Immunology and Inflammation
E-mail: vancuroi@stjohns.edu
Our goal is to contribute to our understanding of the transcriptional regulation of pro-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic gene expression, as it relates to numerous inflammatory disorders and human cancers, and to provide a creative and productive research environment for graduate and undergraduate students to learn and academically develop in the lab. Our ongoing projects focus on two principal issues:
- What are the mechanisms regulating nuclear translocation of the transcriptional regulator IκBα, and could they be used to develop new therapies to regulate survival of leukemia and cancer cells?
- What are the mechanisms regulating transcription of pro-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic genes in human leukocytes and leukemia cells?
To answer these questions, we use novel and standard approaches of immunology, molecular and cell biology and biochemistry. This research has been funded by NIH; both undergraduate and graduate students have been actively involved in these studies, and have been co-authors on the publications from the lab. A better understanding of the mechanisms regulating transcription of pro-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic genes will suggest new strategies for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases as well as some forms of leukemia and cancer.
Recent publications
Vu HY, Juvekar A, Ghosh C, Ramaswami S, Le DH, Vancurova I. Proteasome inhibitors induce apoptosis of prostate cancer cells by inducing nuclear translocation of IκB. Arch Biochem Bioph 475: 156-163, 2008.
Ghosh C, Vu HY, Mujo T, Vancurova I. Analysis of nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of NFκB proteins in human leukocytes. Meth Mol Biol, 457: 279-292, 2008.
Wapnir R, Sherry B, Codipilly CN, Goodwin LO, Vancurova I. Modulation of Rat Intestinal Nuclear Factor NFκB by Gum Arabic. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 53: 80-87, 2008.
Miskolci V, Rollins J, Vu HY, Ghosh CC, Davidson D, Vancurova I. NFκB Is persistently activated in continuously stimulated human neutrophils. Mol Medicine, 13: 134-142, 2007.
Davidson D, Miskolci V, Clark DC, Dolmaian G, Vancurova I. Interleukin-10 production after pro-inflammatory stimulation of neutrophils and monocytes of the newborn: Comparison to exogenous interleukin-10 and dexamethasone levels needed to inhibit chemokine release. Neonatology 92: 127-133, 2007.
Miskolci V, Ghosh C, Rollins J, Romero C, Vu H, Robinson S, Davidson D, Vancurova I. TNFα release from peripheral blood leukocytes depends on a CRM1-mediated nuclear export. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 351: 354-360, 2006.
Hu H, Du Q, Vancurova I, Lin X, Miller EJ, Simms HH, Wang P. Proapoptotic effect of curcumin on human neutrophils: Activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Crit Care Med 33: 2571-2578, 2005.
Franek WR, Morrow DMP, Zhu H, Vancurova I, Miskolci V, Darley-Usmar K, Simms HH, Mantell LL. NFκB protects lung epithelium against hyperoxia-induced non-apoptotic cell death. Free Radic Biol Med 37:1670-1679, 2004.
Tryzmel J, Miskolci V, Castro-Alcaraz S, Vancurova I, Davidson D. Interleukin-10 inhibits pro-inflammatory chemokine release by neutrophils of the newborn without suppresion of NFκB. Pediatr Res 54: 382-386, 2003.
Miskolci V, Castro-Alcaraz S, Nguyen P, Vancura A, Davidson D, Vancurova I. Okadaic acid induces sustained activation of NFκB and degradation of the nuclear IκBα in human neutrophils. Arch Biochem Biophys 417: 44-52, 2003.
Altaf W, Perveen S, Rehman KU, Teichberg S, Vancurova I, Harper RG, Wapnir RA. Zinc supplementation in oral rehydration solutions: experimental assessment and mechanisms of action. J Am Coll Nutr 21: 26-32, 2002.
Irakam A, Miskolci V, Vancurova I, Davidson D. Dose-related inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine release from neutrophils of the newborn by dexamethasone, betamethasone, and hydrocortisone. Biol Neonate 82: 89-95, 2002.
Vancurova I, Rong W, Miskolci V, Sun S. Increased p50/50 NF-κB activation in HPV 6/11-induced laryngeal papilloma tissue. J Virol 76: 1533-1536, 2002.
Castro-Alcaraz S, Miskolci V, Kalasapudi B, Davidson D, Vancurova I. NFκB regulation in human neutrophils by nuclear IκBα: Correlation to apoptosis. J Immunol 169: 3947-3953, 2002.
Vancurova I, Bellani I, Davidson D. Activation of NF-κB and its suppression by dexamethasone in polymorphonuclear leukocytes: Newborn versus adult. Pediatr Res 49: 257-262, 2001.
Vancurova I, Miskolci V, Davidson D. NF-κB activation in TNF-stimulated neutrophils is mediated by protein kinase C-δ: Correlation to nuclear IκBα. J Biol Chem 276: 19746-19752, 2001.
Former Students
Chandra Ghosh, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School
Hai-Yen Vu, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago Medical School
Veronika Miskolci, PhD student, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Staci Robinson, Medical student, Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine
Tomas Mujo, Medical student, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
Ofelia Tacchelly, PhD student, Dartmouth Medical School
Bharati Kalasapudi, MD, Brown University Medical School