Kathy Q. Cai, MD, PhD
Educational Background
- PhD, Fudan University, China, 2002
- MD, Shanghai Medical University, China, 1994
Research Program
Research Interests
- Development and improvement of immunohistochemical (IHC, traditional and fluorescence-based) assays to detect and quantify important components of cell signaling pathways
- Molecular mechanism of ovarian cancer initiation and development
- Histopathology evaluation of rodent models of human cancer
Lab Overview
My research interest focuses on developing and improving histopathology-related technologies to support basic and translational research projects involving cell signaling, molecular carcinogenesis and animal modeling. These approaches include immunohistochemistry, quantitative image analysis using Aperio technology and AQUA (a automatic quantitation platform for immunohistochemistry), laser capture microdissection, and other technologies. With these cutting-edge technologies, I have been working closely with other investigators, supporting their projects by providing histopathological evaluations and IHC marker quantifications.
My long-term research interests include understanding the molecular mechanism of ovarian cancer initiation and development. Research projects completed or in progress include quantitative image analysis of biomarkers on ovarian cancer tissue microarrays, molecular characterization of initiation and progression of ovarian cancer, mouse modeling of ovarian cancer, and studies of early mouse embryonic development.
In my capacity as co-director of the Histopathology Facility, I support Cancer Center members in interpreting results from tissues derived from animal models of human cancer. The rodent models in which I work or have worked include ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, kidney cancer and polycystic disease, pancreatic cancer, and lung cancer and lymphoma.
Selected Publications
Prudnikova TY, Villamar-Cruz O, Rawat SJ, Cai KQ, Chernoff J. Effects of p21-activated kinase 1 inhibition on 11q13-amplified ovarian cancer cells. Oncogene. 2015 Aug 10. PMID:26257058 PubMed
Cai KQ, Wang Y, Smith ER, Smedberg JL, Yang DH, Yang WL, Xu XX. Global deletion of Trp53 reverts ovarian tumor phenotype of the germ cell-deficient white spotting variant (wv) mice. Neoplasia. 2015 Jan;17(1):89-100. PMCID:PMC4309726 PubMed
Lee, S.-Y., Coffey, F., Fahl, S.P., Peri, S., Rhodes, M., Cai, K.Q., Carleton, M., Hedrick, S.M., Fehling, H.J., Zúñiga-Pflücker, J.C., Kappes, D.J., and Wiest, D.L. Non-canonical mode of ERK action controls alternative αβ and γδ T lineage fates. Immunity. 2014 Dec 18;41(6):934-46. PMCID:PMC4273651 PubMed
Nikonova AS, Plotnikova OV, Serzhanova V, Efimov A, Bogush I, Cai KQ, Hensley HH, Egleston BL, Klein-Szanto A, Seeger-Nukpezah T, Golemis EA. Nedd9 restrains renal cystogenesis in Pkd1-/- mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Sep 2;111(35):12859-64. PMID:25139996 PubMed
Xu J, Kadariya Y, Cheung M, Pei J, Talarchek J, Sementino E, Tan Y, Menges CW, Cai KQ, Litwin S, Peng H, Karar J, Rauscher FJ, Testa JR. Germline mutation of bap1 accelerates development of asbestos-induced malignant mesothelioma. Cancer Res. 2014 Aug 15;74(16):4388-97. PMID: 24928783 PubMed
Mehra R, Zhu F, Yang DH, Cai KQ, Weaver J, Singh MK, Nikonova AS, Golemis EA, Flieder DB, Cooper HS, Lango M, Ridge JA, Burtness B. Quantification of excision repair cross-complementing group 1 and survival in p16-negative squamous cell head and neck cancers. Clin Cancer Res. 2013 Dec 1;19(23):6633-43. PMID:24088734 PubMed
Seeger-Nukpezah T, Proia DA, Egleston BL, Nikonova AS, Kent T, Cai KQ, Hensley HH, Ying W, Chimmanamada D, Serebriiskii IG, Golemis EA. Inhibiting the HSP90 chaperone slows cyst growth in a mouse model of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jul 30;110(31):12786-91. PMID:23858461 PubMed
Sukhanova, A., Gorin, A., Serebriiskii, I.G., Gabitova, L., Zheng, H., Restifo, D., Egleston, B.L., Cunningham, D., Bagnyukova, T., Liu, H., Nikonova, A., Adams, G.P., Zhou, Y., Yang, D.H., Mehra, R., Burtness, B., Cai, K.Q., Klein-Szanto, A., Kratz, L.E., Kelley, R.I., Weiner, L.M., Herman, G.E., Golemis, E.A., Astsaturov, I.A. Targeting C4-demethylating genes in the cholesterol pathway sensitizes cancer cells to EGFR inhibitors via increased EGFR degradation. Cancer Discov. 3:96-111, 2013. PMCID: PMC3546138 PubMed
Li, H., Cai, Q., Wu, H., Vathipadiekal, V., Dobbin, Z.C., Li, T., Hua, X., Landen, C.N., Birrer, M.J., Sánchez-Beato, M., Zhang, R. SUZ12 promotes human epithelial ovarian cancer by suppressing apoptosis via silencing HRK. Mol. Cancer Res. 10:1462-1472, 2012. PMCID: PMC3501543
Cai, K.Q., Caslini, C., Capo-chichi, C.D., Slater, C, Smith, E.R., Wu, H., Klein-Szanto, A., Godwin, A.K., Xu, X. Loss of GATA4 and GATA6 expression specifies ovarian cancer histological subtypes and precedes neoplastic transformation of ovarian surface epithelia. PLoS ONE 4(7):e6454, 2009. PMC2715102 PubMed
Capo-chichi, C.D., Cai, K.Q., Testa, J.R., Godwin, A.K., Xu, X.X. Loss of GATA6 leads to nuclear deformation and aneuploidy in ovarian cancer. Mol. Cell. Biol. 29:4766-4777, 2009. PMC2725711 PubMed
Cai, K.Q., Wu, H., Klein-Szanto, A.J., Xu, X.X. Acquisition of a second mutation of the Tp53 alleles immediately precedes epithelial morphological transformation in ovarian tumorigenicity. Gynecol. Oncol. 114:18-25, 2009. PMC2739736 PubMed
Cai, K.Q., Capo-Chichi, C.D., Rula, M.E., Yang, D.H., Xu, X.X. Dynamic GATA6 expression in primitive endoderm formation and maturation in early mouse embryogenesis. Dev. Dyn. 237:2820-2829, 2008. PMC2739724 PubMed
Rula, M.E.*, Cai, K.Q.*, Moore, R., Yang, D.H., Staub, C.M., Capo-Chichi, C.D., Jablonski S.A., Howe, P.H., Smith, E.R., Xu, X.X. Cell autonomous sorting and surface positioning in the formation of primitive endoderm in mouse blastocysts and embryoid bodies. Genesis 45:327-338, 2007. *Co-first authors. PubMed
Yang, W.L., Cai, K.Q., Smedberg, J.L., Smith, E.R., Klein-Szanto A, Hamilton T.C., Xu, X.X. A reduction of cyclooxygenase 2 gene dosage counters the ovarian morphological aging and tumour phenotype in Wv mice. Am. J. Pathol. 170:1325-1336, 2007. PubMed