Rosana D. Meyer, MD
Instructor
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Contact information:
E-mail: rdmeyer@bu.edu
Tel: 617-638-5027
Education:
M.D. Foundation University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil (1996)
Research interests
Angiogenesis, a process by which new blood vessels are formed is considered to play fundamental role in the pathology of many of human diseases including, cancer and inflammatory diseases. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) and VEGFR-2 are main receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) whose activation is known to control angiogenesis. Genetic and biochemical studies have shown that VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 convey distinct angiogenic signaling pathways in endothelial cells. Activation of VEGFR-2 is prerequisite for vasculogenesis (e.g., angiogenesis during embryonic development) and pathological angiogenesis, whereas VEGFR-1 function is subject to spatial and temporal regulation.
Our laboratory is interested in understanding of the molecular regulation of angiogenesis and role of VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 in this process. In particular, our goals are to dissect signal transduction pathways that are emanated during angiogenesis by VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2. The lab uses a multifaceted approach to study angiogenesis. These include: cellular and molecular biology approaches, proteomics, and gene expression analyses using genomic technologies. An understanding of molecular mechanisms governing angiogenic signaling of VEGF receptors would provide the tools for the development of novel and more effective inhibitors that produce their clinical effect through different pathways.
Recent Publications
Meyer RD, Mohammadi M, Rahimi N. A single amino acid substitution in the activation loop defines the decoy characteristic of VEGFR-1/FLT-1. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jan 13;281(2):867-75.
Meyer RD, Qian X, Guo HC, Rahimi N. Leucine motif-dependent tyrosine autophosphorylation of type III receptor tyrosine kinases. J Biol Chem. 2006 Mar 31;281(13):8620-7.
Meyer RD, Sacks DB, Rahimi N. IQGAP1-dependent signaling pathway regulates endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis. PLoS ONE. 2008;3(12):e3848.
Rahimi N, Golde TE, Meyer RD. Identification of ligand-induced proteolytic cleavage and ectodomain shedding of VEGFR-1/FLT1 in leukemic cancer cells. Cancer Res. 2009 Mar 15;69(6):2607-14.
