Via www.jobs.ac.uk. This PhD Studentship based in the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, will be supervised by Professor Anne White and is due to commence in October 2008. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive tumour with a very poor prognosis. SCLCs frequently express the adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) precursor gene, proopiomelanocortin (POMC). Recently SCLC cells have also been shown to have no glucocorticoid inhibition of proliferation, in contrast to non-SCLC cells. GR mutations may contribute to the glucocorticoid-resistant phenotype of SCLC along with subtle changes in co-factor recruitment and reduced GR expression. The evolution of a glucocorticoid-resistant phenotype in SCLC cells may be a mechanism to counteract the recently defined apoptotic effect of GR in SCLC cells. This project will study POMC gene regulation and POMC processing in SCLC cell lines as a model system to examine the ligand-dependent GR inhibition of POMC function. The project will involve the following techniques: immunohistochemistry, protein characterization, retroviral transfection and transient transfection, along with chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and DNA methylation analysis. Applications are encouraged from students with a relevant biological sciences background. For further information and details on how to apply for this studentship, please click on the link below.
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