Patrick Hu, M.D., Ph.D.
- Associate Professor of Medicine
- Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
Phone
2220 Pierce Ave
Nashville, TN 37232-6307
Patrick Hu, M.D., Ph.D.
- Associate Professor of Medicine
- Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
(615) 322-4967
patrick.j.hu@vumc.org
2220 Pierce Ave
Nashville, TN 37232-6307
Research Program
Departments/Affiliations
Profile
My lab studies a conserved insulin-like growth factor (IGF)/PTEN/PI 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/FoxO signaling pathway using the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans and mice as model systems. The IGF/PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway is one of the most commonly dysregulated signaling pathways in human cancer. Therefore, understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of both its normal function as well as its dysfunction in cancer will lead to new approaches to prevent, diagnose, and manage a wide variety of human cancers.
Our research strategy involves leveraging the C. elegans experimental tool kit to reveal insights into conserved aspects of IGF/PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway regulation and function, and exploring the impact of these insights on disease pathogenesis in mouse models of cancer and other human diseases. As IGF signaling plays an important and conserved role in controlling aging in animals, one prominent aspect of our work is to use our understanding of how this pathway influences longevity in C. elegans to elucidate the role that aging plays in the pathogenesis of cancer and other diseases that are commonly seen in elderly humans.
Education
- M.D., New York University, New York, New York (1995)
- Ph.D., New York University, New York, New York (1995)
- A.B., Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1985)
POSTGRADUATE TRAINING
- Intern and Residency in Internal Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Fellowship in Adult Oncology, Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care
Research Emphasis
Research Description
My lab studies the role of insulin-like growth factor signaling in development, metabolism, and aging, using the nematode C. elegans and mice as model systems.
Publications
- Delaney CE, Chen AT, Graniel JV, Dumas KJ, Hu PJ. A histone H4 lysine 20 methyltransferase couples environmental cues to sensory neuron control of developmental plasticity. Development [print-electronic]. 2017 Apr 4/1/2017; 144(7): 1273-82. PMID: 28209779, PMCID: PMC5399626, PII: dev.145722, DOI: 10.1242/dev.145722, ISSN: 1477-9129.
- Itani OA, Flibotte S, Dumas KJ, Guo C, Blumenthal T, Hu PJ. N-Ethyl-N-Nitrosourea (ENU) Mutagenesis Reveals an Intronic Residue Critical for Caenorhabditis elegans 3' Splice Site Function in Vivo. G3 (Bethesda). 2016 Jun; 6(6): 1751-6. PMID: 27172199, PMCID: PMC4889670, PII: g3.116.028662, DOI: 10.1534/g3.116.028662, ISSN: 2160-1836.
- Itani OA, Flibotte S, Dumas KJ, Moerman DG, Hu PJ. Chromoanasynthetic Genomic Rearrangement Identified in a N-Ethyl-N-Nitrosourea (ENU) Mutagenesis Screen in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (Bethesda). 2016 Feb; 6(2): 351-6. PMID: 26628482, PMCID: PMC4751554, PII: g3.115.024257, DOI: 10.1534/g3.115.024257, ISSN: 2160-1836.
- Chen AT, Guo C, Itani OA, Budaitis BG, Williams TW, Hopkins CE, McEachin RC, Pande M, Grant AR, Yoshina S, Mitani S, Hu PJ. Longevity Genes Revealed by Integrative Analysis of Isoform-Specific daf-16/FoxO Mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics [print-electronic]. 2015 Oct; 201(2): 613-29. PMID: 26219299, PMCID: PMC4596673, PII: genetics.115.177998, DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.177998, ISSN: 1943-2631.
- Hu PJ. Whole genome sequencing and the transformation of C. elegans forward genetics. Methods [print-electronic]. 2014 Aug 8/1/2014; 68(3): 437-40. PMID: 24874788, PII: S1046-2023(14)00196-0, DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2014.05.008, ISSN: 1095-9130.
- Mahanti P, Bose N, Bethke A, Judkins JC, Wollam J, Dumas KJ, Zimmerman AM, Campbell SL, Hu PJ, Antebi A, Schroeder FC. Comparative metabolomics reveals endogenous ligands of DAF-12, a nuclear hormone receptor, regulating C. elegans development and lifespan. Cell Metab. 2014 Jan 1/7/2014; 19(1): 73-83. PMID: 24411940, PMCID: PMC3924769, PII: S1550-4131(13)00499-3, DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2013.11.024, ISSN: 1932-7420.
- Murphy CT, Hu PJ. Insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling in C. elegans. WormBook. 2013 Dec; 1-43. PMID: 24395814, PMCID: PMC4780952, DOI: 10.1895/wormbook.1.164.1, ISSN: 1551-8507.
- Ferguson AA, Roy S, Kormanik KN, Kim Y, Dumas KJ, Ritov VB, Matern D, Hu PJ, Fisher AL. TATN-1 mutations reveal a novel role for tyrosine as a metabolic signal that influences developmental decisions and longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Genet. 2013 Dec; 9(12): e1004020. PMID: 24385923, PMCID: PMC3868569, PII: PGENETICS-D-13-00168, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004020, ISSN: 1553-7404.
- Chen AT, Guo C, Dumas KJ, Ashrafi K, Hu PJ. Effects of Caenorhabditis elegans sgk-1 mutations on lifespan, stress resistance, and DAF-16/FoxO regulation. Aging Cell [print-electronic]. 2013 Oct; 12(5): 932-40. PMID: 23786484, PMCID: PMC3824081, DOI: 10.1111/acel.12120, ISSN: 1474-9726.
- Dumas KJ, Delaney CE, Flibotte S, Moerman DG, Csankovszki G, Hu PJ. Unexpected role for dosage compensation in the control of dauer arrest, insulin-like signaling, and FoxO transcription factor activity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics [print-electronic]. 2013 Jul; 194(3): 619-29. PMID: 23733789, PMCID: PMC3697968, PII: genetics.113.149948, DOI: 10.1534/genetics.113.149948, ISSN: 1943-2631.
