Albert Einstein Cancer Center

This project will study signal transduction in cancer metastasis. In particular, pathways downstream of Lysophosphatidic Acid (LPA) and small GTPases will be studied in the context of ovarian cancer. LPA is overproduced in ovarian and other tumors and has been shown to stimulate motogenic and proliferative functions in cancer cells. The small GTPase RhoC is overexpressed in many different tumors and is essential for metastasis.  We have identified the MAP3K protein kinase MRK as a new signaling element downstream of LPA and RhoC. MRK is essential for ovarian tumor cells invasion in vitro and is important for the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. The project will address the mechanism through which MRK controls the actin cytoskeleton and invasion, as well as the role of MRK in tumor metastasis in vivo.