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Nigel Mongan

Associate Professor of Cancer Biology & Translational Research, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

Dr. Mongan was awarded his doctorate in molecular signaling from Queens' College, the University of Cambridge. He completed postdoctoral training in molecular endocrinology with Professor Ieuan Hughes at the Department of Paediatrics at Addenbrookes Hospital, University of Cambridge and with Professor Lorraine Gudas in molecular pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York. He became a faculty member at Weill Cornell Medical College in 2004, where he retains an adjunct faculty position. In 2009 he joined the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science of the University of Nottingham.

Expertise Summary

Dr. Mongan's research expertise relate to endocrine signaling pathways and how these may contribute to human cancer.

Teaching Summary

Dr. Mongan is module convenor with Dr. Richard Emes for the research project module (D13pro) which runs in year 2 and year 3 of the veterinary curriculum.

Dr. Mongan contributes teaching in endocrinology (D12ECN), protein biochemistry (D11LCB, D10CSB) and PPS (D11PPS, D12PPS).

Dr. Mongan is also an invited lecturer for the pharmacology doctoral program signal transduction course at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Research Summary

My research interests focus on mechanisms of gene regulation and hormonal regulation of transcription and how these relate to cellular differentiation in normal stem cells and cancer. One research… read more

Selected Publications

University of Nottingham-SVMS

Dr. Emeli Nilsson-postdoctoral associate

Andrew McWilliam- undergraduate project student

Catherine Ennett- undergraduate project student

Weill Cornell Medical College, NY, USA

Professor Lorraine Gudas

Mayo Clinic, MN, USA

Dr. Stephen Boorjian

Lund University, Sweden

Dr. Jenny Persson

Cork Cancer Research Center-Ireland

Dr. Sharon McKenna

Dr. Nina Orfali-PhD student

Current Research

My research interests focus on mechanisms of gene regulation and hormonal regulation of transcription and how these relate to cellular differentiation in normal stem cells and cancer. One research focus concerns the physiological roles of the androgen (AR) and estrogen receptors (ERalpha and ERbeta) and related ligand dependent transcription factors in development and cancer. In the presence of their respective hormones, the AR and ERalpha/beta regulate gene expression by recruiting multiple epigenetic coregulators to the regulatory regions of target genes. The AR and ER alpha/beta are key regulators of sex-associated traits and are implicated in cancers affecting people and companion animals, in particular dogs. Both AR and ER pathways play crucial roles in the development of prostate, bladder and other malignancies. The goals of my research are to advance our understanding of the roles of the androgen and estrogen pathways in development, fertility and cancer; to identify new biomarkers of cancer outcome and to identify novel therapeutic targets for hormonally regulated cancers. We are using molecular biology, human cell cultures and clinical research methodologies, including comparative veterinary models of cancer, to achieve these goals. I collaborate with colleagues at the vet school and at the Clinical Research Centre, Lund University (Sweden), Weill Cornell Medical College (NY) and the Mayo Clinic (MN).

The second research area studies the REX1/ZFP42 zinc finger protein which is believed to be expressed uniquely in undifferentiated embryonic, induced pluripotent (iPS) and adult stem cells. We are studying how REX1 guides cell fate decisions. In collaboration with the Gudas lab in Weill Cornell, we have evidence that REX1 is a zinc finger protein which modulates germ cell function and stem cell differentiation by modulating gene expression. We are now investigating how REX1 functions within the stem cell regulatory circuit involving the pluripotency genes (Nanog, OCT4, SOX2); polycomb complexes and related components. This circuit cooperates to modulate the earliest transcriptional events underlying stem cell pluripotency, differentiation and early embryonic development. We are also investigating whether Rex1 expression is characteristic of normal adult stem cells; and whether its loss contributes to the adoption of a malignant "cancer stem cell" phenotype. We utilize mouse embryonic stem cells and human germ cell derived tumor cell culture systems to study these pathways.

  • MARCINKIEWICZ K, SCOTLAND KB, BOORJIAN SA, NILSSON EM, PERSSON JL, ABRAHAMSSON PA, ALLEGRUCCI C, HUGHES IA, GUDAS LJ and MONGAN NP, 2012. The Androgen Receptor And Stem Cell Pathways In Prostate And Bladder Cancers (Review). International Journal Of Oncology. 40(1), 5-12
  • LARSSON, R, MONGAN, N P, JOHANSSON, M, SHCHERBINA, L, ABRAHAMSSON, P-A, GUDAS, L J, STERNER, O and PERSSON, J L, 2011. Clinical Trial Update and Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Metastatic Prostate Cancer. Current medicinal chemistry.
  • KAUFFMAN, ERIC C, ROBINSON, BRIAN D, DOWNES, MARTIN J, POWELL, LEAGH G, LEE, MING MING, SCHERR, DOUGLAS S, GUDAS, LORRAINE J and MONGAN, NIGEL P, 2011. Role of androgen receptor and associated lysine-demethylase coregulators, LSD1 and JMJD2A, in localized and advanced human bladder cancer. Molecular carcinogenesis.
  • DAVID, KA, MONGAN, NP, SMITH, C, GUDAS, LJ and NANUS, DM, 2010. Phase I Trial Of Atra-Iv And Depakote In Patients With Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies Cancer Biology & Therapy. 9(9), 678-684
  • KASHYAP, VASUNDHRA, REZENDE, NAIRA C, SCOTLAND, KYMORA B, SHAFFER, SEBASTIAN M, PERSSON, JENNY LIAO, GUDAS, LORRAINE J and MONGAN, NIGEL P, 2009. Regulation of stem cell pluripotency and differentiation involves a mutual regulatory circuit of the NANOG, OCT4, and SOX2 pluripotency transcription factors with polycomb repressive complexes and stem cell microRNAs. Stem cells and development. 18(7), 1093-108
  • MONGAN, NIGEL P and GUDAS, LORRAINE J, 2007. Diverse actions of retinoid receptors in cancer prevention and treatment. Differentiation; research in biological diversity. 75(9), 853-70
  • BOORJIAN, STEPHEN A, MILOWSKY, MATTHEW I, KAPLAN, JODI, ALBERT, MARTIN, COBHAM, MARTA VALLEE, COLL, DEIRDRE M, MONGAN, NIGEL P, SHELTON, GARY, PETRYLAK, DANIEL, GUDAS, LORRAINE J and NANUS, DAVID M, 2007. Phase 1/2 clinical trial of interferon alpha2b and weekly liposome-encapsulated all-trans retinoic acid in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Journal of immunotherapy (Hagerstown, Md. : 1997). 30(6), 655-62
  • JÄÄSKELÄINEN, JARMO, MONGAN, NIGEL P, HARLAND, SHARON and HUGHES, IEUAN A, 2006. Five novel androgen receptor gene mutations associated with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome. Human mutation. 27(3), 291
  • MONGAN, NIGEL P, MARTIN, KISHA M and GUDAS, LORRAINE J, 2006. The putative human stem cell marker, Rex-1 (Zfp42): structural classification and expression in normal human epithelial and carcinoma cell cultures. Molecular carcinogenesis. 45(12), 887-900
  • JÄÄSKELÄINEN, J, DEEB, A, SCHWABE, J W, MONGAN, N P, MARTIN, H and HUGHES, I A, 2006. Human androgen receptor gene ligand-binding-domain mutations leading to disrupted interaction between the N- and C-terminal domains. Journal of molecular endocrinology. 36(2), 361-8
  • RAMAN, JAY D, MONGAN, NIGEL P, LIU, LIMIN, TICKOO, SATISH K, NANUS, DAVID M, SCHERR, DOUGLAS S and GUDAS, LORRAINE J, 2006. Decreased expression of the human stem cell marker, Rex-1 (zfp-42), in renal cell carcinoma. Carcinogenesis. 27(3), 499-507
  • MONGAN, NIGEL P and GUDAS, LORRAINE J, 2005. Valproic acid, in combination with all-trans retinoic acid and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, restores expression of silenced RARbeta2 in breast cancer cells. Molecular cancer therapeutics. 4(3), 477-86
  • RAMAN, JAY D, MONGAN, NIGEL P, TICKOO, SATISH K, BOORJIAN, STEPHEN A, SCHERR, DOUGLAS S and GUDAS, LORRAINE J, 2005. Increased expression of the polycomb group gene, EZH2, in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 11(24 Pt 1), 8570-6
  • BOORJIAN, STEPHEN, SCHERR, DOUGLAS S, MONGAN, NIGEL P, ZHUANG, YONG, NANUS, DAVID M and GUDAS, LORRAINE J, 2005. Retinoid receptor mRNA expression profiles in human bladder cancer specimens. International journal of oncology. 26(4), 1041-8
  • BOORJIAN, STEPHEN, TICKOO, SATISH K, MONGAN, NIGEL P, YU, HUAYIN, BOK, DEAN, RANDO, ROBERT R, NANUS, DAVID M, SCHERR, DOUGLAS S and GUDAS, LORRAINE J, 2004. Reduced lecithin: retinol acyltransferase expression correlates with increased pathologic tumor stage in bladder cancer. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 10(10), 3429-37
  • BOORJIAN, STEPHEN, UGRAS, STACY, MONGAN, NIGEL P, GUDAS, LORRAINE J, YOU, XUEKE, TICKOO, SATISH K and SCHERR, DOUGLAS S, 2004. Androgen receptor expression is inversely correlated with pathologic tumor stage in bladder cancer. Urology. 64(2), 383-8
  • IBÁÑEZ, LOURDES, ONG, KEN K, MONGAN, NIGEL, JÄÄSKELÄINEN, JARMO, MARCOS, MARIA VICTORIA, HUGHES, IEUAN A, DE ZEGHER, FRANCIS and DUNGER, DAVID B, 2003. Androgen receptor gene CAG repeat polymorphism in the development of ovarian hyperandrogenism. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. 88(7), 3333-8
  • MONGAN, NIGEL P, JÄÄSKELÄINEN, JARMO, BHATTACHARYYA, SUMIT, LEU, ROBERTA M and HUGHES, IEUAN A, 2003. Steroid receptor coactivator-3 glutamine repeat polymorphism and the androgen insensitivity syndrome. European journal of endocrinology / European Federation of Endocrine Societies. 148(2), 277-9
  • ROSA, STEPHANIE, BIASON-LAUBER, ANNA, MONGAN, NIGEL P, NAVRATIL, FRANCESCA and SCHOENLE, EUGEN J, 2002. Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome caused by a novel mutation in the ligand-binding domain of the androgen receptor: functional characterization. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. 87(9), 4378-82
  • MONGAN, NIGEL P, JÄÄSKELÄINEN, JARMO, GREEN, KATHERINE, SCHWABE, JOHN W, SHIMURA, NAOTO, DATTANI, MEHUL and HUGHES, IEUAN A, 2002. Two de novo mutations in the AR gene cause the complete androgen insensitivity syndrome in a pair of monozygotic twins. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. 87(3), 1057-61
  • MONGAN, NIGEL P, HUGHES, IEUAN A and LIM, HAN N, 2002. Evidence that luteinising hormone receptor polymorphisms may contribute to male undermasculinisation. European journal of endocrinology / European Federation of Endocrine Societies. 147(1), 103-7
  • MONGAN, NIGEL P, JONES, ANDREW K, SMITH, GRAHAM R, SANSOM, MARK S P and SATTELLE, DAVID B, 2002. Novel alpha7-like nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society. 11(5), 1162-71
  • HUGHES, I A, LIM, H N, MARTIN, H, MONGAN, N P, DOVEY, L, AHMED, S F and HAWKINS, J R, 2001. Developmental aspects of androgen action. Molecular and cellular endocrinology. 185(1-2), 33-41
  • MONGAN, N P, LIM, H N and HUGHES, I A, 2001. Genetic evidence to exclude the androgen receptor-polyglutamine associated coactivator, ARA-24, as a cause of male undermasculinisation. European journal of endocrinology / European Federation of Endocrine Societies. 145(6), 809-11
  • MATSUDA, K, SHIMOMURA, M, KONDO, Y, IHARA, M, HASHIGAMI, K, YOSHIDA, N, RAYMOND, V, MONGAN, N P, FREEMAN, J C, KOMAI, K and SATTELLE, D B, 2000. Role of loop D of the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in its interaction with the insecticide imidacloprid and related neonicotinoids. British journal of pharmacology. 130(5), 981-6
  • MONGAN, N P, BAYLIS, H A, ADCOCK, C, SMITH, G R, SANSOM, M S and SATTELLE, D B, 1998. An extensive and diverse gene family of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha subunits in Caenorhabditis elegans. Receptors & channels. 6(3), 213-28

School of Veterinary Medicine and Science

University of Nottingham
Sutton Bonington Campus
Leicestershire, LE12 5RD

telephone: +44 (0)115 951 6116
fax: +44 (0)115 951 6415
email: veterinary-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk