Research Interests

The mammary gland is an organ that serves as an excellent developmental model in which to study the mechanisms controlling proliferation, differentiation, cell death and cancer. The adult tissue-specific stem cells of the mammary gland are responsible for the generation of different functional cell types within the gland, and are believed to be the origin of breast cancer. My interests include the signalling pathways that regulate differentiation and stem cell function.

The projects in my laboratory focus on two major aspects: mammary gland development and breast cancer. The signal transduction pathway of prolactin, a hormone responsible for the growth and differentiation of the mammary gland during pregnancy and lactation is central to both areas. The target genes of this pathway are involved in mammary gland development as well as cancer progression. We are looking for novel target genes expressed in the mammary gland, and are performing functional analysis with regard to normal mammary gland development and breast cancer progression.

 

Courses Taught

Graduate Students

Selected Publications - Trainees underlined

• Perotti C, Wiedl, T, Florin, L., Reuter, H., Moffat, S., Silbermann, M., Hahn, M., Angel, P, Shemanko CS. Characterization of mammary epithelial cell line HC11 using the NIA 15k gene array reveals potential regulators of the undifferentiated and differentiated phenotypes. Differentiation, 2009; 78:269-282 Pubmed abstract

  Perotti C, Liu R, Parusel C, Böcher N, Schultz J, Bork P, Pfitzner E, Groner B, Shemanko CS. Prolactin induces the expression of the heat shock protein 90a (HSP90a) gene and regulates apoptosis. Breast Cancer Research, 2008; 10(6):R94 Full text

  Brill B, Boecher, N, Groner. B, Shemanko CS. A sparing procedure to clear the mouse mammary fat pad of epithelial components for transplantation analysis. Lab Animal, 2008; 42:104-110 Pubmed abstract

  Shemanko CS. Mammary epithelial stem and progenitor cells and the prolactin pathway. Frontiers in Bioscience, 2008 13:3940-3950 Pubmed abstract

  Rugg EL, Horn HM, Smith FJ, Wilson NJ, Magee G, Shemanko CS, Tidman MJ, Lane EB. Epidermolysis bullosa simplex in Scotland is caused by a spectrum of keratin mutations. J Investig Dermatol, 2007; Mar;127(3):574-80 Full text

  Desrivieres S, Prinz T., Palomino-Laria N.C., Meyer, M., Boehm G., Schäfer J., Neumann T., Shemanko CS*, Groner B*, Comparative proteomic analysis of proliferating and functionally differentiated mammary epithelial cells. Molecular and Cellular Proteomics. 2003; 2:1039-1054 Full text

  McGrath, J. A., McMillan, J. R., Shemanko, C. S., Runswick, S. K., Leigh, I. M., Lane, E. B., Garrod, D. R., Eady, R. A.. (1997). Mutations in the plakophilin 1 gene result in ectodermal dysplasia/skin fragility syndrome. Nat Genet 17, 240-4 Pubmed abstract

Book Chapters

• Shemanko CS. The response of breast cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents and other anti-cancer treatments. In: Stem cells: organogenesis and cancer, Ed Shree Singh, Research Signpost/ Transworld Research Network Press. 2010:153-169, ISBN # is 978-81-7895-487-5