Stefan Siwko, PhD

Biography

Education and Training

• Ph.D. in Cancer Biology, Stanford University
• B.A. in Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania
  • magna cum laude with honors

Postdoctoral Training

• Systems Biology Dept., M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
  • Mentor: Shiaw-Yih Lin, Ph.D.
  • Screened cancer cells for small molecule inhibitors of stemness and, in a second project, studied the role of transcription factors in breast cancer.
•  Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Mentor: Yi Li, Ph.D.
  • Developed a new mouse mammary cancer model using pseudotyped lentiviral vectors for tumorigenesis.
  • Investigated the role of stem cells in how an early pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk in a mouse model.

Selected Manuscripts (out of 45 publications)

• Luo, W., Tan, P., Rodriguez, M., He, L., Tan, K., Zeng, L., Siwko, S., Liu, M. 2017. Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 4 (Lgr4) is necessary for prostate cancer metastasis via epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The Journal of biological chemistry. 292: 15525-37. PMID: 28768769
• Yue, Z., Yuan, Z., Zeng, L., Wang, Y., Lai, L., Li, J., Sun, P., Xue, X., Qi, J., Yang, Z., Zheng, Y., Fang, Y., Li, D., Siwko, S., Li, Y., Luo, J., Liu, M. 2017. LGR4 modulates breast cancer initiation, metastasis, and cancer stem cells. FASEB Journal. PMID: 29269400
• Rodriguez, M., S. Siwko, L. Zeng, J. Li, Z. Yi, and M. Liu. 2016. Prostate-specific G-protein-coupled receptor collaborates with loss of PTEN to promote prostate cancer progression. Oncogene. 35: 1153-62. PMID: 26028029
• Luo, J., Yang, Z., Ma, Y., Yue, Z., Lin, H., Qu, G., Huang, J., Dai, W., Li, C., Zheng, C., Xu, L., Chen, H., Wang, J., Li, D., Siwko, S., Penninger, J.M., Ning, G., Xiao, J., Liu, M. 2016, LGR4 is a receptor for RANKL and negatively regulates osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption. Nature Medicine. 22(5): 539-46. PMID: 27064449
• Rodriguez, M., W. Luo, J. Weng, L. Zeng, Z. Yi, S. Siwko, and M. Liu. 2014. PSGR promotes prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and prostate cancer xenograft growth through NF-kappaB. Oncogenesis. 3:e114. PMID: 25111863
• Peng, G., C. Chun-Jen Lin, W. Mo, H. Dai, Y.Y. Park, S.M. Kim, Y. Peng, Q. Mo, S. Siwko, R. Hu, J.S. Lee, B. Hennessy, S. Hanash, G.B. Mills, and S.Y. Lin. 2014. Genome-wide transcriptome profiling of homologous recombination DNA repair. Nature Communications. 5:3361. PMID: 24553445
• Luo, W., M. Rodriguez, J.M. Valdez, X. Zhu, K. Tan, D. Li, S. Siwko, L. Xin, and M. Liu. 2013. Lgr4 is a key regulator of prostate development and prostate stem cell differentiation. Stem cells. 31:2492-2505. PMID: 23897697
• Wang, Y., J. Dong, D. Li, L. Lai, S. Siwko, Y. Li, and M. Liu. 2013. Lgr4 regulates mammary gland development and stem cell activity through the pluripotency transcription factor Sox2. Stem cells. 31:1921-1931. PMID: 23712846
• Yim, E-K., Siwko, S. and Lin, S-Y. 2009 Exploring Rak tyrosine kinase functions in breast cancer. Cell Cycle. 8(15): 2360-4. PMID: 19597351
• Siwko, S., Bu, W. Gutierrez, C., Lewis, B., Jechlinger, M., Schaffhausen, B., and Li, Y. 2008. Lentivirus-mediated oncogene introduction into mammary cells in vivo induces tumors.  Neoplasia. 10(7): 653-662. PMID: 18592025
• Siwko, S., Dong, J., Lewis, M.T., Liu, H., Hilsenbeck, S., and Li, Y. 2008. Evidence that an early pregnancy causes a persistent decrease in the number of functional mammary epithelial stem cells—implications for pregnancy-induced protection against breast cancer.  Stem Cells. 26(12):3205-9. PMID: 18787212
• Siwko, S., and Mochly-Rosen, D. 2007. Use of a novel method to find substrates of protein kinase C delta identifies M2 pyruvate kinase. International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. 39(5): 978-87. PMID: 17337233

Conference presentations

• Siwko and Liu. Lgr4 in breast and prostate cancer. Lost Pines Conference, October 2013
• Siwko and Li. Development of a lentiviral vector to initiate tumors in specific populations of mammary epithelial cells.  Gordon Research Conference in Mammary Biology, June 2006.
• Susan G. Komen Foundation Reaching For The Cure conference, June 2002.

 Awards/Honors

• T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship (May 2005-2007)
• Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation predoctoral fellowship (Sep. 2000)