# The role of  CMTR2 in Lung Cancer

> **NIH NIH K00** · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · 2020 · $90,746

## Abstract

Project Summary
Lin28 is a highly conserved RNA binding protein that modifies gene expression via direct binding of mRNAs
and by blocking the processing of the let-7 family of tumor suppressor microRNAs. In vertebrates, Lin28a and
its paralog Lin28b are highly expressed in stem and progenitor cells of the early embryo, and play important
roles in the balance of self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation. Over-expression of Lin28 has been
detected in a wide array of malignancies, including colon, breast, kidney, liver, leukemia, and several pediatric
embryonal tumors such as Neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor (WT). Wilms tumor is the fourth most common
type of childhood cancer and the most common type of pediatric kidney cancer, affecting 1 in 10,000 children
in North America. WT is particularly interesting as it arises from multipotent embryonic kidney precursor cells
that fail to differentiate, providing a window into the mechanisms of early renal development and potentially into
the properties of embryonic kidney stem cells. The general goal of this dissertation project is to inform the
molecular pathogenesis of Wilms tumor, and to interrogate the Lin28/let-7 pathway as an exemplar of the large
variety of human tumors in which this pathway has been implicated.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9846206
- **Project number:** 5K00CA212487-04
- **Recipient organization:** DANA-FARBER CANCER INST
- **Principal Investigator:** Alena Yermalovich
- **Activity code:** K00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $90,746
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-21 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9846206

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9846206, The role of  CMTR2 in Lung Cancer (5K00CA212487-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9846206. Licensed CC0.

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