Sreenivasa Chinni
Office Address
9245 Scott Hall
540 E. Canfield
Detroit, MI 48201
Department
Pathology
Research Interests
• Characterizing cellular and molecular pathological events contributing to prostate cancer progression
• Cross-talk between chemokine signaling and phosphatidylinositol lipid kinase signaling
• Androgen/androgen receptor signaling in castration resistant disease progression and anti-AR therapy resistance
Research Description
The research focus of my laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanism of prostate cancer metastasis and resistant mechanisms to anti-androgen/AR therapies. Currently, we are studying the role of cross-talk between chemokine receptors and phosphatidylinositol 4 kinase IIIα in tumor cells. We recently found that chemokine receptors interact with PI4KIIIα in cancer cells and this novel interaction contributes to cell invasion. Current work is in progress to critically address how PI4KIIIα is activated in cancer cells and assess the role of evolutionarily conserved adaptor proteins in PI4KIIIα activation within cancer cells. Using cellular and xenograft models of bone metastasis the role of PI4KIIIα will be determined in intraosseous tumor growth using genetic and pharmacological approaches.
Other projects in the lab are to understand the altered androgen synthesis during castration resistant disease progression. How transcriptional regulation of androgen biosynthetic enzymes contributes to intracellular production of androgens and promote bone tumor growth. In addition, we have recently collaborated with oncologists to procure metastatic biopsy specimens from prostate cancer patients undergoing anti-androgen/AR therapies, we are also currently characterizing the altered gene expression profiles during therapies, and plan to further characterize the therapy resistant mechanism using cell and xenograft models.
Selected publications
Semaan L, Mander N, Cher ML, Chinni SR. TMPRSS2-ERG fusions confer efficacy of enzalutamide in an in vivo bone tumor growth model. BMC Cancer. 2019;19:972.
Sbrissa D, Semaan L, Govindarajan B, Li Y, Caruthers NJ, Stemmer PM, Cher ML, Sethi S, Vaishampayan U, Shisheva, Chinni SR. A novel cross-talk between CXCR4 and PI4KIIIa in prostate cancer cells. Oncogene. 2019;38:332-44
Powell K, Semaan L, Conley-LaComb MK, Asangani I, Wu YM, Ginsburg KB, Williams J, Squire JA, Maddipati KR, Cher ML, Chinni SR. ERG/AKR1C3/AR Constitutes a Feed-Forward Loop for AR Signaling in Prostate Cancer Cells. Clin Cancer Res. 2015;21:2569-79.
Education/Training
PhD (1998): University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Postdoctoral Fellowship (1998-2002): Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
Courses Taught
CB7210 Fundamentals of Cancer Biology
CB7460 Mechanism of Neoplasia: Alterations to Cellular Signaling