Gil Privé, Ph.D.
Institutional Affiliation:
Senior Scientist
Ontario Cancer Institute/University Health Network
Professor
Departments of Medical Biophysics and Biochemistry
University of Toronto
http://xtal.uhnres.utoronto.ca/prive
Education
University of California, Los Angeles, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Work
University of California, Berkeley
Postdoctoral Work
University of California, Los Angeles
Research
Structural Basis of Transcriptional Repression
Impact
We are analyzing the 3D structures of oncogenic proteins to design drugs that can reprogram their behavior.
Summary of Research
Cancer is a disease of unregulated cell growth. Within each cell there is a complex network of interacting proteins that control whether any given cell will remain stable, divide, or die. We are studying the proteins BCL6 and Kaiso, which have important roles in regulating normal cellular growth. However, mutations in these proteins can disrupt their normal activities and result in cancer. Our objective is to get a better understanding of the role of these proteins in both the normal and cancerous state and to use this knowledge to develop drugs that can modify the effects of the abnormal activities of the mutant proteins.
To date, we have focussed mostly on the BCL6 protein. Abnormal levels of BCL6 in our immune cells cause a common form of lymphoma. We have discovered how BCL6 carries out its activities in these cells, and we have begun to find ways to turn off the abnormal activities of BCL6.
We are studying the 3D structure of BCL6 with a technique called x-ray crystallography, a powerful technique that allows the 3D visualization of proteins at magnifications of up to 10,000,000X. At this level of detail, it becomes possible to observe the individual atoms of the molecules. Most proteins are made up from several thousand atoms, and x-ray crystallography is used to analyze and visualize these cancer-causing proteins. |
