Min Du, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral research fellow

Education
York University, Toronto, Ontario, 2008

Lab
Charles P. Emerson, Jr.

Research Interests
The Hedgehog signaling pathway is essential for cell fate determination and pattern formation during embryogenesis. In addition, many of the most common and untreatable cancers have aberrant, activated HH signaling, which is thought to be responsible for their uncontrolled proliferation, cell survival and tumorigenicity. Transcription factors, Gli1 and Gli2, are the effectors of HH pathway activation and the direct molecular targets of pathway regulation. We are utilizing the unique power of mass spectrometry-based proteomic technologies, in combination with cell and molecular approaches, to investigate how Gli1 and Gli2 function is regulated through protein interactions and post-translational modifications in HH-responsive embryonic cells and in cancer cells with aberrant HH pathway activation.

Recent Publications:
Du M, Perry RL, Nowacki NB, Gordon JW, Salma J, Zhao J, Aziz A, Chan J, Siu
KW, McDermott JC. (2008) Protein kinase A represses skeletal myogenesis by targeting myocyte enhancer factor 2D. Mol Cell Biol. 28(9):2952-70.
PMID: 18299387

Cox DM, Zhong F, Du M, Duchoslav E, Sakuma T, McDermott JC. (2005) Multiple reaction monitoring as a method for identifying protein posttranslational modifications. J Biomol Tech.  16(2):83-90.
PMID: 16030315

Cox DM, Du M, Marback M, Yang EC, Chan J, Siu KW, McDermott JC. (2003) Phosphorylation motifs regulating the stability and function of myocyte enhancer factor 2A. J Biol Chem. 278(17):15297-303.
PMID: 12586839

Cox DM, Du M, Guo X, Siu KW, McDermott JC. (2002) Tandem affinity purification of protein complexes from mammalian cells. Biotechniques. 33(2):267-8, 270.
PMID: 12188173

Contact Details:
email: du@bbri.org, tel. 617-658-7862