Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine

Colleen Sweeney, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Co-Director,
Breast Cancer
Research Program
Research III Bldg,
Rm 1100A,
Sacramento Campus
(916) 734-0726
e-mail

Recent/Current
Research Funding

National Institutes of Health

DoD Breast Cancer Research Program

Graduate Group Affiliations

Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular
and Developmental Biology

Cell and
Developmental Biology

Comparative Pathology

 

Pharmacology and Toxicology

Research Interests

  • Receptor tyrosine kinases in breast tumor progression and therapeutic resistance
  • Tumor suppressors & oncogenes in breast cancer
  • Mouse models of breast cancer
  • Impact of psychosocial stress on breast tumor initiation, progression, regression & recurrence

 

Representative Publications

Krig SR, Miller JK, Frietze S, Beckett LA, Neve RM, Farnham PJ, Yaswen PI, Sweeney CA. ZNF217, a candidate breast cancer oncogene amplified at 20q13, regulates expression of the ErbB3 receptor tyrosine kinase in breast cancer cells. Oncogene. 2010 Oct 7;29(40):5500-10. Epub 2010 Jul 26.

Trainor BC, Sweeney C, Cardiff R. Isolating the effects of social interactions on cancer biology. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2009 Oct;2(10):843-6. Epub 2009 Sep 29.

Sweeney C, Carraway KL 3rd. Negative regulation of ErbB family receptor tyrosine kinases. British Journal of Cancer 2004. 90(2):289-93.

Wu, X., Yen, L., Irwin, L., Sweeney, C. and Carraway, K.L. III Stabilization of the E3 Ubquitin Ligase Nrdp1 by the Deubquitinating Enzyme Usp8. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2004. 24(17), 7748-7757.

Laederich, M.B., Funes-Duran, M., Yen, L., Ingalla, E., Wu, X., Carraway K.L. III and Sweeney C. The Leucine-rich repeat protein Lrig1 is a negative regulator of ErbB family receptor tyrosine kinases. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2004. 279(45):47050-6.

Funes, M., Miller J.K., Lai, C., Carraway, K.L. III, and Sweeney C.The Mucin Muc4 potentiates Neuregulin signaling by increasing the cell surface populations of ErbB2 and ErbB3. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2006. 281(28): 19310-19319.

Sweeney, C., Miller, J.K., Shattuck, D.L., and Carraway K.L. III. ErbB Receptor Negative Regulatory Mechanisms: Implications in Cancer. Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia, 2006. 11(1):89-99.

K.L. Carraway III and Sweeney, C. Co-opted integrin signaling in ErbB2 induced mammary tumor progression. Cancer Cell, 2006. 10(2):93-5.

Yen, L., Cao, Z., Wu, X., Ingalla, E., Baron, C., Young, L., Gregg, J.P., Cardiff, R.D., Borowsky, A.D., Sweeney, C. and Carraway K.L III. Loss of Nrdp1 enhances ErbB2-ErbB3 dependent breast tumor cell growth. Cancer Research 2006. 66(23):11279-86.

Carraway, K.L. III, Funes, M., Workman, H.C., and Sweeney, C. Contribution of Membrane Mucins to Tumor Progression through Modulation of Cellular Growth Signaling Pathways. Current Topics in Developmental Biology 2007. 78: 1-22.

Shattuck, D.L., *Miller, J.K., Laederich, M., Funes, M., Petersen, H., Carraway, K.L, and Sweeney C. Lrig1 is a novel negative regulator of the Met receptor tyrosine kinase and opposes Met & Her2 synergy. Molecular and Cellular Biology 2007 March 27(5):1934-46. *co-first authors.

Cao, Z., Wu, X., Yen, L., Sweeney, C. and Carraway, K.L. III. Neuregulin induced ErbB3 down-regulation is mediated by a protein stability cascade involving the E3 ubiquitin ligase Nrdp1. Molecular and Cellular Biology 2007 March 27(6):2180-8.</ p>

Shattuck, D.L., Miller, J.K. Carraway, K.L. III and Sweeney, C. The Met Receptor Contributes to Trastuzumab Resistance of Her2 overexpressing breast cancer cells. Cancer Research 2008. 68: 1471-1477.

Stutz, M.A., Shattuck, D.L., Laederich, M.B., Carraway, K.L. III and Sweeney, C. LRIG1 negatively regulates the oncogenic EGF receptor mutant EGFRvIII. Oncogene, 2008. 27(43):5741-52.

Miller, J.K., Shattuck, D.L., Ingalla, E.Q., Yen, L., Young, L.G.T., Borowsky, A.D., Cardiff, R.D., Carraway, K.L. III and Sweeney, C. Suppression of the negative regulator LRIG1 contributes to ErbB2 overexpression in breast cancer. Cancer Research, 2008. Oct 15;68(20):8286-94.

Fry, W.H.D., Kotelawala, L., Sweeney, C. and Carraway K.L. III. Mechanisms of ErbB receptor negative regulation and relevance in cancer. Experimental Cell Research, in press 2008..

Workman, H.C., Sweeney, C. and Carraway K.L. III. The membrane mucin Muc4 inhibits apoptosis induced by multiple insults via ErbB2-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Cancer Research, 2009. 69(7):2845-52

Trainor, B.C., Sweeney, C. and Cardiff, R.D. Isolating the effects of social interactions on cancer biology. Cancer Prevention Research, in press 2009.

Khan, I.H., Zhao, J., Ghosh, P., Ziman, M., Sweeney, C., Kung, H.J., and Luciw, P.A. Multiplex Microbead Suspension Arrays for Simultaneous Analysis of ErbB Family of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases: Activation and Dimerization Studies in Breast Cancer Cells. ASSAY and Drug Development Technologies, 2009. Feb;8(1):27-36.

Workman, H.C., Miller,J.K., Ingalla, E.Q., Kaur, R.P., Yamamoto, D.I., Beckett, L.A., Young, L.G.T., Cardiff, R.D., Borowsky, A.D., Carraway, K.L., Sweeney, C. and Carraway, K.L. III. The Membrane Mucin MUC4 is Elevated in Breast Tumor Lymph Node Metastases Relative to Matched Primary Tumors and Confers Aggressive Properties to Breast Cancer Cells. 2009. Breast Cancer Research 2009. Sep 18;11(5):R70.

Rafidi, H., Fry, W.H., Shattuck, D.L., Carraway, K.L. III and Sweeney, C. Lrig1 opposes ErbB2 recycling and promotes ErbB2 lysosomal degradation. Under revision, Journal of Biological Chemistry

Trainor, B.C., Crean, K.K., Fry, W.H.D. and Sweeney, C. Activation of extracellular related kinases in social behavior circuits during resident-intruder aggression tests. Neuroscience, 2010. 165(2):325-36.

Silva, A., Fry, W.H.D., Sweeney, C. and Trainor, B.C. Effects of photoperiod and experience on aggressive behavior in female California mice. Behavioral Brain Research, 2010. 208(2):528-34

Krig, S.R., Todd, C.E. Miller, J.K., Neve, P., Gray, J., Farnham, P., Yaswen, P. and Sweeney, C. ZNF217, a candidate breast cancer oncogene amplified at 20q13, regulates expression of the ErbB3 receptor tyrosine kinase in breast cancer cells. Oncogene, in press. 2010.

 

Recent/Current Teaching

Upper division courses
  • 192 Internship in Biological Chemistry
  • 198 Group Study
  • 199 Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates
Graduate courses
  • 299 Research
Professional courses for medical students
  • 410A Molecular and Cell Biology
  • 499 Research
  • BCM-410A Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • IMD 405 Metabolism, Endocrinology, Reproduction and Nutrition
  • Special Study Modules

 

Honors and Awards

  • 1987 Merck Index Award in Chemistry, University of Massachusetts
  • 1988 Louis Fenaux Award in Chemistry, University of Massachusetts
  • 1989 Kenneth A. Rose Award in Chemistry, University of Massachusetts
  • 1989 American Institute of Chemists Award
  • 1994 Charlton Research Poster Competition - First Place, Tufts University School of Medicine
  • 1994 Berlex BioSciences Predoctoral Fellowship
  • 1996 National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 1999 Massachusetts Department of Public Health Breast Cancer Award
  • 2001 California Breast Cancer Research Program New Investigator Award
  • 2002 California Tobacco Related Diseases Research Program New Investigator Award
  • 2002 UC Davis Cancer Center Annual Research Symposium, Anne Kathryn Trelford Bell Award
  • 2004 Anne Kathryn Trelford Bell Award/UC Davis Cancer Center Research Symposium
  • 2005 UC Davis Health System Award
  • 2006 UC Davis School of Medicine Excellence in Education Award
  • 2008 Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching Basic Sciences
  • Charter Member (2010 – 2014)
  • Tumor Progression & Metastasis Study Section
  • National Institutes of Health