RESEARCH INTERESTS
Laboratory Information- Biology of Digestive Epithelia
1) Principal Investigator: Patrícia Gama, PhD
PhD in Cell and Tissue Biology, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, 1997.Selected for the current position in 1998.
Tenure in 2004.Graduation: Biological Sciences
Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil, 1991.2) Brief information on research interest:
We study different factors that are part of the control of gastric and intestinal growth. More specifically we are interested in how diet, hormones and growth factors cooperate and influence cell proliferation, differentiation and death in the stomach and intestine in vivo. To evaluate these elements we use developing rats from the end of gestation to the third postnatal week submitted to: fasting (short term alimentary restriction); early weaning; hormone and growth factors treatments.
In order to study cell proliferation and death we use different tools: proliferative indices obtained after counting mitosis, BrDU, PCNA, Ki-67 labeled cells; TUNEL, M30 and caspases immunostaining, and electron microscopy for apoptosis evaluation. The tissue levels of the growth factors TGFa and TGFb are measured after immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Organ culture is used when necessary. Confocal microscopy is mainly used to analyze colocalization of different molecules and to specify any cellular labeling.
RELEVANT PAPERS
Alvares EP, Jordão LR, Gama, P. Differential distribution of transforming growth factor beta and receptors in the hyper or hypoproliferative gastric mucosa of developing and adult rats. Hystology and Histopathology, 2006 (in press).
Luzmarina Hernandes, Marilda da Cruz Fernandes, Lucieni Cristina Marques da Silva Pereira, Priscila de Freitas,Gama P, Alvares EP. Enteroendocrine cell population of the rat is affected by myenteric denervation during suckling and weaning. Journal of Molecular Histology, 2006 (in press).
Werneck-Silva AL, Alvares EP, Gama, P, Aderson Omar Mourão Cintra Damião, Luciana Harumi Osaki, Daniela Ogias & Aytan Miranda Sipahi . Intestinal damage in strongyloidiasis: the imbalance between cell death and proliferation . Digestive Diseases Sciences, 2006 (in press).
Ogias D, Bitencourt B, Alvares EP, Gama, P. Corticosteroids induce the differential expression of TGFbeta isoforms, receptors and signaling in the gastric mucosa of suckling rats. Regul Pept, v. 135, p. 17-22, 2006.
Daniela Ogias, Bianca Bitencourt, Eliana Parisi Alvares, Gama, P. Corticosteroids induce the differential expression of TGFβ isoforms, receptors and signaling in the gastric mucosa of suckling rats. Regulatory Peptides 135 (2006) 17-22.
Kurita T, Medina R, Schabel AB, Young P, Gama P, Parekh TV, Brody J, Cunha GR, Osteen KG, Bruner-Tran KL, Gold LI. The activation function-1 domain of estrogen receptor alpha in uterine stromal cells is required for mouse but not human uterine epithelial response to estrogen. : Revista: Differentiation, v. 73, p. 313-22, 2005.
Ribeiro, C. J.; Ohara, M. T.; Gama, P.. Alternative model to human skin organ culture: a preliminary study with Leibovitz L15 medium. Microscopy Research Technique, v. 66, p. 139-44, 2005.
Hernandes, L.; Gama, P.; Alvares, E.P.. Myenteric ablation increases the area of VIP submucous neurons in weanling rats. Regulatory Peptides, 117: 69-72, 2004.
Buttow, N. C., Zucoloto, S., Espreafico, E. M., Gama, P., Alvares, E. P. Substance P enhances the neuronal area and epithelial cell proliferation after colon denervation in rats. Digestive Diseases and Sciences. USA: , 48: 2069-2076, 2003.
Fernandes, M. C., Gama, P., Alvares, E. P., Silveira, M. Serotonin in the nervous system of the head region of the land planarian. Tissue & Cell. , 35: 479-486, 2003.
Sa, E. R. A., Jordão, L. R., Takahashi, CA, Alvares, E. P., Gama, P. Ontogenic expression of TGFbeta1, 3 and 3 and its receptors in the rat gastric mucosa. Developmental Dynamics. New Jersey, USA: , v.227, p.450 – 457, 2003.
Parekh, T.; Gama, P.; Wen, X.; Demopoulos, R.; Carcangiu, ML.; Reiss, M.; Gold, L.I. TGFb signaling is disabled early in human endometrial carcinogenesis concomitant with loss of growth inhibition. Cancer Res 62: 2778-2790, 2002.
Gama, P., Alvares, E.P.. Localization of Luteinizing hormone realeasing hormone binding sites in the gastric mucosa of suckling rats. Anatomical Record 264: 43-50, 2001.
