DONATE MAINS

12th February 2019, 13h00 -14h00
(Passage d’innovation - 74, rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine)

Complete title:
An unconventional myocardin-related transcriptional factor (MRTF)-directed signaling axis in cell migration and angiogenesis – basic science and translational opportunities

Partha Roy (Associated Professor, Bioengineering and Pathology, University of Pittsburgh; https://www.engineering.pitt.edu/ParthaRoy/)

Invited by Florian Sennlaub and Xavier Guillonneau

Abstract:
Directed cell migration plays an important role in embryonic development, wound healing, angiogenesis, immune response, cancer invasion and metastasis. Dynamic reorganization of actin cytoskeleton, a key aspect of cell migration, is regulated by the concerted actions of various classes of actin-binding proteins (ABPs), and some of these ABPs are fundamental drivers of actin-based cell motility. Altered expressions and activities of fundamental drivers of cell migration lead to aberrant cell motility in pathologic scenarios. Our main research interests are to: a) gain novel insights on how dysregulation of fundamental drivers of cell migration contributes to metastatic progression of solid cancers and pathological angiogenesis; and b) develop translational strategies exploiting the pathways of dysregulation as a means to suppress metastatic phenotype of cancer cells and angiogenesis-dependent pathology. This talk will focus on an unconventional function of Myocardin-related transcriptional coactivator MRTF (links actin dynamics to transcriptional regulation of many cytoskeletal and adhesion-related genes) in the context of cell migration and angiogenesis, and further assessment of novel small molecules targeting a specific ABP downstream of MRTF function as anti-angiogenic agents with potential use in retinal diseases.