c-myb regulates stem-progenitor cell cycle entry in colonic crypts providing insights into colo-rectal carcinogenesis

Funded Activity Summary

During a human's life time the colon or large bowel produced an extraordinary volume of cells. This requires almost unimaginable numbers of cell divisions. We are investigating the role of a gene (c-myb) that we propose is one of the key regulators of normal colon growth and function. It is expressed in the base of the functional unit of the colon called the colonic crypt. The base contains the stem cell population which give rise to all the crypt cells. We have generated and gathered a unique and comprehensive set of mutant mice that have various degrees of dysfunction of the c-myb gene. We will study the colons of these mice to determine how c-myb regulates cell growth. We will also investigate these mice under stress conditions like that associated with cancer therapies like radiation treatment. Understanding such genes will improve the management of cancer patient how suffer gastro-intestinal side effects such as diarrhoea, perhaps hyper-proliferative disorders like inflammatory bowel disease and finally colon cancer where complete loss of cell growth is a feature.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2006

End Date: 01-01-2008

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $386,020.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Oncology and Carcinogenesis

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

cell cycle | colon cancer | cyrpts | radiotherapy | stem cells | ulcerative colitis

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