Suzanne Cory

My principal research interest is the molecular biology of development and differentiation within the lymphohematopoietic system and the molecular basis for the onset of leukemia and lymphoma. We have developed effective transgenic and retroviral vectors and used them to explore the effect of specific oncogenic mutations within the context of the whole animal. We have investigated how genes having very different functions (myc, N-myc, ras, abl, max, bmi-l, cyclin D1, bcl-2, HoxB8 and p53) impinge on proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis and cooperate to invoke the fully malignant state and demonstrated the important role of genetic background. Our major current focus is the biochemical control of apoptosis, particularly by the Bcl-2 family. We have isolated novel death-inhibiting and death-promoting family members and generated mice mutant for expressions of these proteins. To clarify the biochemical basis for the action, we are searching for proteins which complex with Bcl-2 and its relatives.