• DEPARTMENT:

        Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• NAME/TRAINING:

Pi-Wan Cheng, Ph.D.

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ACADEMIC DEGREES:

Graduate School:	Ph.D. in Biochemistry (1975) Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland, OH
Post-doctoral Positions:	Department of Pediatrics (Pulmonary Division) Case Western Reserve University

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Contact Name: Pi-Wan Cheng, Ph.D., Professor
                     Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Office:            7042 Durham Research Center
Phone Number: 402-559-5776
e-mail address: pcheng@unmc.edu

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• GRANT SUPPORT (last 3 years):

Agency: Nebraska Research Initiative
Title: Cancer Glycobiology
Role on Project: PI (10% effort)
Dates & total direct cost: 07/01/06-06/30/10; $1,100,000

Agency: NIH RO1 HL48282-10
Title: Biosynthesis of Tracheal Mucous Glycoproteins
Role on Project: PI (40% effort)
Dates & direct cost of project: 08/01/08 ‑ 07/31/09; $250,000 

Agency: Nebraska Department of Health LB506
Title: Role of secreted mucins in suppression of tumorigenicity
Role on Project: PI (5% effort)
Dates & total direct cost: 07/01/08-06/30/09; $40,000

Agency: US Army PC074289 (PI: M-F Lin)
Title: Aberrant expression of protein phosphatases during androgen-independent growth in human prostate cancer cells
Role on Project: PI (3% effort)
Dates & total direct cost: 4/1/08-3/31/11; $700,000

Agency: US Army Postdoctoral Fellowship (PI: Prakash Radhakrishnan)
Title: Role of L-selectin and sialyl Lewis antigens in prostate cancer metastasis
Role on Project: Mentor (5% effort)
Dates & total direct cost: 04/01/08-03/31/10; $90,000

Agency: Nebraska Department of Health LB506
Title: Mucin Glycans as Prognostic Markers of Lung Cancer
Role on Project: PI (5% effort)
Dates & total direct cost: 07/01/07-06/30/08; $40,000

 Agency: Nebraska Department of Health LB506
Title: Roles of mucin glycans in mammary cancer metastasis
Role on Project: PI (5% effort)
Dates & total direct cost: 07/01/06-06/30/07; $40,000

Agency: Nebraska Department of Health LB506
Title: Gene Therapy of Lung Cancer
Role on Project: PI (5% effort)
Dates & total direct cost: 07/01/05-06/30/06; $40,000

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• PUBLICATIONS (last 3-5 years):

Beum P, Bastola DR, and Cheng P-W: Mucin biosynthesis: EGF downregulates core 2 enzymes in a human airway adenocarcinoma cell line. Am. J. Respir. Cell and Mol. Biol. 29-48-56, 2003.

Choi, K., Osorio, F., and Cheng, P.-W.: Mucin biosynthesis: C2GnT-M gene, tissue-specific expression, and bovine herpes virus-4 homologue. Am. J. Respir. Cell and Mol. Biol. 30:1-10, 2004.

Amrite, A.C., Cherruvu, N.P.S., Sundaram, S., Aravalli, R., Cheng, P.-W., and Kompella, L.B.: Lung Gene Therapy: Clinical and Regulatory Issues.  Clinical Res. and Regulatory Affairs 21:1-28,2004.

Beum, P.V., Basma, H., Bastola, D.R., and Cheng, P.-W.: Mucin biosynthesis: upregulation of core 2b1,6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase by retinoic acid and Th2 cytokines in a human airway epithelial cell line. J. Cell Phyciol.-Lung Cell. and Mol. Physiol. 288:L116-L124, 2005.

Singh, J., Khan, G., Kinarsky, L., Choi, K., Cheng, H., Wilken, J., Bedows, E., Sherman, S., and Cheng, P.-W.: Identification of disulfide bonds among the nine core 2 N-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase-M cysteines conserved in mucin b6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase family. J. Biol. Chem. 279:38969-77, 2004.

Choi, K.H., Basma, H., Singh, J. and Cheng. P.-W. Enhancement of the expression of CMV promoter-controlled glycosyltransferase and b-galactosidase transgenes by butyrate, tricostatin A, and 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine. Glycoconjugate J. 22:63-9, 2005.

Bandi, N., Ayalasomayajula, S.P., Iwakawa, J., Cheng, P.-W., and Kompella, U.B.  Intratracheal Budesonide-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) Microparticles Ameliorate Early Biochemical Changes in a Benzo(a)pyrene-fed Mouse Model. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacol. 57:851-60, 2005.

 Basma*, H, El-Refaey*, H, Sgagias, MK, Cowan, KH, Luo, X, and Cheng, P-W: Bcl-2 antisense enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis in isogenic MCF-7 breast cancer lines with and without functional p53.  J. Biomed. Sci. 12:999-1011, 2005. (*, Equal contribution)

Tan, S and Cheng, P-W: Mucin biosynthesis: identification of the cis-regualtory elements of human C2GnT-M gene. Am. J. Respir. Cell and Mol. Biol. 36:737-45, 2007.

Radahkrishnan R, Beum P, and Cheng P-W: Butyrate induces the synthesis of sialyl Lewis x   carbohydrate epitope in a pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line. Biochem Biophys Res Commun.  359:457-62, 2007.

Hashimotto M, Tan S, Mori N, Cheng H, and Cheng P-W: Mucin biosynthesis: Molecular cloning and expression of mouse mucus-type core 2 β1,6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase. Glycobiology 17(9):994-1006, 2007.

Radhakrishnan P and Cheng P-W. GCNT3 (glucosaminyl (N-acetyl) transferase 3, mucin type). Atlas Genet Cytogenet Oncol Haematol. November 2007 URL: http://AtlasGeneticsOncology. org/ Genes/ GCNT3 ID44105ch15q21.html

Radhakrishnan, P*, Basma, H*, Klinkebiel, D, Christman, J, and Cheng, P-W: Cell type-specific activation of the cytomegalovirus promoter by dimethylsulfoxide and 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine. Int. J. Biochem and Cell Biol. 40: 1944-55, 2008. doi:10.1016/j.biocel.2008.02.014. (*, equal contribution)

Radhakrishnan P, Lin M-F, and Cheng P-W: Elevated expression of L-selectin ligand in lymphoid node-derived human prostate cancer cells correlates with increased tumorigenicity. Glycoconjugate J  (in press) DOI: 10.1007/s10719-008-9167-z

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Stuart Levin, Medical Student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, won the first prize in medical student research presentation competition with the work done in my laboratory.
James Sherman, M.D., Professor and Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology, Univ. of Florida at Gainsville.
Margaret Leigh, M.D., Professor and Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology, UNC-Chapel Hill.
Michael Konstan, M.D., Professor of Pediatric Pulmonology, Case Western Reserve University.
William Wingert, Ph.D., Clinical Chemist, Trenton, New Jersey.
Philip Ropp, Ph.D., Biochemist, Durham, North Carolina.
Cheng-Ming Li, Ph.D., Biochemist, Bayer Company, Research Triangle Park, NC.
Paul Beum, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, University Of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Katsunori Yanagihara, MD-PhD, Assistant Professor, Nagasaki University, Japan.
Masafumi Seki, MD-PhD, Assistant Professor, Nagasaki University, Japan.
Jun Iwakawa, MD-PhD, Assistant Professor, Nagasaki University, Japan.
Hashimoto Mitsuyoshi, MD-PhD, Associate Professor, Nagoya University, Japan.
Hesham Basma, Ph.D., Research Associate, Department of Surgery, UNMC.
Kyung Choi, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, Eppley Institute, UNMC

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Our lab is studying the structure and function of glycoconjugates in health and disease. We try to manipulate the carbohydrate structures by modulating the expression of some key glycosyltransferases through over-expression, knockdown, or redirecting Golgi localization of these enzymes and then monitoring the effects of these manipulations on selectin binding and metastasis of cancer cells. Other projects include biochemical and X-ray crystal structural characterization of glycosyltransferases, regulation of the expression of glycosytransferase genes, and employment of lectin or carbohydrate for gene targeting.

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• SPECIALIZED LABORATORY/CLINICAL RESEARCH RESOURCES:

None