Assistant Professor

Email Dr. Chuan Hu
Phone Number: 502-852-6287
Fax: 502-852-6222

Address: 319 Abraham Flexner Way, Rm 515
Louisville, KY 40202

PhD,2000, Columbia University

Research Interests: Vesicular Trafficking in Cancer Metastasis and Angiogenesis

Metastasis, the spreading of cancer from a primary site to distant organs, is responsible for 90 percent of the deaths from cancer. However, cancer metastasis is not well understood at the molecular level. The research of the laboratory is focused on a fundamental event of metastasis – migration of cancer cells. In migrating cells, plasma membrane components and the cell adhesion receptors integrins are transported by vesicles and exocytosed at the cell front. Using a variety of techniques including molecular biology, cell biology and confocal imaging, we are characterizing the SNARE protein complexes that mediate polarized exocytosis in cell migration. Our goal is to elucidate how SNARE proteins interact with signal transduction cascades to modulate the migration and metastasis of cancer cells.

Another project is aimed at VE-cadherin, the primary component of adherens junctions in endothelial cells. VE-cadherin regulates endothelial barrier function and the organization of endothelial cells during angiogenesis. We are investigating how vesicular trafficking regulates the availability and function of VE-cadherin on the cell surface.

Selected Publications:

Hu, C., Oliver, J.A., Goldberg, M.R., and Al-Awqati, Q. 2001. LRP: a new adhesion molecule for endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 281:F739-750.

Hu, C., Ahmed, M., Melia, T.J., Sollner, T.H., Mayer, T., and Rothman, J.E. 2003. Fusion of cells by flipped SNAREs. Science 300:1745-1749.

Giraudo, C.G.*, Hu, C.*, You, D., Slovic, A.M., Mosharov, E.V., Sulzer, D., Melia, T.J., and Rothman, J.E. 2005. SNAREs can promote complete fusion and hemifusion as alternative outcomes. J Cell Biol 170:249-260. (* contributed equally)

Antinozzi, P.A., Garcia-Diaz, A., Hu, C., and Rothman, J.E. 2006. Functional mapping of disease susceptibility loci using cell biology. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103:3698-3703.

Hu, C. *, Hardee, D., and Minnear, F. 2007. Membrane fusion by VAMP3 and plasma membrane t-SNAREs. Exp Cell Res 313:3198-3209. (* corresponding author)

Xu, M., Waters, C.L., Hu, C., Wysolmerski, R.B., Vincent, P.A., Minnear, F.L. 2007. Sphingosine 1- phosphate rapidly increases endothelial barrier function independently of VE-cadherin but requires cell spreading and Rho kinase. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 293(4):C1309-1318.

Luftman, K., Hasan, N., Day, P., Hardee, D. and Hu, C. 2009. Silencing of VAMP3 inhibits cell migration and integrin-mediated adhesion. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 380: 65-70.