Title:   
Full Professor

Institute:
Université de Montréal

Department:  
Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer

Province:
Quebec

Training:  
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biochemistry Centre-CNRS, Nice, France
Postdoctoral Fellow, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
PhD Pharmacology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
MSc Pharmaceutical Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
BPharm, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Research interests:
We use an interdisciplinary approach that includes biochemistry, cell biology, mouse genetics and chemical biology to understand how signaling pathways control cell division, differentiation and, survival of normal and cancer cells.

Recognitions:
Biotechnology of Tomorrow Award, Genesis Awards
Canada Research Chair (tier 1) in Cellular Signaling
Scientist, Medical Research Council of Canada
Joe Doupe Young Investigator Award, Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation
Jonathan Ballon

Career highlights:
Demonstration of the essential role of the MAP kinases Erk1/Erk2 in cell proliferation control; Genetic, biochemical and physiological characterization of the atypical MAP kinases Erk3 and Erk4; Unraveling of novel regulatory mechanisms of the cell cycle inhibitors p27 and p21

Research Projects

Project title:  
Role of MEK-ERK1/2 signaling in the initiation, genetic instability and maintenance of colorectal cancer

Funding period:  
2010-2012

Program:
Operating Grant (Basic Research)

Summary:
The overall objective of our research project is to define the role of a specific family of enzymes known as protein kinases in the establishment and progression of colorectal cancer. These enzymes are targets for the development of novel thearapies of cancer.

CRS publications :

Voisin L, Duhamel S, Meloche S. The ERK1/2 MAP kinase signaling pathway in tumor progression and metastasis. In: Wu W-S, Hu C-T, eds. Signal Transduction in Cancer Metastasis. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer, 2010: in press.

Frémin C, Meloche S. From basic research to clinical development of MEK1/2 inhibitors for cancer therapy. J Hematol Oncol 2010; 3: 8.

Voisin L, Julien C, Duhamel S, Gopalbhai K, Claveau I, Saba-El-Leil MK, Rodrigue-Gervais IG, Gaboury L, Lamarre D, Basik M, Meloche S. Activation of MEK1 or MEK2 isoform is sufficient to fully transform intestinal epithelial cells and induce the formation of metastatic tumors. BMC Cancer 2008; 8: 337.

Meloche S, Pouysségur J. The ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway as a master regulator of the G1 to S phase transition. Oncogene 2007; 26: 3227-3239.

Wu C, Arcand M, Jansen G, Zhong M, Iouk T, Thomas DY, Meloche S, Whiteway M. Phosphorylation of the MAPKKK regulator Ste50p in yeast; a casein kinase I phosphorylation site required for proper mating function. Eukaryot Cell 2003; 2: 949-961.

Gopalbhai K, Jansen G, Beauregard G, Whiteway M, Dumas F, Wu C, Meloche S. Negative regulation of MAP kinase kinases by phosphorylation of a conserved Serine residue equivalent to Ser212 of MEK1. J Biol Chem 2003; 278: 8118-8125.

Meloche S, Gopalbhai K, Beatty BG, Scherer SW, Pellerin J. Chromosome mapping of the human genes encoding the MAP kinase kinase MEK1 (MAP2K1) to 15q21 and MEK2 (MAP2K2) to 7q32. Cytogenet Cell Genet 2000; 88: 249-252.

Blais C Jr, Drapeau G, Meloche S, Morais R, Adam A. Digoxigenin-labeled peptides for the immunological quantification of intracellular signaling proteins: application to the MAP kinase kinase isoform MEK2. Biotechniques 1997 ; 23 : 1098-1103.

Gopalbhai K, Meloche S. Repression of mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK1/ERK2 activity by a protein tyrosine phosphatase in rat fibroblasts transformed by upstream oncoproteins. J Cell Physiol 1998 ; 174 : 35-47.

Past CRS projects:

2008 Role of MEK 1/2 signaling in chromosomal instability and colorectal cancer progression

2006 Role of MEK2 in colorectal cancer initiation and progression

2003 Negative regulation of the ERK1/2 MAP kinase pathway by phosphorylation.

1995 Regulation of MEK isoforms during cell proliferation and oncogenic transformation

1994 Role of MAP kinase activator in the regulation of MAP kinases activity