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Catherine St. Hill, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
University of Minnesota, 2000, D.V.M.
University of Minnesota, 1999, Ph.D.
sthil001@umn.edu
612-626-5787 office
612-626-3543 lab
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Research Interests:
Molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis
The selectins are highly selective C-type lectins that bind sialyl-Lewis x (sLeX)-related glycans and are critical for leukocyte trafficking to lymphoid tissues and sites of inflammation. On leukocytes, sLex-modified core 2 O-glycans (C2-O-sLeX) are high affinity glycan ligands for the selectins. We have shown that C2-O-sLeX glycans are expressed on colon, endometrial, and breast carcinoma cells but not in corresponding normal tissues by immunohistochemical and flow cytometric methods. C2-O-sLeX expression on colon carcinomas correlated with E-selectin (but not P- or L-selectin) binding in shear flow assays. Our studies utilize transfected/transduced cells in vitro and in vivo to directly examine whether C2-O-sLeX confers carcinoma cells with high binding activity for the selectins and participates in metastasis. Transduced cells expressing C2-O-sLeX exhibited 10-fold greater attachment to E-selectin than mock-transduced cells in initial studies. Our findings indicate that C2-O-sLeX glycans play an important role in the adhesion of cancer cells to endothelial selectins.
Selected Recent Publications:
- Walcheck B., Herrara, A., St. Hill, C.A., Mattila, P.E., Whitney, A.R., and DeLeo, F.R. 2006. ADAM17 activity during human neutrophil activation and apoptosis. Eur. J. Immunol., 36:968-976.
- St. Hill, C.A., Bullard, K.M., and Walcheck B. 2005. Expression of the high-affinity selectin glycan ligand C2-O-sLeX by colon carcinoma cells. Cancer Lett., 217:105-113.
- St. Hill, C.A., Silva, R.F., and Sharma, J.M. 2004. Detection and localization of avian alphaherpesviruses in embryonic tissues following in ovo exposure. Virus Res., 100:243-248.
- St. Hill, C.A., Alexander, S.R., and Walcheck, B. 2003. Indirect capture augments leukocyte accumulation on P-selectin in flowing whole blood. J. Leukoc. Biol., 73:464-471.
- Walcheck B., Alexander, S.R., St. Hill, C.A., and Matala, E. 2003. Adam-17-independent shedding of L-selectin. J. Leukoc. Biol., 74:389-394.
Last modified on: November 9, 2006 |
