Richard O. Hynes
Scientist
Ludwig Center at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
United States of America
Biography
My research has focused on the cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix and led to the discovery of fibronectin, vimentin and osteopontin. We first demonstrated a physical link between fibronectin in the ECM and the actin cytoskeleton, which led to the discovery of integrins. My laboratory undertook a screen to discover metastasis-promoting genes, which led to the discovery of the RhoC protein as a key driver of metastasis. Our research in this area has continued to focus on identifying drivers of metastasis in melanoma, prostate and breast cancer cells. We have applied the use of proteomics to define the entire census of proteins that compose the ECM formed in primary tumors and derived metastases, with the goal of defining ECM components that facilitate metastasis and serve as useful diagnostic or prognostic markers of tumor progression.
Research Interest
Cancer metastasis, Cancer genomics, cell movement, tumor biology
Publications
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Lamar, JM, Stern, P., Liu, H., Schindler, JW, Jiang, Z. and Hynes, RO. (2012). The Hippo pathway target, YAP, promotes metastasis through its TEAD interaction domain. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 109: E2441-2450.
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Naba, A., Clauser, K.R., Hoersch, S., Liu, H., Carr, S.A. and Hynes, R.O. (2012). The matrisome: in silico definition and in vivo characterization by proteomics of normal and tumor extracellular matrices. Mol. Cell Proteomics. 11(4): M111.014647.
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Labelle, M., Begum, S. and Hynes, R.O. (2011). Direct Signaling Between Platelets and Cancer Cells Induces an EMT-Like Transition and Promotes Metastasis. Cancer Cell 20: 576-590.
