Meisam Jafarzadeh, Biochemistry

PhD Thesis:
Functional analysis of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer

With the advent of advanced sequencing techniques, a large number of lncRNAs have been identified in the human genome. However, the function of most of them remains unclear. Various studies have shown that lncRNAs, as key regulators of gene expression and different signaling pathways, have the ability to participate in various biological functions and pathological processes including cancer. My Ph.D. work was focused on functional analysis of lncRNAs in gastrointestinal cancer. Using different approaches we showed that some lncRNAs can participate in the cancer progression by interacting with miRNAs.

Current Position:
I joined Dr. Attisano’s lab in January, 2022 as a postdoc researcher and am working on exploring signaling pathways involved in crosstalk between cancer-associated fibroblasts and cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment.

Publications:
Epigenetically silenced LINC02381 functions as a tumor suppressor by regulating PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Meisam Jafarzadeh, Bahram M Soltani, Masoud Soleimani, Saman Hosseinkhani. Biochimie 171–172, April–May 2020, Pages 63-71.

LncRNA HSPC324 plays role in lung development and tumorigenesis. Meisam Jafarzadeh, M Tavallaie, BM Soltani, S Hajipoor, SM Hosseini. Genomics 2020 May;112(3):2615-2622

Hsa-miR-497 as a new regulator in TGF-β signaling pathway and cardiac differentiation process. Meisam Jafarzadeh, Bahram M. Soltani, Samaneh Ekhteraei tousi, Mehrdad Behmanesh. Gene 2018

Experimental evidences for hsa-miR-497-5p as a negative regulator of SMAD3 gene expression. Meisam Jafarzadeh, Bahram M Soltani, Sadat Dokanehiifard, Maryam Kay, Nasser Aghdami, Saman Hosseinkhani. Gene 2016 Jul 6;586(2):216-21. Epub 2016 Apr 6.

Introduction of novel splice variants for CASC18 gene and its relation to the neural differentiation. Majid Mehravar, Meisam Jafarzadeh, Maryam Kay, Hadi Najafi, Fahimeh Hosseini, Seyed Javad Mowla, Bahram M Soltani. Gene 2017 Mar 9;603:27-33. Epub 2016 Dec 9.

Long noncoding RNA LOC400043 (LINC02381) inhibits gastric cancer progression through regulating Wnt signaling pathway. Meisam Jafarzadeh, Bahram M Soltani. Front Oncol. 2020;10:562253.