Phelan, Shelley - Fairfield University

个人简介

Dr. Shelley Phelan is a molecular cell biologist with interests in how genes are aberrantly regulated in human disease. Her current research focuses on the regulation and function of the peroxiredoxin family of antioxidant genes in cell proliferation and cancer. She has mentored over 40 undergraduates in her laboratory at Fairfield, and has published several articles and abstracts co-authored with Fairfield students. She has played a lead role in several initiatives for science students on campus, including the creation of the Peer Learning Group program for general biology students, the founding of the Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics floor, involvement in the Fairfield University Chapter of Sigma Xi, and the creation of the BASE summer science camp for inner city high school students.

研究领域

For the past 10 years, my research has focused on a family of antioxidant genes called Peroxiredoxins. The peroxiredoxin genes encode thiol-specific antioxidant proteins that protect cells from oxidative stress-induced damage. They have been implicated in numerous cellular processes that are regulated by reactive oxygen species, including cell signaling, proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as diseases related to oxidative stress such as atherosclerosis, aging, and neurodegenerative disease. With the help of my undergraduate students, we have discovered key regulators and DNA elements involved in the transcriptional control or Prdx6. My lab currently is studying the regulation and function of peroxiredoxins in cancer. We and others have found that peroxiredoxins can possess poth tumor-preventive and tumor supportive functions, suggesting a novel and complex mechanism for the regulation of cancer. We have demonstrated that liver cancer cells exhibit increased expression of Prdx6 and decreased susceptibility to oxidative stress-induced cell death as compared to non-cancerous liver cells. In addition, we have shown that suppression of this gene in cancer cells increases oxidative stress-induced cell death, demonstrating an important protective role in cancer cell viability. My current research is funded by a $214K grant from the National Cancer Institute of the NIH to investigate the role of Prdx1 and Prdx6 in the prevention and maintenance of human breast cancer, and a $75K grant from Research Corp to work with Dr. Min Xu on the development of a new multimodal microscopy method to characterize cancer cells. Several undergraduates have been engaged in this research, and we hope this work will provide insight into the function of peroxiredoxins in cancer cell biology.

近期论文

查看导师新发文章（温馨提示：请注意重名现象，建议点开原文通过作者单位确认）

Goncalves K, Sullivan K, & Phelan SA. (2012) Differential Expression and Function of Peroxiredoxin 1 and Peroxiredoxin 6 in Cancerous MCF-7 and Noncancerous MCF-10A Breast Epithelial Cells. Cancer Investigation 30:38-47. Gardiner F, Gaynor P, & Phelan SA. (2010) Induction of Prdx1 and Prdx6 in liver cells by serum and TPA International Journal of Biology 2(1):3-12. Walsh B, Pearl A, Suchy S, Tartaglio J, Visco K, & Phelan SA. (2009) Overexpression of Prdx6 and Resistance to Peroxide-Induced Death in Hepa1-6 Cells: Prdx6 Suppression Increases Apoptosis. Redox Reports 14(6):275-284. Wang Y, Lu Q, Sheldon FS, Ho YS, Phelan SA, Beers MF, Fisher AB. (2008) Antioxidative role of peroxiredoxin 6 in acute lung injury. Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi. (Chinese Journal of Pediatrics) 46(10):739-744. (In Chinese) Gallagher BM & Phelan SA. (2007) Transcriptional Regulation of Peroxiredoxin 6 in Mouse Liver Cells. Free Radical Biology & Medicine 42(8):1270-1277. Wang Y, Phelan SA, Manevich Y, Feinstein SI, Fisher, AB. (2006) Transgenic Mice Overexpressing Peroxiredoxin 6 Show Increased Resistance to Lung Injury in Hyperoxia. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol., 34(4):481-486. Simeone M & Phelan SA. (2005) Transcripts associated with Prdx6 (peroxiredoxin 6) and related genes in mouse. Mammalian Genome 16(2):103-111. Wang X, Phelan SA, Petros C, Taylor E, Ledinski G, Jurgens G, Forsman-Semb K, Paigen B. (2004) Antioxidant Protein 2 Deficiency and Atherosclerosis Susceptibility in Mice: Significance of Genetic Background for Assessing Atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis 177(1):61-70. Phelan SA, Wang X, Wallbrandt P, Forsman-Semb K, Paigen B. (2003) Overexpression of Peroxiredoxin VI Reduces H202 But Does Not Prevent Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis. Free Radical Biology & Medicine 35(9):1110-1120. Wang X, Phelan SA, Forsman-Semb K, Couturier EF, Brown A, Lerner CP, Paigen, B. (2003) Mice With Targeted Mutation of Peroxiredoxin 6 Develop Normally But Are Susceptible To Oxidative Stress. J Biol Chem 278(27):25179-25190. Sparling N & Phelan SA. (2003) Identification of multiple transcripts for antioxidant protein 2 (Aop2): Differential regulation by oxidative stress and growth factors. Redox Reports 8(2):87-94.