Remco A. Spanjaard, PhD
Associate Professor
Research Assistant professor in Biochemistry
Cancer Research Center
Boston University School of Medicine
715 Albany Street R903
Boston, MA 02118
Tel: 617 638-5854 (lab)                                                                  
Fax: 617 638-4811 (office)
E-mail: rspan@bu.edu

Specialty: cancer biology

Research Interests:
Role of MMP11 and 12 in head & neck cancer: To establish whether matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)11 and MMP12 can serve as novel prognostic biomarkers in HNSCC and contribute to invasiveness of head and neck cancer in animal models.

Retinoic acid receptor ?-dependent signaling in melanoma cells: To establish the role of retinoic acid receptor ?, a ligand-inducible transcription factor, in retinoic acid-dependent differentiation of melanoma cells. To establish the mechanism of gene regulation during this prowcess, and to identify novel coactivators, NIH/1RO1-CA76406-05S1

Apoptotic action of ei24/PIG8, a candidate tumor suppressor: To establish the molecular mechanism of ei24/PIG8-mediated apoptosis, and its functional involvement in resistance of cancer cells to DNA-damaging, chemotherapeutic drugs, DOD/Idea Award W81XWH-04-1-0346

Chemoprevention of melanoma in a novel, inducible mouse melanoma model: To establish the melanoma development-suppressing activity of different chemopreventive drugs in an inducible mouse model for melanoma, NIH/1RO3-CA105511

TROY, a novel biomarker and therapeutic target in melanoma: To establish whether TROY, a member of the TGF? receptor superfamily, can serve as a novel biomarker and target in the treatment of melanoma, Marshall and Missy Carter Family Fund

Publications:
Zhao X, Demary K, Wong L, Vaziri C, McKenzie AB, Eberlein TJ, Spanjaard RA. Retinoic acid receptor-independent mechanism of apoptosis of melanoma cells by the retinoid CD437 (AHPN). Cell Death Differ 2001; 8:878-886.

Krishna S, Brown N, Faller DV, Spanjaard RA. Differential effects of short chain fatty acids on head and neck squamous carcinoma cells. Laryngoscope 2002; 112:645-650.

Hoa M, Davis SL, Ames SJ, Spanjaard RA. Amplification of wild-type K-RAS promotes growth of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Res 2002; 62:7154-7156.

Zhao X, Patton JR, Davis SL, Florence B, Ames SJ, Spanjaard RA. Regulation of nuclear receptor activity by a pseudouridine synthase through posttranscriptional modification of Steroid Receptor RNA Activator. Mol Cell 2004; 15:549-558.

Zhao X, Ayer RE, Davis SL, Ames SJ, Florence B, Torchinsky C, Liou JS, Shen L, Spanjaard RA. Apoptosis factor EI24/PIG8 is a novel endoplasmic reticulum-localized Bcl-2-binding protein which is associated with suppression of breast cancer invasiveness. Cancer Res 2005; 65:2125-2129.

Gu J, Zhao X, Spanjaard RA, Chen TC, Flannagan JN, Boosalis M, Perrine SP, Faller DV. Histone deacetylase-inhibitors sensitize human prostate cancer cell lines to growth suppression and apoptosis by retinoids. J Cancer Molecules 2006; 2:25-36.

Spanjaard RA, Whren KM, Graves C, Bhawan J. Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member TROY is a novel melanoma biomarker and potential therapeutic target. Int J Cancer 2006;120:1304-1310

Zhao X, Patton JR, Ghosh SK, Fischel-Ghodsian N, Shen L, Spanjaard RA.Pus3p and Pus1p-dependent pseudouridylation of steroid receptor RNA activator controls a functional switch that regulates nuclear receptor signaling. Mol Endocrinol 2007;21:686-699.

Mork C, Faller DV, Spanjaard RA. A mechanistic approach to anticancer therapy: targeting the cell cycle with histone deacetylase inhibitors. Curr Pharm Des 2005; 11:1091-1104.

Presentations:
Spanjaard RA, Zhao X, Ayer RE, Davis SL, Ames SJ, Florence B, Torchinsky C, Liou JS, Shen L. Apoptosis factor EI24/PIG8 is a novel endoplasmic reticulum-localized Bcl-2-binding protein which is associated with suppression of breast cancer invasiveness. Boston Cancer Res Assoc: Mini-Symp, Boston MA, 2004.

Abujamra-Phillips AL, Spanjaard RA, Zhao X, Faller DV, Ghosh SK. Leukemia virus long
terminal repeat activates NF?B pathway by a PKR-independent mechanism. Proc AACR 2005.
(poster)

Zhao X, Ayer RE, Davis SL, Ames SJ, Florence B, Torchinsky C, Liou JS, Shen L, Spanjaard
RA. Apoptosis factor EI24/PIG8 is a novel endoplasmic reticulum-localized Bcl-2-binding
protein which is associated with suppression of breast cancer invasiveness. Dept. of Defense Era
of Hope Conf, Philadelphia PA, 2005. (poster)