Research Assistant Professor, Currently Dr. Watts is investigating esophageal adenocarcinoma, a cancer with a poor prognosis that arises from a common change in the tissue lining the esophagus referred to as Barrett's esophagus. Dr. Watts has analyzed the changes in gene expression that are associated with progression from Barrett's esophagus to cancer. The genes identified during microarray-based studies are being developed as biomarkers and targets for improving therapy.
Crowley-Weber, C.L., Payne, C.M., Gleason-Guzman, M., Watts, G.S., Futscher, B., Waltmire, C.N., Crowley, C., Dvorakova, K., Bernstein, C., Craven, M., Garewal, H. & Bernstein, H. (2002) Development and molecular characterization of HCT-116 cell lines resistant to the tumor promoter and multiple stress-inducer, deoxycholate Carcinogenesis, 23, 2063-80.
Calaluce, R., Kunkel, M.W., Watts, G.S., Schmelz, M., Hao, J., Barrera, J., Gleason-Guzman, M., Isett, R., Fitchmun, M., Bowden, G.T., Cress, A.E., Futscher, B.W. & Nagle, R.B. (2001) Laminin-5-mediated gene expression in human prostate carcinoma cells Mol Carcinog, 30, 119-29.
Mariani, L., Beaudry, C., McDonough, W.S., Hoelzinger, D.B., Demuth, T., Ross, K.R., Berens, T., Coons, S.W., Watts, G., Trent, J.M., Wei, J.S., Giese, A. & Berens, M.E. (2001) Glioma cell motility is associated with reduced transcription of proapoptotic and proliferation genes: a cDNA microarray analysis J Neurooncol, 53, 161-76.
Watts, G.S., Futscher, B.W., Isett, R., Gleason-Guzman, M., Kunkel, M.W. & Salmon, S.E. (2001) cDNA microarray analysis of multidrug resistance: doxorubicin selection produces multiple defects in apoptosis signaling pathways J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 299, 434-41.
Watts, G.S., Pieper, R.O., Costello, J.F., Peng, Y.M., Dalton, W.S. & Futscher, B.W. (1997) Methylation of discrete regions of the O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) CpG island is associated with heterochromatinization of the MGMT transcription start site and silencing of the gene Mol Cell Biol, 17, 5612-9.
Watts, G.S. & Futscher, B.W. (1995) Detecting differences in 5-methylcytosine using restriction enzyme isoschizomers: an endogenous control fo