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Shrikant Anant, Ph.D.
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Shrikant Anant, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Medicine and of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology Office Location: CSRB-North Tower Room 925 Dr. Anant joined the Gastroenterology Division faculty at Washington University School of Medicine in 1998. He received his Ph.D. from University of Illinois in 1993 in molecular genetics under the guidance of Dr. Kiranur Subramanian. His thesis work was on inhibition of DNA replication by Wilms tumor suppressor protein, WT1. Dr. Anant completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Nicholas Davidson at the University of Chicago. The focus of this postdoctoral research work was on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulated apolipoprotein B mRNA editing. Since 2001, Dr. Anant's independent research emphasizes transcriptional and posttranscriptional controls of gene expression and signal transduction relevant to cancer development and prevention in the gastrointestinal tract. A major focus of the laboratory has been in determining the effect of radiation injury on gene expression in the intestinal epithelial cells. Very little is known on the nature of genes whose expression is either turned on or turned off after injury. We have identified a protein CUGBP2, whose expression is markedly upregulated in the intestine following radiation injury. Furthermore, CUGBP2 interacts with AU-rich sequences in the 3'untranslated region of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA and inhibits its translation. We are currently characterizing the mechanism by which CUGBP2 interaction with the mRNA regulates translation. A second focus of our laboratory is to determine mechanisms by which progression of a normal cell to a cancer cell can be prevented. We are particularly interested in determining mechanism by which dietary phytochemicals such as curcumin and phyllanthin are regulating intestinal epithelial gene regulation. We are using the multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mouse familial adenomatous polyposis as a model for human autosomal dominantly inherited syndrome. We have determined that dietary curcumin decreases the intestinal and colonic tumor formation in the min mice, as well as enhance radiasensitivity of the adenomas. Our current research includes the molecular analysis of the colon cancer cells following treatment with these dietary agents. A third focus of the laboratory is to determine the response of gastric epithelial cells to infection by Helicobacter pylori, which are Gram-negative, microaerophilic, spiral-shaped bacilli. There are many strains of H. pylori, which are distinguished by the human disease with which they are associated. Recent studies suggest that early eradication of the bacteria may prevent the development of cancer in humans, but once the process is initiated the eradication does not help. Our current focus in this area is to determine the early events that occur in response to infections with different stains of H. pylori in stomachs of mice stomachs and in cell culture models.
Link to Medline for selected publications
Anant Lab 
Division of Gastroenterology
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