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F. Kay Huebner PhD


F. Kay Huebner PhD
ProfessorCollege of Medicinekay.huebner@osumc.edu
916 Biomedical Research Tower 460 W 12th Avenue Columbus OH 43210
Phone:614-292-4850Fax: 614-292-3312
  • Molecular Biology and Cancer Genetics

General Research Interest

tumor suppressors, chromosome fragile sites,  DNA damage esponse checkpoint, characterization of breast cancer subtypes

Research Description

 The major focus of the laboratory is to thoroughly investigate and define the biological functions of the tumor suppressor proteins, Fhit and Wwox, encoded by the chromosome fragile sites FRA3B and FRA16D, two of the most frequently inactivated tumor suppressors in a broad spectrum of human cancers. The biological functions of the two proteins are studied using the full panoply of molecular genetic techniques in in vitro and in vivo models. Tumor suppressor related changes defined in tissue culture or mouse models are quickly examined also in human tissues from anonymous human cancers in order to confirm the laboratory findings in actual human cancers of breast, pancreas and other cancers, with the ultimate goal of identifying  prognostically useful protein markers and possible therapeutic targets for specific cancers.

Transinstitutional Work

The laboratory has ongoing collaborations with Dr. Charles Shapiro of the OSUCCC Hematology/Oncology division of the Department of Internal Medicine and with personnel in several OSUCCC Shared Facilities, to understand differences in protein marker expression profiles of specific breast cancer subtypes. The goal is to find specific therapeutic targets, particularly for the triple-negative breast cancer subtype. This collaboration also involves international partners at the Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. The lab has also continued collaboration with Dr. Mark Bloomston of the OSUCCC and Dept of Surgery and with Dr. Wendy Frankel, of the OSUMC Dept of Pathology, to examine the significance of loss of specific fragile tumor suppressor proteins in pancreatic and related cancers. Dr. Huebner also collaborates with several colleagues in Japan and in Italy, to define the signal pathways through which the Fhit protein contributes to tumor suppression.

Current Publications

  • Cascione L, Gasparini P, Lovat F, Carasi S, Pulvirenti A, Ferro A, Alder H, He G, Vecchione A, Croce CM, Shapiro CL, Huebner KIntegrated microRNA and mRNA signatures associated with survival in triple negative breast cancer.PLoS One 8(2) e55910 1/1/2013
  • Saldivar JC, Bene J, Hosseini SA, Miuma S, Horton S, Heerema NA, Huebner KCharacterization of the role of Fhit in suppression of DNA damage.Adv Biol Regul 53(1) 77-85 1/1/2013
  • Alder H, Taccioli C, Chen H, Jiang Y, Smalley KJ, Fadda P, Ozer HG, Huebner K, Farber JL, Croce CM, Fong LYDysregulation of miR-31 and miR-21 induced by zinc deficiency promotes esophageal cancer.Carcinogenesis 33(9) 1736-44 9/1/2012
  • Guler G, Balci S, Costinean S, Ussakli CH, Irkkan C, Suren D, Sari E, Altundag K, Ozisik Y, Jones S, Bacher J, Shapiro CL, Huebner KStem cell-related markers in primary breast cancers and associated metastatic lesions.Mod Pathol 25(7) 949-55 7/1/2012
  • Volinia S, Galasso M, Sana ME, Wise TF, Palatini J, Huebner K, Croce CMBreast cancer signatures for invasiveness and prognosis defined by deep sequencing of microRNA.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109(8) 3024-9 2/21/2012
  • Saldivar JC, Miuma S, Bene J, Hosseini SA, Shibata H, Sun J, Wheeler LJ, Mathews CK, Huebner KInitiation of genome instability and preneoplastic processes through loss of Fhit expression.PLoS Genet 8(11) e1003077 1/1/2012
  • Shibata H, Miuma S, Saldivar JC, Huebner KResponse of subtype-specific human breast cancer-derived cells to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and checkpoint kinase 1 inhibition.Cancer Sci 102(10) 1882-8 10/1/2011
  • Guler G, Himmetoglu C, Jimenez RE, Geyer SM, Wang WP, Costinean S, Pilarski RT, Morrison C, Suren D, Liu J, Chen J, Kamal J, Shapiro CL, Huebner KAberrant expression of DNA damage response proteins is associated with breast cancer subtype and clinical features.Breast Cancer Res Treat 129(2) 421-32 9/1/2011