Alexandra PIETERSEN
Senior Scientist
PhD
ncmap@nccs.com.sg

Joint Appointments
Assistant Professor, Cancer Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, National University Singapore

Research Staff
Gerard TARULLI
GOH Jen Nee
HO Chin Yong Victor
Kakaly GHOSH
Duvini DE SILVA

www.pietersenlab.com

Puppe, J., Drost, R., Liu, X., Joosse, S.A., Evers, B., Cornelissen-Steijger, P., Nederlof P., Yu, Q., Jonkers, J.*, van Lohuizen, M.* and Pietersen, A.M.*
BRCA1-deficient mammary tumors cells are dependent on EZH2 expression and sensitive to Polycomb Repressive Complex 2-inhibitor 3-deazaneplanocin A.
Breast Cancer Res 2009, 11(4), R63. *equal contribution.

Pietersen, A.M .*, Horlings, H.M.*, Hauptmann, M., Langerød, A., Ajouaou, A., Cornelissen-Steijger, P., Wessels, L.F., Jonkers, J., Vijver, M.J., and van Lohuizen, M
EZH2 and BMI1 inversely correlate with prognosis and TP53 mutation in breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Res 2008, 10(6), R109. *equal contribution.

Pietersen, A.M., Evers, B., Prasad, A.A., Tanger, E., Cornelissen-Steijger, P., Jonkers, J., and van Lohuizen, M
Bmi1 regulates stem cells and proliferation and differentiation of committed cells in mammary epithelium.
Curr Biol, 2008, 18(14), pp. 1094-1099.

Pietersen, A.M., and van Lohuizen, M
Stem cell regulation by polycomb repressors: postponing commitment.
Curr Opin Cell Biol 2008, 20(2), pp. 201-207.

Pietersen AM, Rutjes SA, van Tongeren J, Vogels R, Wesseling JG, Noteborn MH
The tumor-selective viral protein apoptin effectively kills human biliary tract cancer cells.
J Mol Med. 2004 82(1), 56-63.

Pietersen AM, Van der Eb MM, Speetjens FM, Kuppen PJK, Van de Velde CJH, Noteborn MHM and Hoeben RC
Gene Therapy with Apoptin induces regression of xenografted human hepatomas.
Cancer Gene Therapy 2002 (9), 53-61.

Pietersen AM, Van der Eb MM, Rademaker HJ, Van den Wollenberg DJM, Rabelink MJWE, Kuppen PJK, Van Dierendonck JH, Van Ormondt H, Masman D, Van de Velde CJH, Van der Eb AJ, Hoeben RC and Noteborn MHM
Specific tumor-cell killing with adenovirus vectors containing the Apoptin gene.
Gene Therapy 1999 (6), 882-892.

The focus of the lab is to understand how regulators of stem cells and lineage commitment in the mammary gland can contribute to breast cancer.

We use multiparameter flow cytometry (fig 1a) to identify different cell types in the mammary gland and test functional stem cell activity by gold standard assays such as limiting dilution and serial transplantations (fig 1b).

We investigate selected candidate regulators of stem cells, and subsequently study their role in mammary stem cells, lineage commitment and overall mammary gland development. For those candidates that show interesting phenotypes, we study the causal involvement in tumorigenesis by modulating their levels in normal, predisposed and tumor cells (fig 1c).

Currently we are analyzing the role of T-box repressors and Wip1 phosphatase in mammary stem cells and breast cancer. For most recent information see: www.pietersenlab.com.