Martinez Research Lab
Luis A. Martinez, PhD
- Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Renaissance School of Medicine
Office: (631) 216-2904
Email: luis.martinez@stonybrookmedicine.edu
Stony Brook Cancer CenterMART Building, Room 9M-0834
Lauterbur Drive
Stony Brook, NY 11794
Research Program
Department
Research Interest
Dr. Martinez’s research focuses on understanding how alterations in the p53 gene contribute to the development of cancer. The wildtype form of p53 is a critical tumor suppressor gene that is frequently inactivated in human cancers. Most mutations in this gene are missense mutations that disable its tumor-suppressive function. However, these mutations can also generate oncogenic forms of p53 (mutant p53) that promote cancer progression through gain-of-function (GOF) activities.
One major research focus in Dr. Martinez’s laboratory is determining the molecular mechanisms that enable mutant p53 to exhibit GOF activity. His lab discovered that mutant p53 is recruited to approximately 50% of its transcriptional targets via interaction with the ETS2 transcription factor. The mutant p53/ETS2 complex serves as a unifying mechanism by which various mutant p53 proteins regulate a common set of transcriptional targets. This mechanism has since been validated by other laboratories and represents the predominant way mutant p53 drives oncogenic gene expression.
Additionally, Dr. Martinez’s group demonstrated that mutant p53 stabilizes ETS2—unlike other ETS family members—by preventing its ubiquitin-mediated degradation. This stabilization amplifies mutant p53’s regulatory capacity by increasing the abundance of mutant p53/ETS2 complexes. Ongoing studies aim to further elucidate how this transcriptional regulation contributes to gene expression and tumor progression.
Education
- BA, Biological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, 1994
- PhD, Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 1998
