Daniel Carson

About

Daniel Carson is a Professor of BioSciences and holds the Schlumberger Chair of Advanced Studies & Research at Rice University. His laboratory focuses on examining the expression and function of cell surface components that participate in and regulate cellular interactions in developing embryos and various tumor cell models. His research investigates the role of the multifunctional cell surface mucin glycoprotein, MUC1, which is involved in controlling access to the apical cell surface during the initial stage of implantation across species. MUC1 is also highly overexpressed in many epithelial tumors, including those of the uterus, ovaries, breast, and pancreas. In normal cells, MUC1 plays an antiadhesive role, lubricates epithelial surfaces, and provides protection from microbial infection. In tumor cells, MUC1 protects from host immune surveillance and increases resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, with activities attributable to its large, highly glycosylated ectodomain. Recent studies indicate that the cytoplasmic tail of MUC1 participates in intracellular signal transduction events, including protection from apoptosis and modulation of gene transcription. His research aims to identify molecular controls over MUC1 gene and protein expression in both normal and tumor cell contexts, with the goal of improving barrier functions and developing therapeutic strategies to reduce MUC1 expression, thereby enhancing tumor sensitivity to host immune responses and chemotherapeutic…

Research topics

• Biology
• Cell biology
• Biochemistry
• Biophysics
• Immunology
• Chemistry
• Pathology
• Cancer research
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Perlecan domain I gradients establish stable biomimetic heparin binding growth factor gradients for cell migration in hydrogels

  Acta Biomaterialia · 2019-07-24 · 37 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• SULF1 suppresses Wnt3A-driven growth of bone metastatic prostate cancer in perlecan-modified 3D cancer-stroma-macrophage triculture models

  PLoS ONE · 2020 · 31 citations

  Bone marrow stroma influences metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) progression, latency, and recurrence. At sites of PCa bone metastasis, cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumor-associated macrophages interact to establish a perlecan-rich desmoplastic stroma. As a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, perlecan (HSPG2) stores and stabilizes growth factors, including heparin-binding Wnt3A, a positive regulator of PCa cell growth. Because PCa cells alone do not induce CAF production of perlecan in the desmopla…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Highly glycosylated MUC1 mediates high affinity L-selectin binding at the human endometrial surface

  Journal of Nanobiotechnology · 2021 · 17 citations

  BACKGROUND: Sialyl-Lewis X/L-selectin high affinity binding interactions between transmembrane O-glycosylated mucins proteins and the embryo have been implicated in implantation processes within the human reproductive system. However, the adhesive properties of these mucins at the endometrial cell surface are difficult to resolve due to known discrepancies between in vivo models and the human reproductive system and a lack of sensitivity in current in vitro models. To overcome these limitations,…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• MUC1 and Polarity Markers INADL and SCRIB Identify Salivary Ductal Cells

  Journal of Dental Research · 2022-03-08 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access

  Current treatments for xerostomia/dry mouth are palliative and largely ineffective. A permanent clinical resolution is being developed to correct hyposalivation using implanted hydrogel-encapsulated salivary human stem/progenitor cells (hS/PCs) to restore functional salivary components and increase salivary flow. Pluripotent epithelial cell populations derived from hS/PCs, representing a basal stem cell population in tissue, can differentiate along either secretory acinar or fluid-transporting d…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• SULF1 suppresses Wnt3A-driven growth of bone metastatic prostate cancer in perlecan-modified 3D cancer-stroma-macrophage triculture models

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2020-02-28 · 10 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Bone marrow stroma influences metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) progression, latency, and recurrence. At sites of PCa bone metastasis, cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumor-associated macrophages interact to establish a perlecan-rich desmoplastic stroma. As a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, perlecan ( HSPG2 ) stores and stabilizes growth factors, including heparin-binding Wnt3A, a positive regulator of PCa cell growth. Because PCa cells alone do not induce CAF production of perlecan in t…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01HD025235

  NIH · $1.9M · 2001

• NIH Grant R01HD029963

  NIH · $2.3M · 2012

• NIH Grant R03HD028072

  NIH · $93k · 1993

Frequent coauthors

• Mary C. Farach‐Carson

  88 shared

• JoAnne Julian

  52 shared

• William J. Lennarz

  31 shared

• Neeraja Dharmaraj

  The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

  24 shared

• Glenn L. Decker

  Baylor College of Medicine

  21 shared

• Pamela E. Constantinou

  16 shared

• A.L. Jacobs

  Humboldt State University

  15 shared

• Jy‐Ping Tang

  The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

  13 shared

Similar researchers at Rice University

• Erez Lieberman Aidenh-91
• Bonnie Bartelh-76
• Evan Siemannh-54