Advisor: Gary Hammer, M.D., Ph.D.
2014-present: Professor of Chemistry, Calvin College.
The research focus of my lab is on how cells communicate with each other normally, and how this process of communication is disrupted in cancer and other diseases. The signaling molecules that we specifically study are kinases, which are enzymes that transfer phosphoryl groups to proteins or metabolites using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a phosphoryl donor. Many of the most important "driver mutations" in cancer result in hyperactive kinase activity, causing cells to proliferate or survive abnormally in the body.
Our current research focus is on a subtype of kidney cancer called papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC). This subtype of renal cancer accounts for about 10-15% of all kidney tumors, and is named in relationship to its propensity to form fingerlike (papillae) growths of cells. We are interested in how the tumor cells in pRCC interact with normal cells in the kidney, particularly a kind of cell called a fibroblast. Our research has uncovered one mechanism by which fibroblasts provide a growth factor to which cancer cells are extremely sensitive, causing them to survive and grow abnormally. We are continuing to study the secreted signals between cancer cells and fibroblasts, as well as how cell-cell contacts between these cells facilitate the behavior of pRCC.
Undergraduate student names appear in bold.
6. Looyenga B, Wiater E, Vale W & Hammer G. 2010. Inhibin-A Antagonizes TGFβ2 Signaling by Downregulating Cell Surface Expression of the TGFβ Co-receptor Betaglycan. Molecular Endocrinology 24(3): 608-20. PMID: 20160125.
7. Looyenga B, Furge K, Dykema K, Farber L, Swiatek P, Koeman J, Giordano T, West A, Resau J, Teh BT & MacKeigan J. 2011. Chromosomal Amplification of LRRK2 is Required for Oncogenic MET Signaling in Papillary Renal and Thyroid Carcinomas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 108(4): 1439-44. PMID: 21220347.
8. Sian KR, Xu Y, Looyenga B, Wu CL, Tremblay ML, Xu HE, & MacKeigan JP. 2011. Identification of PTPsigma as an autophagic phosphatase. Journal of Cell Science. 1 Mar 2011. 124(Pt 5):812-9. PMID: 21303930.
9. Ding Y, Huang D, Zhang Z, Smith J, Petillo D, Looyenga BD, Feenstra K, Mackeigan JP, Furge KA, Teh BT. Combined gene expression profiling and RNAi screening in clear cell renal cell carcinoma identify PLK1 and other therapeutic kinase targets. Cancer Research. 1 Aug 2011. 71(15):5225-34. PMID: 21642374.
10. Looyenga B, Hutchings D, Cherni I, Kingsley C, Weiss GJ, & MacKeigan JP. 2012. STAT3 is Activated by JAK2 Independent of Key Oncogenic Driver Mutations in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma. PLoS ONE. Feb 2012. 7(2):e30820. PMID: 22319590.
11. Looyenga B & MacKeigan JP. 2012. Characterization of Differential Protein Tethering at the Plasma Membrane in Response to Epidermal Growth Factor Signaling. Journal of Proteome Research. 2012 May. (Epub ahead of print). PMID: 22559174.
12. Looyenga B, Resau J & MacKeigan J. 2012. Cytokine receptor-like factor 1 (CRLF1) protects against 6-hydroxydopamine toxicity independent of the gp130/JAK signaling pathway. PLoS ONE. 20 June 2013. 8(6):e66548. PMID: 23818941.