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 Description

 

Dr. Abdel-Hafiz joined the division faculty in 2003, and is currently an Assistant Professor. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among American women. Breast malignancies affect approximately 1 in 10 women over their lifetime. Dr. Abdel-Hafiz's research focuses on the female sex steroid hormones estradiol and progesterone, and their cognate receptors, ER and PR. In particular, his group is interested in how SUMOylation, a widespread posttranslational modification, affects ER and PR, and their role in breast cancer. His research aims to understand the molecular mechanism(s) by which SUMOylation of PR and/or steroid hormone receptor cofactors affect estrogen-dependent tumor growth. Current projects are examining how SUMOylation affects ER- and PR- regulated gene expression using human breast cancer cell models with normal or altered SUMOylation activity. A second project investigates how SUMOylation affects the ability of estradiol and tamoxifen to regulate breast tumor growth.

Selected Publications 

Abdel-Hafiz H, Dudevoir ML, Horwitz KB. Mechanisms underlying the control of progesterone receptor transcriptional activity by SUMOylation. J Biol Chem. 2009 Apr 3;284(14):9099-108. PUBMED

Lange CA, Sartorius CA, Abdel-Hafiz H , Spillman MA, Horwitz KB and B. M. Jacobsen. 2008. Progesterone Receptor Action: Translating Studies in Breast Cancer Models to Clinical Insights. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2008; 630:94 -111. Review. PUBMED

Jones MC, Fusi L, Higham JH, Abdel-Hafiz H , Horwitz KB , Lam EW, Brosens JJ. 2006. Regulation of the SUMO pathway sensitizes differentiating human endometrial stromal cells to progesterone. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, Oct 31;103(44): 16272-7. PUBMED

Tung L, Abdel-Hafiz H , Shen T, Harvell DME, Nitao LK, Richer JK, Sartorius SA, Takimoto GS, and Horwitz KB. 2006. Progesterone receptors (PR)-B and PR-A regulated transcription by different mechanisms: AF-3 exerts regulatory control over coactivator binding to PR-B. Mol Endocrinol , Nov;20(11): 2656-70. PUBMED

Mohammed NA; Abd-El-Aleem S, Abdel-Hafiz H , and RF McMahon. 2004. Distribution of constitutive (COX-1) and inducible (COX-2) cyclooxygenase in postviral human liver cirrhosis: a possible role for COX-2 in the pathogenesis of liver cirrhosis. J Clin Pathol, 2004 Apr; 57(4): 350-4. PUBMED

Takimoto GS, Tung L, Abdel-Hafiz H , Abel MG, Sartorius CA, Richer JK, Jacobsen BM, Bain DL, and Horwitz KB. 2003. Functional Properties of the N-terminal Region of Progesterone Receptors and Their Mechanistic Relationship to Structure. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 85(2-5): 209-19. PUBMED

Abdel-Hafiz H , Takimoto GS, Tung L, and Horwitz KB. 2002. The inhibitory function in human progesterone receptor N termini binds SUMO-1 protein to regulate autoinhibition and transrepression. J Biol Chem, Sep 13;277(37): 33950-6. PUBMED

Education

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Reasearch Interests

• Role of SUMOylation in Hormone-Related Breast Cancer