Basic Science Researcher

California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute

Pierre Desprez, PhD

Introduction  |  Publications

Introduction

I am a Principal Investigator at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute. The main focus of my laboratory is the regulation of normal and cancerous breast epithelial cell phenotypes by helix-loop-helix transcription factors. Mammary epithelial cells undergo cycles of proliferation, invasion, differentiation and apoptotic cell-death throughout adult life. The molecular mechanisms that regulate these complex and coordinated developmental programs are poorly understood. We have identified Id proteins, negative regulators of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, as critical regulators of these normal mammary epithelial cell phenotypes.

In addition, we found a strong correlation between Id protein levels and aggressiveness of human breast cancer cells. Using tumor breast biopsies available at California Pacific Medical Center, we have determined that Id-1 expression levels increased in metastatic breast cancer whereas Id-2 expression levels decreased in these aggressive forms of breast cancer. We believe that Id genes and proteins may therefore represent new markers which indicates the progression of some breast cancers on their way towards their final, untreatable stages. This research may also help to provide valuable targets for treatment of aggressive breast cancers. We also recently started to investigate the role of Id proteins in the regulation of the phenotype of prostate as well as head and neck cancer cells.

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Publications

Publications by Pierre Y Desprez in PubMed.

Recent publications include:

1. McAllister SD, Murase R, Christian RT, Lau D, Zielinski AJ, Allison J, Almanza C, Pakdel A, Lee J, Limbad C, Liu Y, Debs RJ, Moore DH, Desprez PY. Pathways mediating the effects of cannabidiol on the reduction of breast cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 Aug;129(1):37-47. Epub 2010 Sep 22.



2. Gautschi O, Tepper CG, Purnell PR, Izumiya Y, Evans CP, Green TP, Desprez PY, Lara PN, Gandara DR, Mack PC, Kung HJ.Regulation of Id1 expression by SRC: implications for targeting of the bone morphogenetic protein pathway in cancer. Cancer Res. 2008 Apr 1;68(7):2250-8.


3. McAllister SD, Christian RT, Horowitz MP, Garcia A, Desprez P. Cannabidiol as a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 6, 2921-2927, November 1, 2007.



4. Yoshimura T, Sumida T, Liu S, Onishi A, Shintani S, Desprez PY, Hamakawa H. Growth inhibition of human salivary gland tumor cells by introduction of progesterone (Pg) receptor and Pg treatment.
   Endocr Relat Cancer. 2007 Dec;14(4):1107-16.



5. McAllister SD, Christian RT, Horowitz MP, Garcia A, Desprez PY. Cannabidiol as a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells. Mol Cancer Ther. 2007 Nov;6(11):2921-7.



6. Tang B, Yoo N, Vu M, Mamura M, Nam JS, Ooshima A, Du Z, Desprez PY, Anver MR, Michalowska AM, Shih J, Parks WT, Wakefield LM. Transforming growth factor-beta can suppress tumorigenesis through effects on the putative cancer stem or early progenitor cell and committed progeny in a breast cancer xenograft model. Cancer Res. 2007 Sep 15;67(18):8643-52.



7. Yasmeen A, Bismar TA, Kandouz M, Foulkes WD, Desprez PY, Al Moustafa AE. E6/E7 of HPV type 16 promotes cell invasion and metastasis of human breast cancer cells. Cell Cycle. 2007 Jun;6(16):2038-42. Epub 2007 Jun 6.



8. Itahana Y, Piens M, Sumida T, Fong S, Muschler J, Desprez PY. Regulation of clusterin expression in mammary epithelial cells. Exp Cell Res. 2007 Mar 10;313(5):943-51. Epub 2006 Dec 24.



9. Huh JI, Qiu TH, Chandramouli GV, Charles R, Wiench M, Hager GL, Catena R, Calvo A, LaVallee TM, Desprez PY, Green JE.
   2-methoxyestradiol induces mammary gland differentiation through amphiregulin-epithelial growth factor receptor-mediated signaling: molecular distinctions from the mammary gland of pregnant mice.
   Endocrinology. 2007 Mar;148(3):1266-77. Epub 2006 Dec 7.



10. Zhao Y, Johansson C, Tran T, Bettencourt R, Itahana Y, Desprez PY, Konieczny SF. Identification of a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor expressed in mammary gland alveolar cells and required for maintenance of the differentiated state. Mol Endocrinol. 2006 Sep;20(9):2187-98. Epub 2006 Apr 27.



11. Takeda T, Sakata M, Isobe A, Yamamoto T, Nishimoto F, Minekawa R, Hayashi M, Okamoto Y, Desprez PY, Tasaka K, Murata Y. Involvement of Sp-1 in the regulation of the Id-1 gene during trophoblast cell differentiation.
    Placenta. 2007 Feb-Mar;28(2-3):192-8. Epub 2006 Apr 25.



12. Tepper CG, Gregg JP, Shi XB, Vinall RL, Baron CA, Ryan PE, Desprez PY, Kung HJ, deVere White RW. Profiling of gene expression changes caused by p53 gain-of-function mutant alleles in prostate cancer cells. Prostate. 2005 Dec 1;65(4):375-89.



13. Sumida T, Itahana Y, Hamakawa H, Desprez PY. Reduction of human metastatic breast cancer cell aggressiveness on introduction of either form a or B of the progesterone receptor and then treatment with progestins.
    Cancer Res. 2004 Nov 1;64(21):7886-92.



14. Fong S, Debs RJ, Desprez PY. Id genes and proteins as promising targets in cancer therapy. Trends Mol Med. 2004 Aug;10(8):387-92. Review.



15. Coppe JP, Itahana Y, Moore DH, Bennington JL, Desprez PY. Id-1 and Id-2 proteins as molecular markers for human prostate cancer progression.
    Clin Cancer Res. 2004 Mar 15;10(6):2044-51.

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