Ejung Moon
PhD
Group Leader in Radiation Biology and the Tumour Microenvironment
Research Interest
In Moon lab, we focus on determining how hypoxia promotes tumour progression such as invasion, metastasis, and metabolism. Based on screening data acquired from esiRNA screening, RNA and ChIP sequencing, we identified key pathways involving MAFF protein.
The regulation of MAFF protein, a family of transcription factors, has been implicated in the transactivation of antioxidant response genes. Our work demonstrated that the level of small MAFF protein expression is critical to the regulation of gene induction or repression, indicating that stresses like hypoxia act like a rheostat in regard to the formation of MAFF homodimer and heterodimer formation, leading to transactivation or gene repression. Biologically, we found that the MAFF protein is a major regulator of tumour cell invasion and metastasis under hypoxia, and impact the radiation response of cells though controlling antioxidant gene transcription. Moon lab will focus on how MAFF itself, or along with its binding proteins, interplays to alter tumour metabolism and radiation damage under hypoxic conditions.
Biography
Dr. Moon received her PhD degree from Duke University, USA. She was trained by Dr. Mark W. Dewhirst to focus on the effect of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) on tumour reoxygenation after mild hyperthermia. During the training, she was awarded a predoctoral fellowship from Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) of Department of Defense (DoD), USA. Then she joined Dr. Amato Giaccia’s lab at Stanford University, USA, to study hypoxia regulation of MAFF protein and its role in tumour cell invasion and radiation responses. Her current research interests are radiation responses and metabolic changes under hypoxia.
Group Members
Nuria Vilaplana Lopera, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher
Jiyoung Kim, a visiting researcher
Ammar Abu-Halawa, an undergraduate research student
Ellie Walker, FHS project student
MRC RESEARCH PROGRAMME:
MAFF-mediated transcription regulation of redox pathways in response to radiation treatment
Recent publications
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Targeting Hypoxia: Revival of Old Remedies
Journal article
Vilaplana-Lopera N. et al, (2021), Biomolecules, 11, 1604 - 1604
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The importance of hypoxia in radiotherapy for the immune response, metastatic potential and FLASH-RT
Journal article
OLCINA DEL MOLINO M. et al, (2021), International Journal of Radiation Biology
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Flow Radiocytometry Using Droplet Optofluidics
Journal article
Ha B. et al, (2021), Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 113565 - 113565
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The HIF target MAFF promotes tumor invasion and metastasis through IL11 and STAT3 signaling.
Journal article
Moon EJ. et al, (2021), Nat Commun, 12
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Eliminating hypoxic tumor cells improves response to PARP inhibitors in homologous recombination & ndash;deficient cancer models
Journal article
Mehibel M. et al, (2021), JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, 131