Sakina E. Eltom, D.V.M. Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Cancer Biology
Director of Graduate Studies, Pharmacology Program

615-327-5713
WBS, Room 3228
1005 Dr. D.B. Todd Boulevard
Nashville, TN  37208

seltom@mail.mmc.edu

Lab URL

CV or Bio (PDF)

1982 Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan
1986 M.S. in Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Cornell University
1990 Ph.D. in Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Cornell University

The research in Dr. Eltom’s laboratory is investigating how particular environmental chemicals cause cancer of certain organs but not others.  Specifically, they are looking at how the chemical dioxin causes cancers of the liver, skin, thyroid, etc., but appears to be protective of breast cancer.  This chemical exerts its functions through binding to a cellular protein called the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR).  By defining how this receptor functions in the presence and absence of dioxin in these different tissues, Dr. Eltom and her colleagues hope to identify the underlying mechanisms responsible for these differential responses.  Their studies involve primary cultures of human mammary epithelial cells and breast carcinoma cell lives.  Recent studies on human tumors have revealed a possible novel mechanism by which the AhR provokes cancer progression the absence of environmental carcinogenesis like dioxin.

Another project in this laboratory is investigating the role of a group of environmental chemicals that mimics hormones (i.e., endrocrine disruptors) and their possible contribution to the incidence in breast cancer in pre-menopausal women.

Eltom SE, Dale Y.  Response to comments on "Calpain mediates the dioxin-induced activation and down-regulation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor". Mol Pharmacol. 2007;71:386-7.

Dale YR, Eltom SE.  Calpain mediates the dioxin-induced activation and down-regulation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Mol Pharmacol. 2006 ;70:1481-7.

Dale Y, Eltom SE.  The induction of CYP1A1 by oltipraz is mediated through calcium-dependent-calpain.  Toxicol Lett. 2006;166:150-9.

Brown KA, Aakre ME, Gorska AE, Price JO, Eltom SE, Pietenpol JA, Moses HL.  Induction by transforming growth factor-beta1 of epithelial to mesenchymal transition is a rare event in vitro.  Breast Cancer Res. 2004;6:R215-31.