Susan C. Frost, Ph.D.
Professor
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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Susan C. Frost, Ph.D. |
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Adaptive Regulation in Adipocytes and Breast Cancer Cells My laboratory studies the regulation of GLUT1, the constitutive glucose transporter, in adipocytes and human breast cancer cell lines. In adipocytes, we study the nutrient-dependent regulation of GLUT1. We have shown that glucose deprivation increase glucose uptake in the absence of increased GLUT1 protein. Our goal is to understand this regulation. We hypothesize that lipid rafts provide an environment which allows the activation of the intrinsic activity of GLUT1. In breast cancer cell, we are interested in the coordinate regulation of GLUT1 and carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) in response to hypoxia. Hypoxia induces GLUT1 which increases uptake and the production of lactic acid. We believe that the resulting intracellular acid load is neutralized by the upregulation of CAIX, in concert with carbonic anhydrase II and bicarbonate transporter, which drives the export of protons. This causes the acidification of the extracellular environment. CAIX expression in tumors, along with acidification, is an indicator of aggressive behavior. Yet, we have shown that CAIX alone is not sufficient for this behavior. Finally, we are interested in measuring metabolic flux in breast cancer cells using isotopomer analysis with nuclear magnetic resonance. We have shown that cell lines, that produce aggressive tumors, reduce mitochondrial metabolism in favor of lactic acid production when compared to control cells or those that produce benign tumors.
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Status: Possibly Accepting New Students This Year Contact Information: office: R3-216A lab: R3-136 phone: (352)392-3207 email: sfrost@ufl.edu Home Page Biography: Dr. Susan C. Frost earned her Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from the University of Arizona in 1979. From 1979-1982, she held an Adjunct Faculty position at the University of Arizona where she studied neonatal lipid metabolism. She then received a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study insulin action and glucose transport in adipocytes in the laboratory of M. Daniel Lane at Johns Hopkins University from 1982-1985. Dr. Frost joined the Faculty at the University of Florida in 1985. She has served on the Graduate Council at UF, as President of the Faculty Council in the College of Medicine, and as the Department Chair. She has served on several Study Sections within the NIH and the American Heart Association. Dr. Frost has also served as a member of the Editorial Board for the American Journal of Physiology and the Human Resource Committee of the ASBMB. |
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