H. C. Weber, MD

H. CHRISTIAN WEBER, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine (Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine) and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

EBRC 515; phone 617-414-8330; e-mail: christian.weber@bmc.org

Education:

MD Hamburg University School of Medicine, Germany

RESEARCH AREAS:

Cellular and molecular biology, G protein-coupled receptors, regulatory peptides, signal transduction, gene expression, molecular pharmacology, obesity, gastrointestinal oncology.

CLINICAL INTERESTS:

Gastroenterology, acid related disorders, neuroendocrinology, intestinal polyposis syndromes, obesity, functional bowel disorders.

The major thrust of Dr. Weber’s laboratory focuses on cell and molecular biological studies of mammalian bombesin receptors in human cancer and obesity. This family of G protein-coupled receptors comprises the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRP-R), the neuromedin B receptor (NMB-R), and the orphan bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3). The human GRP-R is found ectopically expressed in human cancers of the colon, stomach, and prostate thereby mediating potent mitogenic properties through ligand specific receptor activation. Our research is directed towards the understanding of molecular mechanisms of aberrant GRP-R expression in epithelial cells and intracellular signaling pathways relevant in GRP-R dependent cell proliferation. Furthermore, it has now been clearly established that GRP-R and BRS-3 play a significant role in the regulation of feeding behavior, obesity, and glucose homeostasis. Consequently, laboratory investigations are aimed at the elucidation of ligand-activated intracellular signaling events and molecular mechanisms by which bombesin receptors regulate energy homeostasis.

Xiao, D., Qu, X., and Weber, H.C.: Activation of Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase Mediates Bombesin-Induced Mitogenic responses in Prostate Cancer Cells. Cell Signalling 2003; 15 (10):945-953.

Qu, X., Xiao, D., and Weber, H.C.: Transcriptional Activation of the Human Gastrin Releasing Peptide Receptor Gene in Gastrointestinal and Prostatic Epithelial Cancer Cells. J Mol Neuroscience 2004;22: 75-82

Xiao, D., Chinnappan , D., Pestell, R., Albanese, C. and Weber, H. C. : Bombesin Regulates Cyclin D1 Expression Through the Early Growth Response Protein EGR-1. Cancer Research 2005; 65 (21): 9934-9942

Vito D Corleto, Carola Severi, Giovanna Romano, Ivan Tattoli, H. Christian Weber, Mats Stridsberg, Guido Rindi, Nicoletta Campanini, Federica Tomassoni, Uberto Pagotto, David H Coy, Robert T Jensen, Gianfranco Delle Fave: Somatostatin receptor subtypes mediate contractility of human colonic smooth muscle cells Neurogastroenterology and Motility 2006;18:217-225

Tan YR, Qin XQ, Xiang Y, Yang T, Qu F, Wang Y, Liu HJ, Weber HC: PPARalpha and AP-2alpha regulate bombesin receptor subtype 3 expression in ozone-stressed bronchial epithelial cells. Biochem J. 2007; 405(1):131-7.

Chinnappan, D., Qu, X., Ratnasari, A., Xiao,D., and Weber, H.C.: Human Gastrin-Releasing peptide Receptor Gene Regulation Requires Transcription Factor Binding at Two Distinct CRE Sites. Am Journal Physiol 2008 (in press)