Ruoxiang Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant
Professor
Molecular Urology and Therapeutics Program
Department of Urology
Contact Information
Department of Urology
Emory University School of Medicine
Clinic B, Suite 5103
1365 Clifton Road, N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30322
Phone: 404-778-5116
Fax: 404-778-3965
Email: rwang2@emory.edu
Education
MD, Shanxi Medical University,
China, 1977-1982, Medicine
MSc, Shanxi Medical University, China, 1983-1985, Physiology of the Heart
PhD, University of Toronto, Canada, 1988-1994, Molecular Cardiology
Research Interests
The main interest of my research is in determining the function of genes in human urogenital system. Following isolation of genes, we carry out a series of experiments to elucidate their function in, for example, the prostate, with a special attention to the regulated expression. Understanding the regulation may lead to development of medicines that control the expression of these genes in a clinical setting.
One of our research projects is isolation of novel genes that are specifically expressed in prostate. We have, for example, isolated a previously unrecognized gene and found that it is prostate specific. In addition, its expression is enhanced in prostate cancer cells. Characterization of prostate specific genes may provide markers for detection of prostate cancer.
In another project, We have examined the expression of all the cytokines and their receptors in prostate cancer cells. This work led to the definition of a fraction of human cytokines and the associated receptors that are highly expressed in prostate cancers. Since cytokines function as mediators in prostate cancer-bone stromal interaction, identification of these cytokines may provide additional approaches to the treatment of prostate cancer metastasis to the bone.
Prostate cancer could be the result of abnormalities in the mechanism controlling programmed cell death, also known as apoptosis. Using the similar technique, I have also performed molecular characterization of apoptosis-related genes in prostate cancer. This enabled us to identify a panel of apoptosis-related genes and cell survival-related genes that are expressed in prostate cancer. These genes will be further examined for their involvement in the progression of prostate cancer.
Selected Publications
RX Wang, MJ Sole, E Cukerman, and CC Liew (1994). Characterization and nucleotide sequence of the cardiac a-myosin heavy chain gene from Syrian hamster. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 26:1154-1165.
RX Wang and CC Liew (1994). The human BAT3 ortholog in rodents is predominantly and developmentally expressed in testis. Mol. Cell. Biochem. 136:49-57.
RX Wang, MJ Sole, XH Cai, and CC Liew (1995). Characterization and structural organization of the cardiac b-myosin heavy chain gene from Syrian golden hamster. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 27:1075-1087.
TA Epp, RX Wang, MJ Sole, and CC Liew (1995). Concerted evolution of mammalian cardiac myosin heavy chain genes. J. Mol. Evol. 41:284-292.
YW Fung, RX Wang, HHQ Heng, and CC Liew (1995). Mapping of a human LIM protein (CLP) to human chromosome 11pl5.1 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Genomics 28:602-603.
DM Hwang, RX Wang, and CC Liew (1995). Direct automated sequencing of single lambda phage by exponential amplification. Analytical Biochem. 231:460-463.
DM Hwang, YW Fung, RX Wang, CM Laurenssen, SH Ng, WY Lam, KW Tsui, KP Fung M Waye, CY Lee, and CC Liew (1995). Analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a fetal human heart cDNA library. Genomics 30:293-298.
YB Shi, RX Wang, and YF Shi (1996). The molecular mechanism of apoptosis. Life Sci. 8:8-12.
YW Fung, RX Wang, and CC Liew (1996). Characterization of a human cardiac gene which encodes for a LIM domain protein and is developmentally expressed in myocardial development. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 28:1203-1210.
YW Fung, RX Wang, and CC Liew (1997). Characterization of a human cardiac gene which encodes for a LIM domain protein and is developmentally expressed in myocardial development. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 29:426-427.
RX Wang, E Cukerman, HHQ Heng, and CC Liew (1996). Localization of a novel zinc finger protein to the human chromosome 7p11.2-p12 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Somal. Cell. Mol. Genet. 22:237-239.
RX Wang, E Cukerman, HHQ Heng, and CC Liew (1996). Localization of a novel zinc finger gene to human chromosome 7q22 region by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Somat. Cell. Mol. Genet. 22:233-235.
RX Wang, E Cukerman, HHQ Heng, and CC Liew (1996). Localization of three novel zinc finger genes to centromeric region of human chromosome 10 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Somat. Cell. Mol. Genet. 22:241-244.
RX Wang, E Cukerman, HHQ Heng, and CC Liew (1996). Identification of a locus of zinc finger genes in human chromosome 19q13.1-q13.3 region by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Somat. Cell. Mol. Genet. 22:245-248.
RX Wang, DM Hwang, E Cukerman, and CC Liew (1997). Identification of genes encoding zinc finger motifs in the cardiovascular system. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 29:281-287.
CC Liew, DM Hwang, RX Wang, SH Ng, A Dempsey, DHY Wen, H Ma, E Cukerman, XG Zhao, YQ Liu, XK Qiu, XM Zhou, R Gu, S Tsui, KP Fung, MMW Waye, and CY Lee (1997). Construction of a human heart cDNA library and identification of cardiovascular- based genes (CVBest). Mol. Cell. Biochem. Focussed Issue: " Novel Methods in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry of Muscle" 172:81-87.
RX Wang, QD Fang, LY Zhang, L Radvanyi, A Sharma, N Noben Trauth, GB Mills, and YF Shi (1997). CD28 ligation prevents bacterial toxin induced septic shock in mice by inducing IL-10 expression. J. Immunol. 158:2856-2861.
YF Shi, RX Wang, A Sharma, C Gao, M Collins, L Penn, and GB Mills (1997). Dissociation of cytokine signals for proliferation and apoptosis. J. Immunol. 159:5318-5328.
DM Hwang, AA Dempsey, RX Wang, M Rezvani, JD Barrans, KS Dai, HY Wang, H Ma, E Cukerman, YQ Liu, JR Gu, JH Zhang, SKW Tsui, MMY Waye, KP Fung, CY Lee, and CC Liew (1997). A genome based resource for molecular cardiovascular medicine: Towards a compendium of cardiovascular genes. Circulation 96:4146-4203.
YF Shi, LY Zhang, and RX Wang (1997). Fas and FasL: Suicide and murder of the immune cells. Shanghai J. Immunol. 17:197-203.
YF Shi, M Hill, A Novak, ZQ Chen, RX Wang, CC Liew, and GB Mills (1998). Human hematopoietic cells express two forms of the cytokine receptor common g-chain (gc). Cell Res. 7:195-205.
RX Wang, T Brunner, L Zhang, and YF Shi (1998). Fungal metabolite FR901228 inhibits c-myc and Fas ligand expression. Oncogene 17:1503-1508.
RX Wang, LY Zhang, D Yin, RA Mufson, and YF Shi (1998). Protein kinase C regulates Fas (CD95/APO-1) expression. J. Immunol. 161:2201-2207.
J Zamorano, HY Wang, RX Wang, YF Shi, GD Longmore, and AD Keegan (1998). Regulation of cell growth by IL-2: Role of STAT5 in protection from apoptosis but not in cell cycle prograssion. J. Immunol. 160:3502-3512.
DL Yin, LY Zhang, RX Wang, C Haudenschild, MR Kehry, and YF Shi (1998). Ligation of CD28 in vivo induces CD40L expression and promotes B cell survival. J. Immonol. 163:4328-4334.
RX Wang, LY Zhang, DL Yin, RA Mufson, and YF Shi (1998). Regulation of Fas and FasL expression during activation induced T cell apoptosis. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of lmmunology (GP Talwar, I Nath, NK Ganguly, and KVS Rao, eds.), Monduzzi Editore, Bologna, Italy, pp.499-505.
DL Yin, RA Mufson, RX Wang, and YF Shi (1999). Opioids induce expression of cell death receptor Fas. Nature 397:218.
RX Wang, LY Zhang, XR Zhang, J Moreno, XY Luo, M Tondravi, and YF Shi (2001). Differential regulation of the expression of CD95 ligand, Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappaB Ligand (RANKL), TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL), and TNF-alpha During T Cell Activation. J. Immunol. 166:1983-1990.
K Sharma, RX Wang, LY Zhang, DL Yin, XY Luo, J Solomon, RF Jiang, K Markos, W Davidson, DW Scott, and YF Shi (2000). Death the Fas Way: Regulation and pathophysiology of CD95 and its ligand. Pharmacol. Therapeut. 88:333-347.
RX Wang and CC Liew (2001). Unique conservation of pyrimidine rich introns in the mammalian cardiac myosin heavy chain genes. J. Shanxi Med. University 32:22-27.
RX Wang, LY Zhang, XR Zhang, J Moreno, C Celluzzi, M Tondravi, and YF Shi (2000). Regulation of activation-induced receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL) expression in T cells. Eur. J. Immunol. 32:1090-1098.
F Yeung, WK Law, CH Yeh, JJ Westendorf, Y Zhang, RX Wang, C Kao, and LWK Chung (2002). Regulation of human osteocalcin promoter in hormone-independent human prostate cancer cells. J. Biol. Chem. 277:2468-2476.
RX Wang, JG Zhou, P Nelson, LWK Chung (2003). Isolation of a novel gene, PC1, that is predominantly expressed in human prostate epithelial cells (manuscript in preparation).
RX Wang, J Xu, L Juliette, A Castilleja, J Love, SY Sung, HE Zhau, TJ Goodwin, LW Chung (2005). Three-dimensional co-culture models to study prostate cancer growth, progression, and metastasis to bone. Semin. Cancer Biol., 15(5):353-64.