Xiaodong Cheng, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Department of Pharmacology and Immunology

Telephone: (409) 772-1561
Fax: (409) 7729642
E-mail:xcheng@utmb.edu
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Research

The major research focus in our laboratory is function and regulation of protein kinases and small GTPases and their roles in cancers. Currently, there are three independent but closely related projects in the lab. The first two are related intracellular signaling mediated by cAMP. cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) isoforms play different roles in regulating various cellular processes, such as cell growth and differentiation.  The linkage between certain PKA isoforms and cancer has also been firmly established. However, the underlying biochemical and structural principles for isoform-specific PKA functions are not clearly understood. To bridge this gap in our understanding, we are investigating the structure and function of different PKA isoforms using biochemical, molecular and cellular approaches. Particularly, we will apply chemical-genetic and functional proteomic approaches to determine the cellularsubstrates of different PKA isoforms. Recently, a family of novel intracellular cAMP receptors, Exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (Epac), has been discovered. The finding of a second intracellular cAMP receptor in addition to PKA suggests that some, or even the majority of cAMP actions described in the vast cAMP literature, do not act through the activation of PKA alone, as previously believed. Therefore, dissecting the functional roles of Epac in the overall cAMP-mediated intracellular signaling is another major emphasis of the lab. Finally, we are also conducting study of the molecular mechanism of ovarian cell transformation and tumorgenesis using a genetically defined ovarian cancer model and functional proteomics approaches.