SBMS/CHD Trainee: Jingming Wang
Graduate Advisor: Dr. Hyungjin Kim
Clinical Advisor: Dr. Robert Parker
Graduate Program: Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology
Email: jingming.wang@stonybrook.edu
Jingming studies the regulation of DNA repair by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) in Dr. Hyungjin Kim’s lab. Jingming obtained her B.S. from a prestigious program at the Central China Normal University, where she majored in Biology and Chemistry. After graduating from the college, Jingming joined the Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology program at Stony Brook University. Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in a cluster of proteins responsible for DNA interstrand crosslink (ICL) repair. As a result, FA patients develop bone marrow failure and have a much higher risk of developing multiple cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Jingming characterized that the UPS regulates the degradation of FAAP20 (Fanconi anemia core complex associated protein 20), which is mediated by the ubiquitin E3 ligase, SCFFBW7. She also found that Peptidyl-prolyl isomerase PIN1 regulates the conformational change, the phosphorylation and the stability of FAAP20 and thereby plays a role in FA pathway. PIN1 regulates several proteins that are implicated to tumorigenic events, such as Cyclin E, MYC, JUN, and is aberrantly expressed in various cancers. Working with her clinical mentor, Dr. Robert Parker, Jingming will study PIN1 expression and mutations in certain pediatric tumor. She will also investigate the potential correlations between PIN1 protein levels in different ethnic groups and the association with disease prognosis.
