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Faculty Detail     Name SUSAN M LOBO RUPPERT   Campus Address NP 2561 Zip 3300 Phone 205-934-9581 E-mail sruppert@uab.edu Other websites

Faculty Appointment(s) Appointment Type Department Division Rank Primary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Associate Professor Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Associate Professor Secondary  Genetics   Genetic & Translational Med Associate Professor Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Associate Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations Cellular and Molecular Biology Program

Biographical Sketch  Susan Lobo-Ruppert obtained her Ph.D. in 1987 from Florida State University (mentor Dr. William F. Marzluff) and did postdoctoral work with Dr. Nouria Hernandez at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY. She joined UAB in 1993.

Research/Clinical Interest Title Role of transcription factor oncogenes in tumor initiation. Description We are using a variety of molecular biological, biochemical and genetic techniques to understand how the zinc finger transcription factors Gli1 and KLF4 initiate cancer. Gli1 is an effector of the hedgehog signaling pathway that has been implicated in basal cell, pancreatic and small cell lung cancers. We identified KLF4 as a transfroming oncogene present in a head and neck cancer cDNA library, by expression cloning in an epithelial cell line, RK3E. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were raised against human KLF4 and used for immunohistochemistry. We discovered that KLF4 expression is upregulated in virtually all oral squamous cell carcinomas, in 75% of breast cancers and in a significant number of squamous cell carcinomas of the skin. In breast cancers, preferential nuclear localization of KLF4 is predictive of poor outcome. Our current studies are aimed at dissecting the mechanisms by which KLF4 and Gli1 function as oncogenes.

Selected Publications  Publication PUBMEDID Marzluff, W.F., Brown, D.T., Lobo, S.M. and Wang, S-S. (1983). Isolation and characterization of two linked mouse U1b small nuclear RNA genes. Nucl. Acids Res. 11, 6255-6270.     Moussa, N.M., Lobo, S.M. and Marzluff, W.F. (1985). Expression of a mouse U1b gene in mouse L cells. Gene 36, 311-319.    Blatt C, Saxe D, Marzluff WF, Lobo S. M., Nesbitt MN, Simon MI. (1988) Mapping and gene order of U1 small nuclear RNA, endogenous viral env sequence, amylase, and alcohol dehydrogenase-3 on mouse chromosome 3. Somat Cell Mol Genet. 14(2):133-42.    Moussa, N.M., E-L Din, A.S., Lobo, S.M. and Marzluff, W.F. (1987). A mouse U1B gene with extensive sequence similarity to a rat U1A gene for 670 nucleotides 5' to the gene. Nucl. Acids Res. 15, 3622.    Lobo, S.M. and Marzluff, W.F. (1987) Synthesis of snRNAs in isolated mouse cell nuclei: Initiation and 3' end formation. Mol. Cell. Biol. 7, 4290-4296.    Lobo, S.M., Marzluff, W.F., Seufert, A.C., Dean, W.L., Schultz, G.A., Simerly, C., and Schatten, G. (1988). Localization and expression of U1 RNA in early mouse embryo development. Develop. Biol. 127 394-361.    Lobo, S.M., and Hernandez, N. (1989) A 7 bp mutation converts a human RNA polymerase II snRNA promoter into an RNA polymerase III promoter. Cell 58, 55-67.    Prather R, Simerly C, Schatten G, Pilch DR, Lobo S.M., Marzluff WF, Dean WL, Schultz GA. (1990) U3 snRNPs and nucleolar development during oocyte maturation, fertilization and early embryogenesis in the mouse: U3 snRNA and snRNPs are not regulated coordinate with other snRNAs and snRNPs. Dev Biol. 138(2):247-55    Lobo, S.M., Ifill, S., and Hernandez, N. (1990) Cis-acting elements required for RNA polymerase II and III transcription in the human U2 and U6 snRNA promoters. Nucl. Acids Res. 18 2891-2899.    Lobo, S.M., Lister, J., Sullivan, M.L., and Hernandez, N. (1991) The cloned RNA polymerase II transcription factor IID selects RNA polymerase III to transcribe the human U6 gene in vitro Genes and Dev.. 5 1477-1489.    First Prev   1 2 of  2  Next Last

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