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Khalil Ahmed, Ph.D
Professor
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
McGill University, 1960, Ph.D.
ahmedk@umn.edu
office - 612-467-2594
lab - 612-467-2876
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Research Interests:
Signaling in Abnormal and Normal Cell Growth
The major focus of our research is to determine the molecular
mechanisms that control cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis.
Our investigations are aimed at understanding the signaling
in prostate cancer (PCa) and squamous cell carcinoma of the
head and neck (SCCHN). Protein kinase CK2 (formerly casein
kinase II or 2) is the biochemical paradigm for our studies.
This protein kinase signal plays a critical role in cell growth
and proliferation, and our recent work has also established
it as a major modulator of the apoptotic activity in the cell.
The importance of CK2 in cancer relates to the consistently
observed dysregulation of this kinase in all the cancers that
have been examined. The ability of CK2 to promote cell growth
as well as suppress apoptosis links the kinase to cancer biology
as cancer cells are characterized by dysregulation not only
of proliferation but also of apoptosis. An important aspect
CK2 is that this signal has the potential of serving as a
target for inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. Current studies
in our laboratory are focused on this aspect as well as on
defining the mechanism of CK2 mediated suppression of apoptosis.
Many of the CK2 functions related to cell growth and cell
death are mediated via its signaling to the nuclear structures
(such as chromatin and nuclear matrix). As such, we are interested
in delineating the mechanism of these signaling events. Investigations
in our laboratory have made the initial proof of principle
observations on the potential targeting of CK2 for cancer
therapy by antisense CK2 mediated molecular downregulation
of CK2. A novel nanoparticle approach is also being developed
for delivering the antisense specifically to the tumor cells
in vivo. The experimental studies in the laboratory employ
diverse range of biochemical, cell biological, and molecular
biological techniques.
Dr. Ahmed received his B.Sc. Honours (1954) and his M.Sc.
Honours (1955) from Panjab University, Lahore, Pakistan, and
his Ph.D. degree in 1960 from McGill University, Montreal,
Canada. He did postdoctoral work with Dr. J.D. Judah at the
Wistar Institute, University of Pennsylvania.
Selected Recent Publications:
- McDonnell MA, Abedin MJ, Melendez M, Platikanova TN, Ahmed
K, Kelekar A: 2008. Phosphorylation of murine Caspase-9
by the protein kinase CK2 regulates its cleavage by Caspase-8.
J
Biol Chem 283: 20149-20158.
- Wang G, Ahmad KA, Ahmed K: 2008. Impact of protein kinase
CK2 on inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) in prostate
cancer cells. Mol
Cell Biochem 316: 91-97, [DOI 1007/s11010-008-9810-9].
- He H, Tan M, Pamarthy D, Ahmed K, Sun Yi. 2007. CK2-mediated
phosphorylation of SAG at Thr 10 regulates its stability
but not its E3 ligase activity. Mol
Cell Biochem 295:179-188.
- Ahmad KA, Harris NH, Johnson AD, Lindvall HCN, Wang G,
Ahmed K. 2007. Protein kinase CK2 modulates apoptosis induced
by resveratrol and EGCG in prostate cancer cells. Mol
Canc Therap 6:1006-1012.
- Wang G, Ahmad KA, Unger G, Slaton JW, Ahmed K. 2006.
CK2 signaling in androgen-dependent and –independent
prostate cancer. J
Cell Biochem 99:382-91.
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Wang G, Ahmad KA, Ahmed K. 2006. Role of CK2 in regulation
of TRAIL induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. Canc
Res 66: 2242-2249.
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Kramerov AA, Saghizadeh M, Pan H, Kabosova A, Montenarh
M, Ahmed K, Penn JS, Chan CK, Hinton DR, Grant MB, Ljubimov
AV. 2006. Expression of protein kinase CK2 in astroglial
cells of normal and neovascularized retina. Amer
J Path 168: 1722-1736.
- Ahmad KA, Wang G, Ahmed K. 2006. Intracellular Hydrogen
Peroxide Production is an Upstream Event in Apoptosis Induced
by Downregulation of CK2 in Prostate Cancer Cells. Mol
Cancer Res 4: 331-338, 2006.
- Wang G, Unger G, Ahmad KA, Slaton JW, Ahmed K. 2005. Downregulation
of CK2 induces apoptosis in cancer cells – A potential
approach to cancer therapy. Mol
Cell Biochem 274: 77-84.
- Ahmed K, Cochet C, Issinger O-G, Litchfield DW. 2005.
Preface. Mol Cell Biochem 274: 1-2.
- Slaton JW, Sloper DT, Unger G, Davis A, Ahmed. 2004. Induction
of apoptosis by antisense CK2 in human prostate cancer xenograft
model. Mol
Canc Res 2: 712-721.
- Wang H, Yu S, Davis AT, Ahmed K. 2003. Cell cycle dependent
regulation of protein kinase CK2 signaling to the nuclear
matrix. J
Cell Biochem 88: 812-822.
- Davis AT, Wang H, Zhang P, Ahmed K. 2002. Heat Shock Mediated
Modulation of Protein Kinase CK2 in the Nuclear Matrix.
J
Cell Biochem 85: 583-591.
Last modified on: August 11, 2009
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