Pilar Blancafort

Summary

Affiliation: University of North Carolina
Country: USA

Publications

  1. ncbi Rational design, selection and specificity of artificial transcription factors (ATFs): the influence of chromatin in target gene regulation
    Pilar Blancafort
    Department of Pharmacology and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 7365, USA
    Comb Chem High Throughput Screen 11:146-58. 2008
  2. ncbi Suppression of breast tumor growth and metastasis by an engineered transcription factor
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
    PLoS ONE 6:e24595. 2011
  3. ncbi Targeting serous epithelial ovarian cancer with designer zinc finger transcription factors
    Haydee Lara
    Department of Pharmacology, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
    J Biol Chem 287:29873-86. 2012
  4. ncbi Remodeling genomes with artificial transcription factors (ATFs)
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
    Methods Mol Biol 649:163-82. 2010
  5. ncbi Reactivation of MASPIN in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells by artificial transcription factors (ATFs)
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
    Epigenetics 6:224-35. 2011
  6. ncbi Generation of tumor-initiating cells by exogenous delivery of OCT4 transcription factor
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 120 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
    Breast Cancer Res 13:R94. 2011
  7. ncbi Reprogramming epigenetic silencing: artificial transcription factors synergize with chromatin remodeling drugs to reactivate the tumor suppressor mammary serine protease inhibitor
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 7365, USA
    Mol Cancer Ther 7:1080-90. 2008
  8. ncbi Interrogating genomes with combinatorial artificial transcription factor libraries: asking zinc finger questions
    Adriana Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
    Assay Drug Dev Technol 4:317-31. 2006
  9. ncbi Evaluation of a modular strategy for the construction of novel polydactyl zinc finger DNA-binding proteins
    David J Segal
    The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
    Biochemistry 42:2137-48. 2003
  10. ncbi Development of zinc finger domains for recognition of the 5'-CNN-3' family DNA sequences and their use in the construction of artificial transcription factors
    Birgit Dreier
    The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
    J Biol Chem 280:35588-97. 2005

Research Grants

  1. Re-activation of maspin tumor suppressor gene by designed transcription factors
    Pilar Blancafort; Fiscal Year: 2010
  2. Re-activation of maspin tumor suppressor gene by designed transcription factors
    Pilar Blancafort; Fiscal Year: 2009

Collaborators

  • David J Segal
  • Adriana S Beltran
  • Haydee Lara
  • Carlos F Barbas
  • Caren V Lund
  • Xinni Yuan
  • Paul M Lizardi
  • Adriana Beltran
  • Birgit Dreier
  • Laurent Magnenat
  • Karla Juárez-Moreno
  • Yuhua Wang
  • Sumie Kato
  • Mauricio Cuello Fredes
  • Alexei F Licea
  • Andrea V Leisewitz
  • Leaf Huang
  • Denise C Connolly
  • Eric Zimmerman
  • Lee M Graves
  • Haili Quian
  • Bryan T Richardson
  • Angela Russo
  • Ashley G Rivenbark
  • John P Hunt
  • Cheng Fan
  • Xueguang Sun
  • Shaunak Parikh
  • Yanzheng Liu
  • Brenda Temple
  • Beate Koksch
  • Roberta P Fuller
  • Adrian Huber
  • Mikhail Popkov

Detail Information

Publications16

  1. ncbi Rational design, selection and specificity of artificial transcription factors (ATFs): the influence of chromatin in target gene regulation
    Pilar Blancafort
    Department of Pharmacology and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 7365, USA
    Comb Chem High Throughput Screen 11:146-58. 2008
    ..The in vivo specificity of the engineered ATFs will be discussed, with particular emphasis on epigenetic modifications influencing ATF-DNA interactions...
  2. ncbi Suppression of breast tumor growth and metastasis by an engineered transcription factor
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
    PLoS ONE 6:e24595. 2011
    ..Our results describe for the first time an ATF able to reduce tumor growth and metastatic colonization by epigenetic reactivation of a dormant, normal-like, and more differentiated gene program...
  3. ncbi Targeting serous epithelial ovarian cancer with designer zinc finger transcription factors
    Haydee Lara
    Department of Pharmacology, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
    J Biol Chem 287:29873-86. 2012
    ..Our work outlined the first targeted, non-viral delivery of ATFs into tumors with potential clinical applications for metastatic ovarian cancers...
  4. ncbi Remodeling genomes with artificial transcription factors (ATFs)
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
    Methods Mol Biol 649:163-82. 2010
    ..Herein, we describe a new method, which combines artificial transcription factors (ATFs) and chromatin-remodeling agents to specifically reactivate silenced regions of the genome and reprogram cellular phenotypes...
  5. ncbi Reactivation of MASPIN in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells by artificial transcription factors (ATFs)
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
    Epigenetics 6:224-35. 2011
    ..These data suggest that ATFs are able to reprogram aggressive lung tumor cells towards a more epithelial, differentiated phenotype, and thus, represent novel therapeutic agents for metastatic lung cancers...
  6. ncbi Generation of tumor-initiating cells by exogenous delivery of OCT4 transcription factor
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 120 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
    Breast Cancer Res 13:R94. 2011
    ..Herein, we describe the generation of TIC-like cell lines by ectopic expression of the OCT4 transcription factor (TF) in primary breast cell preparations...
  7. ncbi Reprogramming epigenetic silencing: artificial transcription factors synergize with chromatin remodeling drugs to reactivate the tumor suppressor mammary serine protease inhibitor
    Adriana S Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 7365, USA
    Mol Cancer Ther 7:1080-90. 2008
    ..Our results document the power of a novel therapeutic approach that combines both epigenetic and genetic (sequence-specific ATFs) strategies to reactivate specifically silenced regions of the genome and reprogram cellular phenotypes...
  8. ncbi Interrogating genomes with combinatorial artificial transcription factor libraries: asking zinc finger questions
    Adriana Beltran
    Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
    Assay Drug Dev Technol 4:317-31. 2006
    ..In this review we will summarize several applications of ATF library screenings in gene discovery, biotechnology, and disease therapeutics...
  9. ncbi Evaluation of a modular strategy for the construction of novel polydactyl zinc finger DNA-binding proteins
    David J Segal
    The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
    Biochemistry 42:2137-48. 2003
    ..These results have important implications for the design of proteins that can recognize extended DNA sequences, as well as provide insights into the general rules of recognition for naturally occurring zinc finger proteins...
  10. ncbi Development of zinc finger domains for recognition of the 5'-CNN-3' family DNA sequences and their use in the construction of artificial transcription factors
    Birgit Dreier
    The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
    J Biol Chem 280:35588-97. 2005
    ..With the addition of this collection of predefined zinc finger domains, most 5'-CNN-3'-, 5'-GNN-3'-, and 5'-ANN-3'-containing sequences can now be rapidly targeted for directed gene regulation and nuclease cleavage...
  11. ncbi Genetic reprogramming of tumor cells by zinc finger transcription factors
    Pilar Blancafort
    Department of Molecular Biology and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:11716-21. 2005
    ..By co-regulating multiple targets, ATFs can be used as master genetic switches to reprogram and modulate complex neoplastic phenotypes...
  12. ncbi Designing transcription factor architectures for drug discovery
    Pilar Blancafort
    Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
    Mol Pharmacol 66:1361-71. 2004
    ....
  13. ncbi In vivo selection of combinatorial libraries and designed affinity maturation of polydactyl zinc finger transcription factors for ICAM-1 provides new insights into gene regulation
    Laurent Magnenat
    The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and the Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
    J Mol Biol 341:635-49. 2004
    ..Transcription factor libraries provide genome-wide approaches that can be applied towards the development of TFZFs specific for virtually any gene or desired phenotype and may lead to the discovery of new genetic functions and pathways...
  14. ncbi Scanning the human genome with combinatorial transcription factor libraries
    Pilar Blancafort
    Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
    Nat Biotechnol 21:269-74. 2003
    ..Transcription factor libraries represent a useful approach for studying and modulating gene function in cells and potentially in whole organisms...
  15. ncbi Promoter-targeted phage display selections with preassembled synthetic zinc finger libraries for endogenous gene regulation
    Caren V Lund
    The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
    J Mol Biol 340:599-613. 2004
    ....
  16. ncbi Modulation of drug resistance by artificial transcription factors
    Pilar Blancafort
    Department of Molecular Biology and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
    Mol Cancer Ther 7:688-97. 2008
    ..Thus, ATF can be used to map genes and pathways involved in drug resistance phenotypes and have potential as novel therapeutic agents to inhibit drug resistance...

Research Grants5

  1. Re-activation of maspin tumor suppressor gene by designed transcription factors
    Pilar Blancafort; Fiscal Year: 2010
    ..This work should lead to the characterization of novel anti-cancer regulators, able to reprogram the aberrant epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressors ..
  2. Re-activation of maspin tumor suppressor gene by designed transcription factors
    Pilar Blancafort; Fiscal Year: 2009
    ..This work should lead to the characterization of novel anti-cancer regulators, able to reprogram the aberrant epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressors ..