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2009 © Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM

Group Verschuren

Emmy Verschuren received her undergraduate degree in 1997 from the University of Groningenin the Netherlands. She then started graduate work in the lab of Nic Jones at the ICRF (CRUK), London, exploring mechanisms of cell death triggered by the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus cyclin, K cyclin. She continued her graduate work in the lab of Gerard Evan at UCSF, San Francisco, investigating in vitro and in vivo oncogenic activities of K cyclin.

After obtaining her Ph.D. in 2003, Emmy began her postdoc with Peter Jackson at Stanford University. She here studied cell cycle control imposed by the Emi1 protein, an inhibitor of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex ubiquitin ligase, and revealed a protein stabilization/mRNA expression circuit that maintains DNA integrity and prevents cellular senescence. She then moved with Peter Jackson to Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, where her recent efforts concern the discovery of novel cancer genes via a high-throughput senescence screen.

The Verschuren lab is dissecting cellular and biochemical properties of candidate tumour suppressor genes identified in a cellular senescence screen during her postdoctoral work in the lab of Peter Jackson at Genentech Inc. Special focus is on one of the candidates, the EPHA3 receptor tyrosine kinase gene, which is found to be frequently mutated in human lung and colorectal cancers in cancer genome sequencing efforts. The lab is currently studying molecular networks around, and cell system responses to manipulation of EphA3 receptor signalling using a multi-pronged research approach. Technologies we are applying include expression of wild type and tumour-associated point mutation variants and genetic knockdown strategies, and highly efficient dual tag-based protein purification methods. Considering the known role of Eph receptors in cell shape and migration, it will be essential to study its putative tumour suppressive functions in a system resembling in vivo architecture. We are therefore setting up primary 3D lung alveolar cyst epithelial culture systems, and aim to develop preclinical mouse lung cancer models applying lentiviral delivery methods directly to the lung tissue. The integration of molecular and epithelial cellular system approaches with genomic profiling will add to our understanding of this new cancer pathway. Importantly, current research objectives are extended to additional candidate tumour suppressors, and reverse genetics-based discovery of new cancer-associated proteins.

Selected Publications:

1. Verschuren, E.W., Ban, K.H., Masek, M.A., Lehman, N.L. and Jackson, P.K. (2007). Loss of Emi1-dependent APC/C inhibition deregulates E2F target expression and elicits DNA damageinduced senescence. Mol. Cell. Biol. 27: 7955-65.
2. Verschuren E.W. and Jackson, P.K. (2007). Putting transcription repression and protein destruction in pRb’s pocket. Review. Dev. Cell. 12: 169-70.
3. Lehman, N.L., Verschuren, E.W., Hsu, J.Y., Cherry, A.M. and Jackson, P.K. (2006). Overexpression of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome inhibitor Emi1 leads to tetraploidy and genomic instability of p53-deficient cells. Cell Cycle. 5: 1569-73.
4. Verschuren, E.W., Hodgson, J.G., Gray, J.W., Kogan, S., Jones, N. and Evan, G.I. (2004). The role of p53 in suppression of KSHV cyclin-induced lymphomagenesis. Cancer Res., 64: 581-589.
5. Verschuren, E.W., Klefstrom, J., Evan, G.I. and Jones, N. (2002). The oncogenic potential of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus cyclin is exposed by p53 loss in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Cell, 2:229-241.

Group Members

Prospective Group Members:

We are always interested to receive inquiries from talented postdocs, PhD or undergraduate students to work in our group.
Please send your inquiry (including CV, list of publications, contact info of 3 references, and cover letter describing your long-term research ambitions) to emmy.verschuren@helsinki.fi.