Xiangwei Wu, Ph.D. 1991, Baylor College of Medicine UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Head & Neck Surgery - Research Contact Information

Research Interests: Mechanisms of p53 and death receptor-mediated apoptosis and applications in chemoprevention and cancer therapy

TNFa is a potent cytokine that elicits a broad range cellular response involved in various biological processes, such as immune response, inflammation, cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. The pleotropic effect of TNFa is due to the fact that TNFa can induce multiple signaling pathways, such as activation of NF-kB and JNK, and cleavage and activation of pro-caspase 8. However, the underline mechanisms controlling the distinct TNFa response remain obscure. Recent studies have implicated TNFa in inflammation-associated cancers due to its ability to activate the NF-kB survival pathway. One of our research areas focuses on the regulation of TNFa response and its application in targeting inflammation-associated cancers.

TNFa related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is potent cell death inducer. It holds promise as specific anti-cancer drug as TRAIL kills cancer cells without harming normal cells. We are interested in understanding why normal cells are resistant to TRAIL and exploring the use of TRAIL in chemoprevention.

Our interests in p53-mediated apoptosis centered on the role of Bax in cell fate determination after DNA damage.

A tutorial in our lab will provide experience in advanced molecular biology and protein chemistry. The experiments will be assisted by state-of-the-art facilities.
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Deng Y, Lin Y, Wu X (2002) Trail Induced Apoptosis Requires Bax-Dependent Mitochondrial Release of Smac/DIABLO. Genes & Develop 16:33-45.

Wu X, Deng Y (2002) Bax and BH3-Domain-Only Proteins in p53-mediated Apoptosis. (Review) Frontiers in Bioscience 7:151-156.

Johnson MD, Wu X, Aithmitti N, Morrison RS (2003) Peg3/Pw1 is a mediator between p53 and Bax In DNA damage-induced neuronal death. J Biol Chem 277(25):23000-7.

Deng Y, Ren X, Lin Y, Yang L, Wu X (2004) A JNK-dependent pathway is required for TNFa-induced apoptosis CELL, 115:61-70.

Ren X, Xu Z, Myers JN, Wu X (2007) Bypass NFkappaB-Mediated Survival Pathways by TRAIL and Smac. Cancer Biol Ther Mar 29;6(7) [Epub ahead of print]

Wen X, Ren X, Yang H, Deng Y, Wu H, Wu X (2007) cIAP1 inhibits and Smac promotes TNFa-mediated caspase 8 activation within the DISC: Implication in treating inflammation-associated cancers. Submitted.

Program Affiliation:
Program in Cancer Biology