Troester Laboratory

Melissa Troester, Ph.D.

Telephone: 413.577.4369
Fax: 413.545.1645
Email
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Asst. Professor, Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Principal Investigator, PVLSI

Education

B.A., Chemistry, Macalester College
M.S., Chemistry, University of Chicago
Ph.D., Environmental Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.P.H., Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Postdoctoral Experience

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2001-2004
Departments of Genetics and Epidemiology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2004-2006

Genomic Biomarkers of Environmental Susceptibility to Cancer

Whole genome expression profiling studies have demonstrated that (1) breast cell types (i.e. luminal vs. basal) have distinct toxicant responses, (2) that toxicant-specific and general stress responses can be dissected from gene expression profiles, and (3) that cell line models can be used to identify toxicant responses mediated by environmentally relevant pathways, such as the p53 pathway. These cell type-, toxicant-, and pathway-specific profiles represent multidimensional candidate biomarkers with biologic relevance to cancer. My laboratory uses experimental studies to identify gene expression profiles associated with environmental exposure and susceptibility. To evaluate these profiles as biomarkers, coordinated expression of multiple genes or an entire pathway can then be examined in appropriate observational study designs with human subjects. This approach has the potential to lead to important biologic insights about the processes underlying environmental carcinogenesis.

Working Groups:
Breast Cancer Working Group
Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research

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Selected papers:

Hoadley KA, Weigman VJ, Cheng F, Sawyer LR, He X, Troester MA, Sartor CI, Rieger-House T, Bernard PS, Carey LA and Perou CM. (2007) EGFR associated expression profiles vary with breast tumor subtype. BMC Genomics, 8:258.

Troester MA, He X, Hoadley KA, Herschkowitz JH, Oh DS, Barbier CS, Perou CM. (2006) Gene expression associated with p53 status in breast cancer. BMC Cancer 6(1):276.

Oh DS, Troester MA, Usary J, Hu Z, He X, Carey LA, Perou CM. (2006) Estrogen-regulated genes predict survival in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 24:1656-64.

Carey LA, Perou CM, Livasy CA, Dressler LG, Cowan D, Conway K, Karaca G, Troester MA, Tse CK, Edmiston S, Deming SL, Geradts J, Cheang MCU, Nielsen TO, Moorman PG, Earp HS, Millikan RC. Race, breast cancer subtypes, and survival in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study. JAMA 295:2492

Barbier CS, Becker KA, Troester MA, and Kaufman DG. (2005) Expression of exogenous human telomerase in cultures of endometrial stromal cells does not alter their hormone responsiveness. Biol Reprod, 73(1):106-114.

Hu Z, Troester M, Perou CM. (2005) High reproducibility using sodium hydroxide stripped oligonucleotide microarrays. Biotechniques, 38(1): 121-124.

Troester MA, Hoadley KA, Parker JS, Perou CM. (2004) Prediction of toxicant-specific gene expression signatures after chemotherapeutic treatment of breast cell lines. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112(16): 1607-13.

Troester MA, Hoadley KA, Sørlie T, Borresøn-Dale AL, Lønning PE, Herbert BS, Shay JW, Kaufmann WK, and Perou CM. (2004) Cell-type specific responses to chemotherapeutics in breast cancer. Cancer Research, 64(12):4218-4226.

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