Presenter: Kunal Rai, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Genomic Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Title: “Functional Epigenomics of Melanoma Progression”
Abstract: Cancer cells acquire genetic and epigenetic alterations that increase fitness and drive progression through multiple steps of tumor evolution. However, we have limited understanding of epigenetic alterations that are associated with cancer progression or their responses to therapies. In the first part of my talk, I will present our recent data on epigenomic alterations associated with melanoma progression. Systematic epigenomic analyses in simple yet powerful cell based systems have identified specific chromatin states associated with pre-malignant to malignant transitions in melanoma. A unique feature of these chromatin states involves loss of histone acetylations on promoters and enhancers of cancer regulatory cell signaling genes and pathways. Further, we determined epigenomic maps in 24 TCGA-profiled human melanoma samples and integrated epigenomic signatures with somatic mutations and transcriptomic datasets. We find that oncogenic driver events may utilize specific epigenomic signatures to regulate specific cellular processes/networks. Finally, I will discuss how specific chromatin regulators may regulate different stages of melanoma progression.
1:00 pm
The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine Leo Holt Conference Room
Host: Dr. Roel Verhaak
For more information, contact: Eileen King at eileen.king@jax.org