| Grant number: | 11/51588-2 |
| Support type: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate |
| Effective date (Start): | January 01, 2012 |
| Effective date (End): | July 31, 2015 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Biology |
| Principal Investigator: | Oswaldo Keith Okamoto |
| Grantee: | Márcia Cristina Teixeira dos Santos |
| Home Institution: | Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Associated scholarship(s): | 12/22950-8 - Functional characterization of RNA binding proteins Lin28 and Msi1 in neurogenesis, BE.EP.PD |
Abstract Neoplastic stem cells have been identified in a variety of human cancers, in which they are associated with the initial steps of tumorigenesis. The tumor-initiating cell phenotype may result from genetic alterations affecting the expression of critical genes regulating typical stem cell process such as self-renewal and pluripotency. It is becoming apparent that RNA-binding proteins control the biogenesis of miRNA, affecting their activity and stability. LIN28 is an RNA binding protein that acts as repressor of miRNA processing and as a post-transcriptional regulatory factor for some mRNAs. LIN28 is ectopically expressed in some malignant tumors, but details of its molecular function remain to be clarified within the cancer context. In the present study, we propose to examine the subset of RNAs and proteins that specifically bind to LIN28 in human medulloblastoma cells, to clarify its relation with tumorigenesis in the central nervous system. (AU) | |
| Articles published in Agência FAPESP about the scholarship:Researchers investigate genes that endow tumor cells with stem cell-like properties | |