Hsing-Jien Kung is recognized for his significant contributions to understanding the role of oncogenes and growth factors in cancer. Dr. Kung's lab is engaged in cancer research with specific focus on the identification of genetic and epigenetic factors contributing to the development of human malignancies including prostate cancer and Kaposi's sarcoma. Under investigations are cellular and viral oncogenes, which are involved in posttranslational modifications of signal molecules and chromatins, leading to malignant transformation. They include tyrosine kinases, E3 SUMO ligases and histone demethylases. In collaborative work, the lab is also involved in developing inhibitors or therapeutic agents which target these oncogenes, resulting in specific and enhanced killing of tumor cells. More recent work has been directed toward the understanding of autophagy (self-eating) as a modulator of apoptosis (self-killing). Efforts are being made to develop effective means to measure autophag and to modulate this process.

Title:

Professor, Deputy Director, Cancer Center Basic Science

Specialty:

Biological Chemistry, Cancer

Center/Program Affiliation:

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

Other Languages:

Chinese

Education:

National Taiwan University
Taipei, Taiwan
B.S. 1969

Fellowships:

University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California
1976-78

Select Recent Publications:

Hong S, Wang LC, Gao X, Kuo YL, Liu B, Merling R, Kung HJ, Shih HM, Giam CZ. Heptad repeats regulate protein phosphatase 2a recruitment to I-kappaB kinase gamma/NF-kappaB essential modulator and are targeted by human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 tax. J Biol Chem, 2007. 282(16):12119-12126.

Chang YM, Kung HJ, Evans CP. Nonreceptor tyrosine kinases in prostate cancer. Neoplasia, 2007. 9(2): 90-100.

Gautschi O, Huegli B, Ziegler A, Gugger M, Heighway J, Ratschiller D, Mack PC, Gumerlock PH, Kung HJ, Stahel RA, Gandara DR, Betticher DC. Origin and prognostic value of circulating KRAS mutations in lung cancer patients. Cancer Lett, 2007. 254(2): 265-273.

Liu SVinall RLTepper CShi XBXue LRMa AHWang LYFitzgerald LDWu ZGandour-Edwards RDevere White RWKung HJ. Inappropriate activation of androgen receptor by relaxin via beta-catenin pathway. Oncogene, 2007. 265-273.

Libertini SJ, Tepper CG, Rodriguez V, Asmuth DM, Kung HJ and Mudryj M. Evidence for Calpain mediated androgen receptor cleavage as a mechanism for androgen independence and potential therapeutic target in prostate tumors. Cancer Res, 2007. 67(19): 9001-9005.

Desai SJ, Ma AH, Tepper CG, Chen HW, Kung HJ. Inappropriate activation of the androgen receptor by nonsteroids: involvement of the Src kinase pathway and its therapeutic implications. Cancer Res, 66(21):10449-10459. Nair SS, Guo Z, Mueller JM, Koochekpour S, Qiu Y, Tekmal RR, Schüle R, Kung HJ, Kumar R, Vadlamudi RK. Proline-, glutamic acid-, and leucine-rich protein-1/modulator of nongenomic activity of estrogen receptor enhances androgen receptor functions through LIM-only coactivator, four-and-a-half LIM-only protein 2. Mol Endocrinol, 2006. 21(3):613-624.

Izumiya Y, Izumiya C, Van Geelen A, Wang DH, Lam KS, Luciw PA, Kung HJ. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-encoded protein kinase and its interaction with K-bZIP. J Virol, 81(3): 1072-1082. Shi XB, Xue L, Tepper CG, Gandour-Edwards R, Ghosh P, Kung HJ, DeVere White RW. The oncogenic potential of a prostate cancer-derived androgen receptor mutant. Prostate, 2006. 67(6): 591-602.

Ma AH, Xia L, Desai SJ, Boucher DL, Guan Y, Shih HM, Shi XB, deVere White RW, Chen HW, Tepper CG, Kung HJ. Male Germ Cell-Associated Kinase, a Male-Specific Kinase Regulated by Androgen, Is a Coactivator of Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer Cells. Cancer Res, 2006. 66(17):8439-8447.

Dawson DM, Lawrence EG, MacLennan GT, Kung HJ, Robinson D, Resnick MI, Krush ED, Pretlow TP, Pretlow TG. Altered expression of RET protooncogene product in prostatic intraepiethlial neoplasia and prostate cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1998;9:519-923

Kung HJ, Chen HC, Robinson D. Molecular profiling of tyrosine kinases in normal and cancer cells. Journal of Biomedical Science 1998;5:74-78