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

 

Lab Members    Graduate Enzymology Course Links     Chem 371/650 Links   

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.  Efforts are also focused on the role of PKCa in determining the redox reactivity of non-metastatic and metastatic cancer cells. This work, which employs the scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM), is a collaborative effort with Prof. Michael Mirkin of this department. Our research is yielding new possibilities for the SECM as a tool 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, The Garnett McKeen Laboratory, and The Professional Staff Congress of the C.U.N.Y. Research Foundation.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

T.P. Abeyweera and S.A. Rotenberg. “Design and Characterization of a Traceable Protein Kinase C-a” Biochemistry 46: 2364-2370, 2007.

C. Abeywickrama, S.A. Rotenberg, and A.D. Baker “Inhibition of Protein Kinase C by Dequalinium Analogues: Structure-Activity Studies on Head Group Variations.” Bioorg. Med. Chem. 14: 7796–7803, 2006.

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 Normal and Metastatic Human Breast Cells."  Anal. Chem. 75: 4148-4154, 2003.

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 July 5, 2007