Qin M Chen, PhD

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Professor, Pharmacology
Biography
Dr. Chen studied mechanisms of cell injury as a graduate student at Clarkson University. As a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Bruce N. Ames at the University of California Berkeley, Dr. Chen discovered that cells can survive oxidative stress but develop hypertrophy with an increased ratio of protein to DNA. Dr. Chen joined the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arizona in 1997 and rising to an Associate Professor with tenure in 2002, where she has been comprehensively studying cellular and molecular events initiated by oxidative stress.
Cancer Focus
The Nrf2 transcription factor stands out as the key controller for cellular defenses and is mutated in a wide spectrum of cancers. Dr. Chen’s laboratory has made important discoveries regarding the basic biology of de novo Nrf2 protein translation and 2) Nrf2-mediated protection of mitochondria. With Trans-Omics and bioinformatic approaches, Chen is investigating the expression landscape, expression quantitative trait, and genetic variations that affect the outcome of oxidative stress. By better basic mechanisms regulating responses to oxidative stress, we can will define how tumor cells responses to increased oxidative stress are modulated.
Selected Publications
Rezkallah, C. Attalah Ne, A. Thongkum, C. Zhu, and Q. M. Chen, "Resveratrol for protection against statin toxicity in C2C12 and H9c2 cells.", J Biochem Mol Toxicol, vol. 34, issue 6, pp. e22484, 2020 Jun. PMID: 32196851
Lee, S. C., J. Zhang, J. Strom, D. Yang, T. Nho Dinh, K. Kappeler, and Q. M. Chen, "G-Quadruplex in the NRF2 mRNA 5' Untranslated Region Regulates De Novo NRF2 Protein Translation under Oxidative Stress.", Mol Cell Biol, vol. 37, issue 1, 2017 01 01. PMCID: PMC5192087 PMID: 27736771
Strom, J., B. Xu, X. Tian, and Q. M. Chen, "Nrf2 protects mitochondrial decay by oxidative stress.", FASEB J, vol. 30, issue 1, pp. 66-80, 2016 Jan. PMCID: PMC4684526 PMID: 26340923
Xu, B., J. Zhang, J. Strom, S. Lee, and Q. M. Chen, "Myocardial ischemic reperfusion induces de novo Nrf2 protein translation.", Biochim Biophys Acta, vol. 1842, issue 9, pp. 1638-47, 2014 Sep. PMCID: PMC4968415 PMID: 24915518
Zhang, J., and Q. M. Chen, "Far upstream element binding protein 1: a commander of transcription, translation and beyond.", Oncogene, vol. 32, issue 24, pp. 2907-16, 2013 Jun 13. PMCID: PMC4968413 PMID: 22926519