Home Department: Biology
Mentor: Martha Cyert (Biology)

"Investigating Calcimembrin/Calcineurin Interaction in Breast Cancer Cells"

Calcimembrin (c16orf74) is a protein associated with poor clinical outcomes across multiple cancer types. However, little is known about Calcimembrin’s biological function or mechanistic role in cancer biology and tumor proliferation, aside from being a recognized substrate of the enzyme Calcineurin, a phosphatase best known for its role in T-cell activation. This project will study Calcimembrin function in breast cancer cells by assessing the impact of wild-type and Calcimembrin mutants on Calcineurin activity and on cellular growth and proliferation. The goal is to illuminate how Calcimembrin functions to promote cancer growth through its interaction with Calcineurin and extends work Luna carried out last summer.