Vincent L. Cryns, MD | Cancer Metabolism/Third Messengers
Vincent Cryns, MD, is a physician-scientist who focuses on understanding how cancer cells adapt to and survive metabolic stress caused by their rapid growth. He and colleague Richard Anderson, PhD, lead a team of scientists together with who have discovered new signaling pathways (“third messengers”) in the nucleus of cells that protect tumor cells from cellular stress.
Dr. Vincent Cryns' Faculty Biography
Investigating 'Third Messenger' Pathways
Drs. Cryns and Anderson investigate how lipid second messengers typically associated with membranes modify the functions of proteins inside the nucleus of cells, so-called “third messenger” pathways. Our joint lab is the Third Messenger Lab.
One example of the third messenger pathway is the discovery that second messengers are linked to the p53 tumor suppressor protein to activate Akt in the nucleus and protect cells from dying, directly linking the p53 and Akt pathways for the first time.
The team has identified several new drug targets that regulate third messenger pathways and are developing drug inhibitors to treat cancer.
In addition, the team is actively identifying other nuclear proteins that are regulated by third messengers.
Above, p53 forms a complex with active Akt (red puncta) in the nucleus of the cell. DNA is labeled in blue and the nuclear envelope is green. (Photo credit: Mo Chen, PhD)
Research Team
Mo Chen, PhD
Associate Scientist
Assistant Scientist
Postdoctoral Fellow
Graduate Student
Graduate Student
Publications
- Chen M, Choi S, Wen T, Chen C, Thapa N, Lee JH, Cryns VL, Anderson RA. A p53-phosphoinositide signalosome regulates nuclear AKT activation. Nat Cell Biol. 2022 Jul;24(7):1099-1113. doi: 10.1038/s41556-022-00949-1. Epub 2022 Jul 7. PMID: 35798843.
- Choi S, Chen M, Cryns VL, Anderson RA. A nuclear phosphoinositide kinase complex regulates p53. Nat Cell Biol. 2019 Apr;21(4):462-475. doi: 10.1038/s41556-019-0297-2. Epub 2019 Mar 18. PMID: 30886346; PMCID: PMC7017954.
- Malin D, Strekalova E, Petrovic V, Deal AM, Al Ahmad A, Adamo B, Miller CR, Ugolkov A, Livasy C, Fritchie K, Hamilton E, Blackwell K, Geradts J, Ewend M, Carey L, Shusta EV, Anders CK, Cryns VL. αB-crystallin: a novel regulator of breast cancer metastasis to the brain. Clin Cancer Res. 2014 Jan 1;20(1):56-67. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-13-1255. Epub 2013 Oct 16. PMID: 24132917; PMCID: PMC3973485.
View Dr. Vincent Cryns' publications on NCBI My Bibliography
Positions Available
The Cryns Lab is always looking for talented, highly motivated scientists at all levels. Please email a brief letter and your CV to vlcryns@medicine.wisc.edu.
Funding Support
Dr. Cryns' research is funded by the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Make a Gift
Help support our research by making a gift to the Department of Medicine's Excellence in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fund.
