# (2R01CA190558-06A1; Div Suppl) Mechanisms of Serrated Colon Tumor Suppression Diversity Supplement

> **NIH NIH R01** · RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J. · 2024 · $90,265

## Abstract

Grant: NCI R01CA190558-06A1, Verzi, PI
Parent project abstract:
A lack of knowledge about the initiating moments of tumorigenesis leaves large gaps in our ability to detect
cancer early or develop prevention strategies. Our primary objective of this competitive renewal is to define, in
vivo, the immediate consequences of oncogenic mutations in BRAF during Serrated colon cancer formation.
We will pursue these studies in colon stem cells, the presumed cell-of-origin of colon cancer. Work from the
previous grant identified new genetic modifiers of Serrated tumorigenesis. We found that oncogenic
BRAFV600E mutations paradoxically cause stem cells to differentiate rather than form tumors. However, when
we inactivated tumor suppressor transcription factors CDX2 or SMAD4, Serrated tumorigenesis was markedly
restored. Excitingly, we found that CDX2 and SMAD4 target genes can be used to stratify human patients for
their susceptibility to Serrated tumors. The logical extension of these studies is to understand the molecular
mechanisms that occur in stem cells in response to BRAFV600E mutations. We predict that pERK takes
advantage of accessible chromatin upon CDX2 loss. Aim 1 will compare the activity of pERK in wild type stem
cells, and BRAFV600E or CDX2-mutant stem cells. State-of-the-art –omics approaches will allow first-of-a-kind
measurements of pERK on stem cell chromatin, within hours after the BRAFV600E mutation is expressed from
its endogenous locus. We will measure pERK binding activity, nuclear localization, and dynamic interactions
with its protein partners. Aim 2 will look at the downstream gene regulatory consequences of the BRAFV600E
mutation in stem cells lacking SMAD4. We predict that SMAD4 works with pERK to promote differentiation and
suppress stem cell renewal. Epigenomics approaches will map pERK binding to the genome, and ATAC-seq
and RNA-seq will profile changes to chromatin and the transcriptome. Finally, Aim 3 will functionally test a
model that the injury/repair cycle in the colon can create a susceptible environment for BRAF-pERK to drive
tumorigenesis, with the prediction that an altered transcriptional network is permissive to Serrated tumor
formation during the injury/repair cycle. These studies would provide important pre-clinical models to help
explain and test therapeutic strategies to suppress Serrated tumor initiation in humans. These studies are
innovative with cutting edge -omics applications and GEMMs and significant in exploring untested mechanisms
of oncogenic pERK in stem cells. Successful completion of these studies will have us poised to test therapeutic
strategies for the prevention or early detection of Serrated Colon Cancer.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11063511
- **Project number:** 3R01CA190558-07S1
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J.
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL P. VERZI
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $90,265
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-06-08 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11063511

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11063511, (2R01CA190558-06A1; Div Suppl) Mechanisms of Serrated Colon Tumor Suppression Diversity Supplement (3R01CA190558-07S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11063511. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*