Maria Eugenia Ramos-Nino, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Pathology

Research Program: Cell Signaling & Growth Control
VCC Membership Level: Affiliate Member

Contact Information

215 Health Science Research Facility
149 Beaumont Avenue
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405

ph: (802) 656-0395
f: (802) 656-8892
mramos@zoo.uvm.edu

Biography

From 1990-1999, Dr. Ramos-Nino was a professor of general and applied microbiology at Universidad del Nacional Experimental del Tachira, Venezuela. From 1999-2001 she was a research associate at the Center of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University. Detroit, under the supervision of Susan Land, Ph.D. Dr. Ramos-Nino came to UVM in 2001 as a research associate, and was recently appointed as a research assistant professor. Dr. Ramos-Nino was the recipient of the Young Investigator Award at Universidad del Tachira, from 1997-1999. From 1998-1999, she served as organizer and part of the Directory of the Research Biotechnology Center at Universidad del Tachira.

Research

Dr. Ramos-Nino's past projects have focused on the role of asbestos- and/or SV40 in the regulation of genes associated with tumorigenesis in thoracic cancers. These studies have served as support for a grant to study the role of Fra-1 as a target gene in mesothelioma. The long-term goals of her research involves the study of chemotherapeutic targets in thoracic and other cancers and how those targets are affected by macro and micro-environmental factors with the hope of providing information for the future development of better therapeutic strategies.

Recent Publications

Ramos-Nino ME, Littenberg B. A novel combination: ranpirnase and rosiglitazone induce a synergistic anti-apoptotic effect by down-regulating Fra-1 and Survivin in cancer cells. Molecular Cancer Terapheutics 2008 (in press).

Ramos-Nino M, Bocchetta M. SV40 and cancer. In: DNA Tumor Viruses. Ed. Columbus, F. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. (in press).

Ramos-Nino ME, Blumen S, Mossman B. Fra-1 governs cell migration via modulation of CD44 expression in human mesotheliomas. Molecular Cancer. 2008, 6:81.

Ramos-Nino ME, Blumen S, Attwood-Sabo J, Pass H, Carbone M, Testa JR, Altomare D, Mossman B. HGF mediates proliferation through a PI3K/MEK5/Fra-1-dependent pathway in human mesotheliomas. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2008; 38(2):209-17.

Blumen S, Cheng K, Ramos-Nino M, Landry C, Mossman B. Mechanisms of uptake of acid-prepared mesoporous spheres (APMS) by lung epithelial cells and mesothelioma cells. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2007;36(3):333-342.

Ramos-Nino ME, MacLean C, Littenberg B. Association between cancer prevalence and use of thiazolidinediones (TZDs): results from the Vermont Diabetes Information System study. BMC Medicine. 2007; 5:17.

Ramos-Nino ME. Cytotoxic ribonuclease-based cancer therapies. Drugs of the future 2007; 32(6):517-526.

Kroczynska B, Cutrone R, Bocchetta M, Yang H, Elmishad AG, Vacek P, Ramos-Nino ME, Mossman BT, Pass H, Carbone M. Crocidoilite asbestos and SV40 are co-carcinogens in human mesothelial cells and in causing mesothelioma in hamsters. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA, 103(38): 14128-14133. 2006.

Ramos-Nino ME, Testa JR, Altomare DA, Pass DI, Carbone M, Bocchetta M, Mossman BT. Prospect article: Cellular and molecular parameters of mesothelioma. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 2006 98:723-734.

Altomare DA, You H, Xiao GX, Ramos-Nino ME, Skele KL, De Rienzo A, Jhanwar SC, Mossman BT, Kane AB, Testa JR. Human and mouse mesotheliomas exhibit elevated AKT/PKB activity, which can be targeted pharmacologically to inhibit tumor cell growth. Oncogene, 24:6080-6089. 2005.

Ramos-Nino ME, Vianale G, Sabo-Attwood T, Mutti L, Porta C, Heintz N, Mossman BT. Human mesothelioma cells exhibit tumor cell-specific differences in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT activity that predict the efficacy of Onconase. Mol Cancer Ther. 4:835-42. 2005.

Sabo-Attwood T, Ramos-Nino ME, Bond J, Butnor K, Heintz N, Gruber A, Taatjes D, Vacek P, Mossman BT. Gene Expression Profiles Reveal Increased mClca3 (Gob5) Expression and Mucin Hypersecretion in a Murine Model of Asbestos-Induced Fibrogenesis. American J. of Pathol, 167(5): 1243-1256. 2005.

Brocchetta M, Rudzinsky J, Rdzanek M, De Marco M, Carbone M, Mossman BT, Ramos-Nino ME, Pass HI. SV40 detection in human tumor specimens. Cancer Research. 65(21): 10120-1021. 2005.

Ramos-Nino ME, Mossman BT. RNA Interference Technology: From Basic Biology to Drug Development. Chapter 32: Microarray analysis and RNA silencing to determine genes functionally important in mesothelioma. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Editor: Krishnarao Appasani, PhD., MBA. Publishing Editor: Katrina Halliday, PhD. 2005. 447-469.

Ramos-Nino ME, Scapoli L, Martinelli M, Mossman BT. Malignant Mesothelioma, Advances in Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Translational Therapies. Chapter 2: Asbestos-induced mesothelioma. Ed. Pass, Vogelzang and Carbone. Springer Verlag publishers. 2005. 21-33.

Sabo-Attwood T, Ramos-Nino ME, Mossman B. Oncology: an evidence base approach. Chapter 18: Environmental carcinogenesis. Ed. Chang, A and Ganz, P. Springer Verlag publishers. 2005. 233-243.

Scapoli L, Ramos-Nino ME, Martinelli M, Mossman BT. Src-dependent ERK5 and Src/EGFR-dependent ERK1/2 activation is required for cell proliferation by asbestos. Oncogene. 23(3): 805-813. 2004.

Ramos-Nino ME, Heintz N, Scapoli L, Martinelli M, Land S, Nowak N, Haegens, Manning B, Manning N, MacPherson M, Stern M, Mossman BT. Gene Profiling and Kinase screening in Asbestos-Exposed epithelial cells and lungs. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 29(3): S51-S58. 2003.

Ramos-Nino ME, Scapoli L, Martinelli M, Land S, Mossman B. Microarray analysis and RNA silencing link fra-1 to cd44 and c-met expression in mesothelioma. Cancer Research. 2003.63(13):3539-45.

Shukla A, Ramos-Nino ME, Mossman B. Cell Signaling and transcription factor activation by asbestos in lung injury and disease. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2003 35(8):1198-209.

Ramos-Nino ME, Timblin CR, Mossman BT. Mesothelial cell transformation requires increased AP-1 binding activity and ERK-dependent Fra-1 expression Cancer Research. 62:6065-6069, 2002.

Ramos-Nino ME, Haegens A, Shukla A, Mossman BT. Role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in cell injury and proliferation by environmental particulates. Molecular and Cell Biochemistry. 234/235:111-118, 2002.