The Faculty in Reproductive Biology at Illinois

Benita S. Katzenellenbogen

Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Cell and Structural Biology, and College of Medicine
Ph.D., Harvard University

To e-mail Dr. Katzenellenbogen use: katzenel@uiuc.edu

We are interested in understanding the biochemistry, physiology, and molecular biology of nuclear hormone (estrogen, progesterone) receptors, intracellular proteins that mediate the biological actions of these hormones in target cells, and the mechanisms by which these proteins regulate gene expression and the growth and functioning of target cells, especially cells of the reproductive system and mammary gland, and of tumors that develop in these tissues. Our studies focus on the characterization of these receptors and their coregulator protein partners, and their activities in cells and in vivo; the interaction of receptor agonist versus antagonist ligand complexes with hormone-regulated genes; the interrelationships among hormones, growth factors, and various signal transduction pathways in the regulation of cell proliferation; and the mechanisms by which antihormones (antiestrogens and antiprogestins) antagonize hormone-dependent gene transcription and cell growth. We are doing extensive microarray analyses in the profiling of gene expression, and are examining the bidirectional cross-talk between nuclear hormone receptors and cell signal transduction pathways. Our studies involve detailed biochemical and structure-function analyses of the receptors and their gene interactions, studies in gene knockout animals, and examination of hormone and receptor biological activities in normal and cancer cells.

News Items

Researchers zero in on estrogen's role in breast-cancer cell growth

Research focusing on why estrogenic hormones produce differing results

Newly found estrogen role in males might lead to male contraceptive

Researchers zero in on estrogen’s role in breast-cancer cell growth

Selected Publications

Frasor, J., Chang, E.C., Komm, B., Lin, C.Y., Vega, V.B., Liu, E.T., Miller, L.D., Smeds, J., Bergh, J., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2006. Gene expression preferentially regulated by tamoxifen in breast cancer cells and correlations with clinical outcome. Cancer Research, 66:7334–40. [Abstract]

Chang, E.C., Frasor, J., Komm, B., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2006. Impact of estrogen receptor beta on gene networks regulated by estrogen receptor alpha in breast cancer cells. Endocrinology, 147:4831–42. [Abstract]

Harrington, W.R., Kim, S.H., Funk, C.C., Madak-Erdogan, Z., Schiff, R., Katzenellenbogen, J. A., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2006. Estrogen dendrimer conjugates that preferentially activate extranuclear, non-genomic versus genomic pathways of estrogen action. Mol. Endocrinol., 20:491–502. [Abstract]

Stossi, F., Likhite, V.S., Katzenellenbogen, J.A., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2006. Estrogen-occupied estrogen receptor represses cyclin G2 gene expression and recruits a repressor complex at the cyclin G2 promoter. J. Biol. Chem., 281:16272–8. [Abstract]

Frasor, J., Danes, J.M., Funk, C.C., and Katzenellenbogen B.S. 2005. Estrogen down-regulation of the corepressor N-CoR: Mechanism and implications for estrogen derepression of N-CoR-regulated genes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102:13153–7. [Abstract]

Park, S.E., Xu, J., Fralova, A., Liao, L., O’Malley, B.W., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2005. Genetic deletion of the repressor of estrogen receptor activity (REA) enhances response to estrogen in target tissues in vivo. Molec. Cell. Biol., 25:1989-99. [Abstract]

Stossi, F., Barnett, D.H., Frasor, J., Komm, B., Lyttle, C.R., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2004. Transcriptional profiling of estrogen-regulated gene expression via estrogen receptor α or estrogen receptor β in human osteosarcoma cells: Distinct and common target genes for these receptors. Endocrinology, 145:3473–86. [Abstract]

Frasor, J., Stossi, F., Danes, J.M., Komm, B., Lyttle, C.R., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2004. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs): Discrimination of agonistic versus antagonistic activities by gene expression profiling in breast cancer cells. Cancer Research, 64:1522–33. [Abstract]

Frasor, J., Danes, J.M., Komm, B., Chang, K., Lyttle, C.R., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2003. Profiling of estrogen up- and down-regulated gene expression in human breast cancer cells: Insights into gene networks and pathways underlying estrogenic control of proliferation and cell phenotype. Endocrinology, 144:4562–74. [Abstract]

Rajendran, R.R., Nye, A.C., Frasor, J., Balsara, R.D., Martini, P.G.V., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2003. Regulation of nuclear receptor transcriptional activity by a novel DEAD box RNA helicase (DP97). J. Biol. Chem., 278:4628–38. [Abstract]

Sun, J., Baudry, J., Katzenellenbogen, J.A., and Katzenellenbogen, B.S. 2003. Molecular basis for the subtype discrimination of the estrogen receptor beta selective ligand, diarylpropionitrile. Mol. Endocrinol., 17:247–58. [Abstract]

View Benita S. Katzenellenbogen's publications at the National Library of Medicine (PubMed)

Last updated December 4, 2006.

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