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Catherine Praxede Lavau, PhD

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Associate Professor in Pediatrics
Department / Division:
Pediatrics / Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology
Address:
Duke Box 91001
Durham, NC 27710
Office Telephone:
(919) 681-6173
Training:
  • PhD, Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 (france), 1995
Research Interests:
My long term interest has been in understanding the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of MLL-rearranged leukemias and related HOX overexpressing leukemias. My approach has been to use retroviral vectors to introduce putative leukemogenic genes in murine bone marrow cells and analyze the functional properties of the transduced cells in vitro and in vivo. Currently we are focussing on leukemias carrying CALM translocations encoding fusion genes such as MLL-CALM or CALM-AF10. CALM (Clathrin Assembly Lymphoid Myeloid leukemia) is an adaptor protein that interacts with the plasma membrane as well as the clathrin coat that forms during the generation and trafficking of endocytic vesicles. Clathrin mediated endocytosis modulates signaling by growth factors and our hypothesis is that CALM fusion proteins could enhance cellular proliferation by perturbing this phenomenon.
Representative Publications:
  • Morgado, E; Albouhair, S; Lavau, C. Flt3 is dispensable to the Hoxa9/Meis1 leukemogenic cooperation. Blood. 2007;109:4020-4022.  Abstract
  • Su, X; Drabkin, H; Clappier, E; Morgado, E; Busson, M; Romana, S; Soulier, J; Berger, R; Bernard, OA; Lavau, C. Transforming potential of the T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia-associated homeobox genes HOXA13, TLX1, and TLX3. Genes Chromosomes and Cancer. 2006;45:846-855.  Abstract
  • Kawamata, S; Du, C; Li, K; Lavau, C. Notch1 perturbation of hemopoiesis involves non-cell- autonomous modifications. Journal of Immunology. 2002;168:1738-1745.  Abstract
  • Kawamata, S; Du, C; Li, K; Lavau, C. Overexpression of the Notch target genes Hes in vivo induces lymphoid and myeloid alterations. Oncogene. 2002;21:3855-3863.  Abstract
  • Luo, RT; Lavau, C; Du, C; Simone, F; Polak, PE; Kawamata, S; Thirman, MJ. The elongation domain of ELL is dispensable but its ELL-associated factor 1 interaction domain is essential for MLL-ELL-induced leukemogenesis. Molecular and Cellular Biology. 2001;21:5678-5687.  Abstract
  • Lavau, C; Du, C; Thirman, M; Zeleznik-Le, N. Chromatin-related properties of CBP fused to MLL generate a myelodysplastic-like syndrome that evolves into myeloid leukemia. The EMBO Journal. 2000;19:4655-4664.  Abstract
  • Lavau, C; Luo, RT; Du, C; Thirman, MJ. Retrovirus-mediated gene transfer of MLL-ELL transforms primary myeloid progenitors and causes acute myeloid leukemias in mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA. 2000;97:10984-10989.  Abstract
  • Du, C; Redner, RL; Cooke, MP; Lavau, C. Overexpression of wild-type retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha) recapitulates retinoic acid-sensitive transformation of primary myeloid progenitors by acute promyelocytic leukemia RARalpha-fusion genes. Blood. 1999;94:793-802.  Abstract
  • Slany, RK; Lavau, C; Cleary, ML. The oncogenic capacity of HRX-ENL requires the transcriptional transactivation activity of ENL and the DNA binding motifs of HRX. Molecular and Cellular Biology. 1998;18:122-129.  Abstract
  • Lavau, C; Szilvassy, SJ; Slany, R; Cleary, ML. Immortalization and leukemic transformation of a myelomonocytic precursor by retrovirally transduced HRX-ENL. The EMBO Journal. 1997;16:4226-4237.  Abstract
  • Lavau, C; Heard, JM; Danos, O; Dejean, A. Retroviral vectors for the transduction of the PML-RARalpha fusion product of acute promyelocytic leukemia. Experimental Hematology. 1996;24:544-551.  Abstract
  • Lavau, C; Marchio, A; Fagioli, M; Jansen, J; Falini, B; Lebon, P; Grosveld, F; Pandolfi, PP; Pelicci, PG; Dejean, A. The acute promyelocytic leukaemia-associated PML gene is induced by interferon. Oncogene. 1995;11:871-876.  Abstract
  • Lavau, C; Dejean, A. The t(15;17) translocation in acute promyelocytic leukemia. Leukemia. 1994;8:1615-1621.  Abstract
  • Weis, K; Rambaud, S; Lavau, C; Jansen, J; Carvalho, T; Carmo-Fonseca, M; Lamond, A; Dejean, A. Retinoic acid regulates aberrant nuclear localization of PML-RAR alpha in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. Cell. 1994;76:345-356.  Abstract
  • de Thé, H; Lavau, C; Marchio, A; Chomienne, C; Degos, L; Dejean, A. The PML-RAR alpha fusion mRNA generated by the t(15;17) translocation in acute promyelocytic leukemia encodes a functionally altered RAR. Cell. 1991;66:675-684.  Abstract