Scott Eblen, Ph.D.
Dr. Eblen focuses on molecular mechanisms and therapeutics involving protein kinases and E3 ubiquitin ligases in the context of ovarian and breast cancers.
Research Interest
My lab studies the role protein kinases and ubiquitin ligases in signal transduction and the regulation of tumor cell biology, particularly in the context of ovarian cancer, with collaborative projects in breast cancer. I have published works on the regulation of signaling through the ERK pathway by cell adhesion and how this regulation is disrupted in ovarian cancer cells, promoting anchorage-independent cancer cell survival and proliferation. Additionally, I have discovered novel substrates of ERK2, including the alternative mRNA splicing factor RBM17/SPF45 and identified SPF45 as the first splicing factor regulated by multiple MAP Kinase signaling cascades, with specificity dependent upon the extracellular stimulus. My research efforts identified the E3 ubiquitin ligase UBR5/EDD as a novel substrate of ERK2. I am a member of the Gyn/Onc and Breast Cancer research teams in the Hollings Cancer Center. My work has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense’s Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research Programs, the MUSC Center for Oral Health and the South Carolina Translational Research Institute. I am also heavily involved in Pharmacology teaching in the MUSC Dental and Medical Schools.