University of Oregon

The team of William Cresko and Hui Zong at the University of Oregon propose to combine innovative cell labeling and genome sequencing technologies with analytical tools from evolutionary biology to identify causative genetic changes during cancer development. They will use a mouse glioma model developed by Dr. Zong’s lab to generate sporadic tumorigenic cells and unequivocally label them with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), thus revealing close interactions between cells that will become tumors and their normal neighboring neurons. These cells will be precisely collected at distinct tumorigenic phases using a Laser Capture Microdissection system. Next Generation Sequencing approaches developed in Dr. Cresko’s lab will be used for genomic and transcriptomic analysis of these cells, and the specific mutations causing tumor formation will be determined using multivariate evolutionary genetic analyses. This work may help identify causal genetic changes across the tumorigenic process, starting from the earliest stages of tumor formation, revealing the critical supporting roles of normal neurons to glioma cells and possibly leading to new methods for early detection and treatments of glioma and other tumors.