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RESEARCH FOCUS, BIOGRAPHY, PUBLICATIONS

Research Focus
Dr. Courtneidge’s laboratory has studied the Src family of protein tyrosine kinases for a number of years. Src was the first oncogene to be discovered, and the first protein tyrosine kinase, and dissecting the mechanisms of Src transformation, regulation, substrate selection and function has proved to be a powerful research paradigm to understand tumorigenesis. In addition, since Src is frequently up-regulated and hyperactivated in human cancers, particularly of the breast and colon, such research is of direct relevance to human disease. Current research in the laboratory focuses on three main areas. The first involves defining how Src and its substrate, Tks5, drive the formation of podosomes (sometimes called invadopodia), which are protrusive membrane structures involved in extracellular matrix degradation. Since podosomes are found in metastatic human cancer cells, the second focus is to identify and validate molecular targets in podosomes, in order to define novel therapeutic points of intervention for the treatment of metastatic disease. The third research area involves defining in molecular detail the role of Src in mitogenic signaling pathways, particularly in breast cancer cells responding to estrogen.

Biography
Sara A. Courtneidge was born in the UK, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Leeds and her Ph.D. from the National Institute for Medical Research. Following postdoctoral study at the University of California, San Francisco, and an independent position at the National Institute for Medical Research, she joined the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in 1985, where she rose to the position of Senior Scientist. Changing course in 1994, Dr. Courtneidge joined SUGEN Inc. as Vice President of Research, where she guided novel kinase discovery and validation efforts in oncology. From 2001-2005 she was Distinguished Scientific Investigator at the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Courtneidge joined the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in May 2005, as Professor and Director of the Cell Adhesion and Extracellular Matrix Program.

Dr. Courtneidge’s contributions to cancer research have been recognized with numerous honors, including election to the European Molecular Biology Organization (1990), the Jubilee Lecture and Harden Medal of the British Biochemical Society (2001) and the Feodor Lynen Lecture and Lynen Medal (2005).

Selected Publications
Seals DF, Azucena EF Jr, Pass I, Tesfay L, Gordon R, Woodrow M, Resau JH &Courtneidge SA (2005) The adaptor protein Tks5/Fish is required for podosome formation and function, and for the protease-driven invasion of cancer cells. Cancer Cell 7, 155-165.

Bromann PA, Korkaya H, Webb CP, Miller J, Calvin TL & Courtneidge SA (2005) Platelet-derived growth factor stimulates Src-dependent mRNA stabilization of specific early genes in fibroblasts. J Biol Chem 280, 10253-10263.

Courtneidge SA, Azucena Jr EF, Pass I, Seals DF & Tesfay L (2005) The Src substrate Tks5, podosomes (invadopodia), and cancer cell invasion. Cold Spring Harbor Quant Biol 70, 1-6.

Bromann PA, Korkaya H & Courtneidge SA (2004) The interplay between Src family kinases and receptor tyrosine kinases. Oncogene 23, 7957-7968.

Abram CL, Seals DF, Pass I, Salinsky D, Maurer L, Roth TM & Courtneidge SA (2003) The adaptor protein Fish associates with members of the ADAMs family and localizes to podosomes of Src-transformed cells. J Biol Chem 278, 16844-16851.

Seals DF & Courtneidge SA (2003) The ADAMs family of metalloproteases: multidomain proteins with multiple functions. Genes Dev 17, 7-30.

Courtneidge SA (2003) Isolation of novel Src substrates. Biochem Soc Trans 31, 25-28.

Courtneidge SA (2003) Escape from inhibition. Nature 422, 827-828.

Courtneidge SA (2002) Role of Src in signal transduction pathways. The Jubilee Lecture. Biochem Soc Trans 30, 11-17.

Bowman T, Broome MA, Sinibaldi D, Wharton W, Pledger WJ, Sedivy JM, Irby R, Yeatman T, Courtneidge SA & Jove R (2001) Stat3-mediated Myc expression is required for Src transformation and PDGF-mediated mitogenesis. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 98, 7319-7324.

Blake RA, Broome MA, Liu X, Wu J, Gishizky M, Sun L & Courtneidge SA (2000) SU6656, a selective Src family kinase inhibitor, used to probe growth factor signaling. Mol Cell Biol 20, 9018-9027.

Broome MA & Courtneidge SA (2000) No requirement for Src family kinases for PDGF signaling in fibroblasts expressing SV40 largeT antigen. Oncogene 19 2867-2869.

Tominaga T, Sahai E, Chardin P, McCormick F, Courtneidge SA & Alberts AS (2000) Diaphanous-related formins bridge Rho GTPase and Src tyrosine kinase signaling. Molecular Cell 5, 13-25.

Abram CL & Courtneidge SA (2000) Src family tyrosine kinases and growth factor signaling. Exp Cell Res 254, 1-13.

List of Publications via PubMed
(NIH National Library of Medicine)