Sollars Laboratory Research

 

The Sollars Laboratory

Vincent E. Sollars, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Office: (304) 696-7357
Fax: (304) 696-7207
e-mail: sollars@marshall.edu

Office: BBSC 336-N
Laboratories: BBSC 313 and 323
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Marshall University
One John Marshall Drive
Huntington, WV 25755

Research Summary

My research is focused on the investigation of the role of epigenetics in hematopoietic cell fate decisions as they pertain to myeloid leukemias.  In these investigations, I use the mouse model system to examine stem and progenitors cells in bone marrow.  We employ a variety of techniques including mammalian cell culture, flow cytometry, colony forming cell assays, and traditional molecular biology.  In keeping with the goal of my scientific career of providing research that increases our understanding of oncogenesis, my research focues on the study of the epigenetic factors associated with oncogenesis using the mouse as a model system. In this aim, I am employing approaches that exploit the strengths of the mouse, while drawing upon my expertise in the Drosophila model system to pursue collaborations that will be complementary to my research.

The goals of my research are:

1) To identify factors responsible for epigenetics “marks” (including DNA methylation and histone modification) that are important to oncogenesis to produce diagnostic tools, and

2) To study the role of epigenetics as an enabling mechanism in oncogenesis to enable new therapeutic approaches. 

I will proceed based upon the hypothesis that epigenetic regulation of key factors involved in oncogenesis can precede actual genetic changes, temporarily altering the phenotype of a particular cell or group of cells in a way that make them more susceptible to genetic alteration or mimicking a genetic alteration with an epigenetic change (Fig. 1).  Thus, epigenetic alterations can facilitate the multi-step progression of cancer by providing a mimic of an oncogenic mutation preceding the genetic changes that allow the malignant phenotype to become more stable.  This idea is an extrapolation of Waddington’s canalization model and a model for evolution involving chromatin remodeling others and myself proposed earlier this year, which has also been postulated in a similar form applied to oncogenesis by Andrew Feinberg.  According to Waddington, “By such a series of steps, then, it is possible that an adaptive response can be fixed without waiting for the occurrence of a mutation which, in the original genetic background, mimics the response well enough to enjoy a selective advantage”.

Lab Personnel

Jennifer Napper (PhD Student)

Jasjeet Bhullar (PhD Student)

Melinda Varney (PhD Student)

Harsh Pratap (Research Technician)

Recent Publications

  • Defect in early lung defense against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in DBA/2 mice is associated with acute inflammatory lung injury and reduced bactericidal activity in naïve macrophages (2006).  Kari R. Wilson, Jennifer M. Napper, James Denvir, Vincent E. Sollars, and Hongwei D. Yu.  Microbiology (submitted).
  • Analysis of Pre-leukemic Expansion of Myeloid Progenitors in Inbred Strains of Mice (2006).  Vincent E. Sollars, Edward Pequignot, Jay L. Rothstein, and Arthur M. Buchberg.  Mammalian Genome 17(8), 808-821.
  • Diversity in secreted PLA2-IIA activity among inbred mouse strains that are resistant or susceptible to ApcMin/+ tumorigenesis (2005). Marina Markova, Revati A. Koratkar, Karen A. Silverman, Vincent E. Sollars, Melina MacPhee-Pellini, Rhonda Walters, Juan P. Palazzo, Arthur M. Buchberg, Linda D. Siracusa and Steven A. Farber.  Oncogene 24, 6450-6458.
  • The Epigenomic Viewpoint on Cellular Differentiation of Myeloid Progenitor Cells as it Pertains to Leukemogenesis (2005).  Vincent E. Sollars.  Current Genomics 6 (3), 137-144.
  • Epigenetic modification as an enabling mechanism for leukemic transformation (2005).  Vincent E. Sollars.  Frontiers in Bioscience 10, 1635-1646.
  • Multigenerational selection and detection of altered histone acetylation and methylation patterns: toward a quantitative epigenetics in Drosophila (2004).  Mark D. Garfinkel, Vincent E. Sollars, Xiangyi Lu, and Douglas M. Ruden.  Methods Mol Biol 287, 151-168.
  • Waddington’s Widget: Hsp90 and the inheritance of acquired characters (2003). Douglas M. Ruden, Mark D. Garfinkel, Vincent E. Sollars and Xiangyi Lu. Seminars in Cell and Molecular Biology 14, 301-310.
  • Evidence for an epigenetic mechanism by which Hsp90 acts as a capacitor for morphological evolution (2003).  Vincent Sollars, Xiangyi Lu, Li Xiao, Xiaoyan Wang, Mark D. Garfinkel, and Douglas M. Ruden.  Nature Genetics 33, pp. 70-74.
  • A novel transgenic line of mice exhibiting autosomal recessive male-specific lethality and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (2002).  Vincent E. Sollars, Benjamin J. McEntee, Julie B. Engiles, Jay L. Rothstein and Arthur M. Buchberg.  Human Molecular Genetics 11(22), pp. 2777-2786.
  • Membrane Fusion Proteins are Required for oskar mRNA Localization in the Drosophila Egg Chamber.  Douglas M. Ruden, Vincent Sollars, Xiaoyan Wang, Daisuke Mori, and Marina Alterman (2000).  Developmental Biology 218, pp. 314-325.
  • A Drosophila Kinesin-like Protein, Klp38B, Functions during Meiosis, Mitosis and Segmentation. Douglas M. Ruden, Wei Cui, Vincent Sollars, and Marina Alterman (1997).  Developmental Biology 191, pp. 284-296.