
Jin Chen, M.D., Ph.D.
- Leader, Cancer Cell Biology Research Program
- Professor of Medicine
- Professor of Cell and Development Biology
- Director of Graduate Studies in Cancer Biology
Phone
T-3219 Medical Center North
Nashville, TN 37232-2681
Jin Chen, M.D., Ph.D.
- Leader, Cancer Cell Biology Research Program
- Professor of Medicine
- Professor of Cell and Development Biology
- Director of Graduate Studies in Cancer Biology
615-343-3819
jin.chen@vanderbilt.edu
T-3219 Medical Center North
Nashville, TN 37232-2681
Research Program
Departments/Affiliations
Profile
Dr. Jin Chen is a professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She holds joint appointments as Professor of Cancer Biology and Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology, and is a member of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Her laboratory performed pioneering studies on determining EphA2 receptor function in tumor initiation, metastatic progression and tumor angiogenesis. Dr. Chen's laboratory is currently funded by grants from National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense, and Department of Veterans Affairs. She regularly serves on grant review panels at the National Institute of Health, American Cancer Society, and Department of Defense. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors at Cancer Biology Training Consortium (CABTRAC).
Education
- 1984 M.D., Shanghai First Medical College, China
- 1991 Ph.D., Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- 1992 Fellow, MIT, Cambridge, MA
- 1993-1996 Fellow, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Research Emphasis
tumor immunology, tumor metabolism, tumor angiogenesis, cancer metastasis, receptor tyrosine kinase, EphA2, mTOR signaling
Research Description
Dr. Chen’s investigations funded by NIH R01s are (1) tumor-blood vessel interaction, and (2) how tumor cell metabolism affects anti-tumor immunity. Her laboratory first pioneered work on the role of EphA2 receptor in tumor neovascularization and showed that endothelial-specific EphA2 also controls tumor growth by regulation of angiocrine factors through a circulation-independent mechanism. As mTOR kinase is a signaling node for multiple angiogenic factors, one of her current projects is to dissect the relative contribution of mTORC1 and mTORC2 in tumor blood vessels. Her team also discovered that EphA2 RTK promotes glutamine metabolism via the glutamine transporter ASCT2 and glutaminase GLS in a YAP and TAZ-dependent manner. Knockout GLS in tumor cells provides a favorable microenvironment for anti-tumor T cell recruitment and function.
The approach in the Chen laboratory involves a combination of mining human cancer datasets, CRISPR/Cas9 technology-enabled and traditional transgenic/ knockout animal tumor models, as well as conventional cell biology and biochemistry techniques.
Current projects in the lab include:
1. Glutamine metabolic competition between cancer cells and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in breast cancer.
2. Regulation of fatty acid transendothelial transport by mTOR signaling in tumor blood vessel.
3. Targeting mTORC2 in squamous lung cancer and enhancing antitumor immunity.
4. SgRNA library screen for metabolic genes that regulate cancer metastasis and antitumor immunity.
5. EphA2 RTK in bone metastasis.
Publications
- Chen J. HIF1a or HIF2a: Enhancing CD8+ T-cell Fitness for Antitumor Immunity. Cancer Immunol Res. 2021 Apr; 9(4): 364. PMID: 34003767, PII: 9/4/364, DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-21-0114, ISSN: 2326-6074.
- Edwards DN, Ngwa VM, Raybuck AL, Wang S, Hwang Y, Kim LC, Cho SH, Paik Y, Wang Q, Zhang S, Manning HC, Rathmell JC, Cook RS, Boothby MR, Chen J. Selective glutamine metabolism inhibition in tumor cells improves antitumor T lymphocyte activity in triple-negative breast cancer. J Clin Invest. 2021 Feb 2/15/2021; 131(4): PMID: 33320840, PMCID: PMC7880417, PII: 140100, DOI: 10.1172/JCI140100, ISSN: 1558-8238.
- Kim LC, Rhee CH, Chen J. RICTOR Amplification Promotes NSCLC Cell Proliferation through Formation and Activation of mTORC2 at the Expense of mTORC1. Mol Cancer Res [print-electronic]. 2020 Aug 8/14/2020; PMID: 32801163, PII: 1541-7786.MCR-20-0262, DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-20-0262, ISSN: 1557-3125.
- Wang S, Raybuck A, Shiuan E, Cho SH, Wang Q, Brantley-Sieders DM, Edwards D, Allaman MM, Nathan J, Wilson KT, DeNardo D, Zhang S, Cook R, Boothby M, Chen J. Selective inhibition of mTORC1 in tumor vessels increases antitumor immunity. JCI Insight. 2020 Aug 8/6/2020; 5(15): PMID: 32759497, PMCID: PMC7455083, PII: 139237, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.139237, ISSN: 2379-3708.
- Song W, Kim LC, Han W, Hou Y, Edwards DN, Wang S, Blackwell TS, Cheng F, Brantley-Sieders DM, Chen J. Phosphorylation of PLC¿1 by EphA2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Promotes Tumor Growth in Lung Cancer. Mol Cancer Res [print-electronic]. 2020 Aug 8/4/2020; PMID: 32753469, PII: 1541-7786.MCR-20-0075, DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-20-0075, ISSN: 1557-3125.
- Shiuan E, Inala A, Wang S, Song W, Youngblood V, Chen J, Brantley-Sieders DM. Host deficiency in ephrin-A1 inhibits breast cancer metastasis. F1000Res. 2020; 9: 217. PMID: 32399207, PMCID: PMC7194498.2, DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.22689.2, ISSN: 2046-1402.
- Ngwa VM, Edwards DN, Philip M, Chen J. Microenvironmental Metabolism Regulates Antitumor Immunity. Cancer Res [print-electronic]. 2019 Aug 8/15/2019; 79(16): 4003-8. PMID: 31362930, PMCID: PMC6697577, PII: 0008-5472.CAN-19-0617, DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-0617, ISSN: 1538-7445.
- Hwang Y, Kim LC, Song W, Edwards DN, Cook RS, Chen J. Disruption of the Scaffolding Function of mLST8 Selectively Inhibits mTORC2 Assembly and Function and Suppresses mTORC2-Dependent Tumor Growth In Vivo. Cancer Res [print-electronic]. 2019 Jul 7/1/2019; 79(13): 3178-84. PMID: 31085701, PMCID: PMC6606357, PII: 0008-5472.CAN-18-3658, DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-18-3658, ISSN: 1538-7445.
- Hwang Y, Kim LC, Song W, Edwards DN, Cook RS, Chen J. Disruption of the Scaffolding Function of mLST8 Selectively Inhibits mTORC2 Assembly and Function and Suppresses mTORC2-Dependent Tumor Growth In Vivo. Cancer Res [print-electronic]. 2019 Jul 7/1/2019; 79(13): 3178-84. PMID: 31085701, PMCID: PMC6606357, PII: 0008-5472.CAN-18-3658, DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-18-3658, ISSN: 1538-7445.
- Raybuck AL, Cho SH, Li J, Rogers MC, Lee K, Williams CL, Shlomchik M, Thomas JW, Chen J, Williams JV, Boothby MR. B Cell-Intrinsic mTORC1 Promotes Germinal Center-Defining Transcription Factor Gene Expression, Somatic Hypermutation, and Memory B Cell Generation in Humoral Immunity. J. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2018 Apr 4/15/2018; 200(8): 2627-39. PMID: 29531165, PMCID: PMC5893413, PII: jimmunol.1701321, DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1701321, ISSN: 1550-6606.