Education:
BSc 1969 Biochemistry - University College of Rhodesia
PhD 1973 Biochemistry - University of London
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship:
1973 - 1975 Children's Hospital Los Angeles, California
Started at USC: 1977 Research Topics: Cancer Genetics, Cancer Cell Biology, DNA & RNA, DNA Replication, Repair, Modification, Epigenetics
Research Description Cytosine methylation is essential for normal mammalian development yet contributes substantially to the development of human cancer The function of cytosine methylation is not completely understood but it is thought to be part of a mechanism to silence genes in a heritable fashion. Alterations in this silencing mechanism can contribute to the heritable inactivation of tumor suppressor genes thus contributing to the malignant phenotype. My laboratory studies DNA methylation in human cancer.We are focused on the biochemical mechanisms by which cytosine methylation patterns are changed particularly with respect to the cell cycle and in determining how this process is involved in the transformation of human cells. We are interested in fundamental aspects of the control of DNA methylation as it relates to the de novo methylation of the promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes. This epigenetic mechanism by which tumor suppressor genes can be inactivated may be an important pathway which contributes to carcinogenesis in a wide variety of tumors.
10 Selected Publications:
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Friedman JM,Liang G,Liu CC,Wolff EM,Tsai YC,Ye W,Zhou X,Jones PA - The Putative Tumor Suppressor microRNA-101 Modulates the Cancer Epigenome by Repressing the Polycomb Group Protein EZH2. - Cancer Res [2009] Mar 3;(): PubMed
Yoo CB,Chuang JC,Byun HM,Egger G,Yang AS,Dubeau L,Long T,Laird PW,Marquez VE,Jones PA - Long-term epigenetic therapy with oral zebularine has minimal side effects and prevents intestinal tumors in mice. - Cancer Prev Res (Phila Pa) [2008] Sep;1(4):233-40 PubMed
Youssef RF,Mitra AP,Bartsch G Jr,Jones PA,Skinner DG,Cote RJ - Molecular targets and targeted therapies in bladder cancer management. - World J Urol [2009] Feb;27(1):9-20 PubMed
Yoo CB,Valente R,Congiatu C,Gavazza F,Angel A,Siddiqui MA,Jones PA,McGuigan C,Marquez VE - Activation of p16 Gene Silenced by DNA Methylation in Cancer Cells by Phosphoramidate Derivatives of 2'-Deoxyzebularine. - J Med Chem [2008] Nov 12;(): PubMed
Gal-Yam EN,Egger G,Iniguez L,Holster H,Einarsson S,Zhang X,Lin JC,Liang G,Jones PA,Tanay A - Frequent switching of Polycomb repressive marks and DNA hypermethylation in the PC3 prostate cancer cell line. - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A [2008] Sep 2;105(35):12979-84 PubMed
Cortez CC,Jones PA - Chromatin, cancer and drug therapies. - Mutat Res [2008] Dec 1;647(1-2):44-51 PubMed
Wolff EM,Liang G,Cortez CC,Tsai YC,Castelao JE,Cortessis VK,Tsao-Wei DD,Groshen S,Jones PA - RUNX3 methylation reveals that bladder tumors are older in patients with a history of smoking. - Cancer Res [2008] Aug 1;68(15):6208-14 PubMed
Weisenberger DJ,Trinh BN,Campan M,Sharma S,Long TI,Ananthnarayan S,Liang G,Esteva FJ,Hortobagyi GN,McCormick F,Jones PA,Laird PW - DNA methylation analysis by digital bisulfite genomic sequencing and digital MethyLight. - Nucleic Acids Res [2008] Aug;36(14):4689-98 PubMed
van Rietschoten JG,Gal-Yam EN,Jeong S,Cortez CC,Verweij CL,Jones PA - Epigenetic regulation and nucleosome positioning in the human TATA-less IL-1 alpha promoter. - Genes Immun [2008] Oct;9(7):582-90 PubMed
George B,Datar RH,Wu L,Cai J,Patten N,Beil SJ,Groshen S,Stein J,Skinner D,Jones PA,Cote RJ - p53 gene and protein status: the role of p53 alterations in predicting outcome in patients with bladder cancer. - J Clin Oncol [2007] Dec 1;25(34):5352-8 PubMed
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