Cristina Contreras

Postdoctoral Fellow

Contact Information Email: cmcontre@email.unc.edu Office: (919) 843-6010 Location: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Education B.S., Biology, University of Dallas, 2002 Ph.D., Genetics & Development - Cancer Track Biology, UT Southwestern, 2009 Joined the Curriculum in Toxicology in 2011 Adviser: Charles Perou
Research Interests My project centers around trying to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which metformin inhibits tumor cell growth in breast cancer and possibly identify predictive biomarkers for selection of patients for metformin anticancer use.
Publications Contreras CM, Gallardo TD, Haynie JM, Akbay EA, Wong KK, Castrillon DH. Lkb1 inactivation is sufficient to drive endometrial cancers that are aggressive yet highly responsive to mTOR inhibitor monotherapy. Dis. Model Mech. 2010 Mar-Apr; 3 (3-4) 181-93. Wingo SN, Gallardo TD, Akbay EA, Liang MC, Contreras CM, Boren T, et al. Somatic LKB1 mutations promote cervical cancer progression. PLoS ONE. 2009;4(4):e5137. Akbay EA, Contreras CM, Perera SA, Sullivan JP, Broaddus RR, Schorge JO, et al. Differential roles of telomere attrition in type I and II endometrial carcinogenesis. Am J Pathol. 2008 Aug;173(2):536-44. Contreras CM, Gurumurthy S, Haynie JM, Shirley LJ, Akbay EA, Wingo SN, et al. Loss of Lkb1 provokes highly invasive endometrial adenocarcinomas. Cancer Res. 2008 Feb 1;68(3):759-66. Ji H, Ramsey MR, Hayes DN, Fan C, McNamara K, Kozlowski P, Torrice C, Wu MC, Shimamura T, Perera SA, Liang MC, Cai D, Naumov GN, Bao L, Contreras CM, et al. LKB1 modulates lung cancer differentiation and metastasis. Nature. 2007 Aug 16;448(7155):807-10. Gallardo TD, John GB, Shirley L, Contreras CM, Akbay EA, Haynie JM, et al. Genomewide discovery and classification of candidate ovarian fertility genes in the mouse. Genetics. 2007 Sep;177(1):179-94. Halcomb KE, Contreras CM, Hinman RM, Coursey TG, Wright HL, Satterthwaite AB. Btk and phospholipase C gamma 2 can function independently during B cell development. Eur J Immunol. 2007 Apr;37(4):1033-42. Contreras CM, Halcomb KE, Randle L, Hinman RM, Gutierrez T, Clarke SH, et al. Btk regulates multiple stages in the development and survival of B-1 cells. Mol Immunol. 2007 Apr;44(10):2719-28. Whyburn LR, Halcomb KE, Contreras CM, Lowell CA, Witte ON, Satterthwaite AB. Reduced dosage of Bruton's tyrosine kinase uncouples B cell hyperresponsiveness from autoimmunity in lyn-/- mice. J Immunol. 2003 Aug 15;171(4):1850-8. Whyburn LR, Halcomb KE, Contreras CM, Pappu R, Witte ON, Chan AC, et al. Haploinsufficiency of B cell linker protein enhances B cell signaling defects in mice expressing a limiting dosage of Bruton's tyrosine kinase. Int Immunol. 2003 Mar;15(3):383-92.

Contact Information

Email: cmcontre@email.unc.edu
Office: (919) 843-6010
Location: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Education

B.S., Biology, University of Dallas, 2002
Ph.D., Genetics & Development - Cancer Track Biology, UT Southwestern, 2009
Joined the Curriculum in Toxicology in 2011
Adviser: Charles Perou

Research Interests

My project centers around trying to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which metformin inhibits tumor cell growth in breast cancer and possibly identify predictive biomarkers for selection of patients for metformin anticancer use.

Publications

Contreras CM, Gallardo TD, Haynie JM, Akbay EA, Wong KK, Castrillon DH. Lkb1 inactivation is sufficient to drive endometrial cancers that are aggressive yet highly responsive to mTOR inhibitor monotherapy. Dis. Model Mech. 2010 Mar-Apr; 3 (3-4) 181-93.

Wingo SN, Gallardo TD, Akbay EA, Liang MC, Contreras CM, Boren T, et al. Somatic LKB1 mutations promote cervical cancer progression. PLoS ONE. 2009;4(4):e5137.

Akbay EA, Contreras CM, Perera SA, Sullivan JP, Broaddus RR, Schorge JO, et al. Differential roles of telomere attrition in type I and II endometrial carcinogenesis. Am J Pathol. 2008 Aug;173(2):536-44.

Contreras CM, Gurumurthy S, Haynie JM, Shirley LJ, Akbay EA, Wingo SN, et al. Loss of Lkb1 provokes highly invasive endometrial adenocarcinomas. Cancer Res. 2008 Feb 1;68(3):759-66.

Ji H, Ramsey MR, Hayes DN, Fan C, McNamara K, Kozlowski P, Torrice C, Wu MC, Shimamura T, Perera SA, Liang MC, Cai D, Naumov GN, Bao L, Contreras CM, et al. LKB1 modulates lung cancer differentiation and metastasis. Nature. 2007 Aug 16;448(7155):807-10.

Gallardo TD, John GB, Shirley L, Contreras CM, Akbay EA, Haynie JM, et al. Genomewide discovery and classification of candidate ovarian fertility genes in the mouse. Genetics. 2007 Sep;177(1):179-94.

Halcomb KE, Contreras CM, Hinman RM, Coursey TG, Wright HL, Satterthwaite AB. Btk and phospholipase C gamma 2 can function independently during B cell development. Eur J Immunol. 2007 Apr;37(4):1033-42.

Contreras CM, Halcomb KE, Randle L, Hinman RM, Gutierrez T, Clarke SH, et al. Btk regulates multiple stages in the development and survival of B-1 cells. Mol Immunol. 2007 Apr;44(10):2719-28.

Whyburn LR, Halcomb KE, Contreras CM, Lowell CA, Witte ON, Satterthwaite AB. Reduced dosage of Bruton's tyrosine kinase uncouples B cell hyperresponsiveness from autoimmunity in lyn-/- mice. J Immunol. 2003 Aug 15;171(4):1850-8.

Whyburn LR, Halcomb KE, Contreras CM, Pappu R, Witte ON, Chan AC, et al. Haploinsufficiency of B cell linker protein enhances B cell signaling defects in mice expressing a limiting dosage of Bruton's tyrosine kinase. Int Immunol. 2003 Mar;15(3):383-92.