reveals Down-Regulation of Protein Kinase Ca.”
J. Histochem. Cytochem., 52: 419-422, 2004.
W.
Feng, S. A. Rotenberg, and M. V. Mirkin. "Scanning Electrochemical
Microscopy of Living Cells. 5. Imaging of Fields of
B. Liu,
S. A. Rotenberg, and M. V. Mirkin. "Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy of
Living Cells. Mechanistic Study of Charge Transfer Reactions in Human Breast
Cells." Anal. Chem. 74: 6340-6348, 2002.
M. V.
Mirkin, B. Liu, and S. A. Rotenberg. "Probing Redox Activity of Human
Breast Cells by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy." Meth. Enzymol. 352:
112-122, 2002.
E.
Sanz-Navares, N. Fernandez, M. G. Kazanietz, and S. A. Rotenberg.
"Atypical Protein Kinase C zeta Suppresses Migration of Metastatic Mouse
Melanoma Cells." Cell Growth & Diff.12: 517-524, 2001.
B. Liu,
W. Cheng, S. A. Rotenberg, and M. V. Mirkin. "Scanning Electrochemical
Microscopy of Living Cells. 2. Imaging Redox Reactivities." J.
Electroanal. Chem. 500: 590-597, 2001.
B. Liu,
S. A. Rotenberg, and M. V. Mirkin. "Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy of
Living Cells: Redox Activities of Human Breast Cells." Proc. Natl. Acad.
Sci. 97: 9855-9860, 2000.
R. M.
Sullivan, M. Stone, J. F. Marshall, F. Uberall, and S. A. Rotenberg.
"Photo-induced Inactivation of Protein Kinase Ca by
Dequalinium Inhibits Motility of Murine Melanoma Cells." Mol. Pharmacol.
58: 729-737, 2000.
D. Qin,
R. Sullivan, W. F. Berkowitz, R. Bittman, and S. A. Rotenberg. "Inhibition
of Protein Kinase Ca
by Dequalinium Analogues: Dependence on Linker Length and Geometry." J.
Med. Chem. 43: 1413-1417, 2000.
X.-g.
Sun and S. A. Rotenberg, "Overexpression of PKCa in
MCF-10A Human Breast Cells Engenders Dramatic Alterations in Morphology,
Proliferation, and Motility." Cell Growth & Diff. 10: 343-352, 1999.
S. A.
Rotenberg, J. Zhu, Hansen, H., X.-d. Li, X.-g. Sun, C. A. Michels, and H.
Riedel. "Deletion Analysis of Protein Kinase Ca
Reveals a Novel Regulatory Segment." J. Biochem. 124: 756-763, 1998.
S. A.
Rotenberg and X.-g. Sun. "Photo-induced Inactivation of Protein Kinase C
by Dequalinium Identifies the RACK-1 Binding Domain as a Recognition
Site." J. Biol. Chem. 273: 2390-2395, 1998.
Last Modified
on January 7, 2010