Research Interest: Cancer Research Genetics and Immunology Dr. Potter's laboratory is investigating the pathogenesis of plasma cell tumor formation in the inbred BALB/cAn mouse. Plasmacytomas can be induced in these mice by intraperitoneal injection of alkanes such as pristane, silicone gels, and plastic objects. Because of the unusual way in which these tumors are induced, this problem has many components. When pristane is injected intraperitoneally, macrophages engulf and organize oil droplets into a chronic inflammatory tissue called on oil granuloma, where plasmacytomas arise. In contrast to BALB/cAn, most other inbred strains such as DBA/2 are resistant to plasmacytoma induction by pristane. Dr. Potter's lab has been attempting to identify genes that determine resistance by constructing BALB/cAn.DBA congenic mice. Dr. Beverly Mock in Dr. Potter's lab is attempting to isolate and clone three plasmacytoma susceptibility/resistance genes located on chromosome 4 in the mouse. A fascinating feature of the mouse plasmacytoma is that virtually all of them develop reciprocal chromosomal translocations that involve the immunoglobulin complex loci and the c-myc oncogene. Dr. Siegfried Janz in Dr. Potter's lab has developed PCR methodologies for detecting these illegitimate recombinations. Current work in the lab focuses on mechanisms that inhibit plasmacytomagenesis, specifically the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent indomethacin, but also by changes in environmental conditions. Representative Publications Amoroso, S.R., Huang, N., Roberts, A.B., Potter, M. & Letterio, J.J. Consistent loss of functional transforming growth factor ß receptor expression in murine plasmacytomas. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95: 189-194 (1998). Müller, J.R., Jones, G.M., Janz, S. & Potter, M. Migration of cells with immunoglobulin/c-myc recombinations in lymphoid tissues of mice. Blood, 89: 291-296 (1997). Mock, B.A., Hartley, J., Le Tissier, P., Wax, J.S. & Potter, M. The plasmacytoma resistance gene, Pctr2, delays the onset of tumorigenesis and resides in the telomeric region of chromosome 4. Blood, 90: 4092-4098 (1997). Potter, M., Wax, J. & Jones, G.M. Indomethacin is a potent inhibitor of pristane and plastic disc induced plasmacytomagenesis in the hypersusceptible BALB/c congenic strain. Blood, 90: 260-269 (1997). |
