Satdarshan P. Singh Monga, Associate Professor
M. D., Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, India, 1993
S421-BST, 200 Lothrop St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Phone: (412) 648-9966
Email: smonga@pitt.edu
Dr. Monga's laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of liver growth and development in health and disease especially trying to address the molecular basis of liver development, growth, regeneration and cancer. Several signaling pathways have been identified to direct such events including the Wnt/ -catenin, HGF/Met, PDGFR and others.
Liver development in mice is initiated at around E8-8.5 stages of gestational development. Once foregut endoderm gains 'competence', hepatic signatures are initiated during the process of 'induction'. The primitive liver bud contains bipotential stem cells or progenitors, which undergo expansion and regulated differentiation into hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells during the process of 'morphogenesis'. One of the major focuses of Monga laboratory is to identify the molecular basis of hepatic morphogenesis. More specifically how does the hepatic progenitor or the bipotential stem cell undergo self-renewal (symmetric division), lineage specification and differentiate further towards primitive bile duct cells or immature hepatocytes (asymmetric division) and then to fully differentiated cells. Using conditional null mice, embryonic liver cultures and other modalities, the lab is investigating the roles, regulation and interactions of various pathways, which will not only further our understanding of this fundamental process of biology, but might also provide insight into the molecular basis of disease that recapitulates development in adulthood-hepatocellular cancer (HCC).
HCC is the third leading cause of death due to cancers and remains a disease with poor treatment options. A significant focus in Dr. Monga's laboratory is towards targeting this pathway and others, which are normally upregulated during liver development at the time of peak proliferation and stem cell renewal, as a novel therapeutic measure.
In addition, various animal models have been generated in Dr. Monga's laboratory, which conditionally overexpress or show lack of expression of important genes such as -catenin and others, which are in the process of being studied for the role of canonical Wnt signaling in additional liver diseases such as alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, glucose metabolism and others.
Dr. Monga's research is funded by the NIH (NIDDK and NCI), American Cancer Society and private pharmaceutical companies. In addition, Dr. Monga has trained numerous fellows, graduate students and others. Short-term rotational opportunities for students are available. Dr. Monga's team has been very productive as is reflected by publications in many high impact journals. Dr. Monga is also member of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and part of their Molecular and Cellular Oncology Program. He is also a member of McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine (MIRM), where is directs the McGowan Trainee Career Advancement Program (MTCAP). He is also CATER faculty and directs graduate courses on 'Stem Cells' and 'CATER' seminar series.
Recent Publication
Apte U, Thompson MD, Cui S, Liu B, Cieply B, Monga SP. Wnt/beta-catenin signaling mediates oval cell response in rodents. Hepatology. 2007 Oct 10; (Epub ahead of print)
Stock P, Monga D, Tan X, Micsenyi A, Loizos N, Monga SP. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha: a novel therapeutic target in human hepatocellular cancer. Mol Cancer Ther. 2007 Jul;6(7):1932-41. Epub 2007 Jun 29
Thompson, M, Monga SP. Wnt/ -catenin signaling in Liver Health and Disease. Hepatology. 2007 May;45(5):1298-305. Review.
Apte U, Zeng G, Thompson M, Muller P, Micsenyi A, Cieply B, Kaestner KH, Monga SP. -Catenin is critical for early postnatal liver growth. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2007 Mar 1; 2007 Jun;292(6):G1578-85
Behari J, Thompson M, Muller P, Zeng G, Micsenyi A, Sekhon S, Leoni L and Monga SP. R-Etodolac decreases -catenin levels along with survival and proliferation of hepatoma cells. J Hepatol. 2006 Dec 21; [Epub ahead of print]
Zeng G, Apte U, Micsenyi A, Cieply B, Gandhi C, Demetrius A, Monga SP. Wnt'er in Liver: expression of Wnt and frizzled genes in mouse. Hepatology. 2007 Jan;45(1):195-204.
Tan X, Behari J, Cieply B, Michalopoulos GK, Monga SP. Beta-catenin knockout reveals its role in liver growth and regeneration. Gastroenterology. 2006 Nov;131(5):1561-72. (Accompanying Editorial).
Apte U, Micsenyi A, Muller P, Zeng G, Kaestner K, Monga SP. Role of -catenin in HGF-induced hepatomegaly in mice. Hepatology. 2006 Oct;44(4):992-1002.
Zeng G, Apte U, Micsenyi A, Bell A, Monga SP. Tyrosine residues 654 and 670 in -catenin are crucial in regulation of Met- -catenin interactions. Exp Cell Res. 2006 Nov 1;312(18):3620-30. Epub 2006 Aug 10
Zeng G, Germinaro M, Micsenyi A, Monga NK, Bell A, Sood A, Malhotra V, Sood N, Midda V, Monga DK, Kokkinakis DM, Monga SP. Aberrant Wnt/ -Catenin Signaling In Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Neoplasia 2006, April:8(4):279-289.
Monga SP. Hepatic Adenomas: Presumed Innocent Until Proven Beta-catenin Mutated! (INVITED EDITORIAL). Hepatology, 2006 Mar;43(3):401-4.
Monga SP, Micsenyi A, Germinaro M, Apte UM, Bell A. Beta-catenin regulation during matrigel-induced rat hepatocyte differentiation. Cell Tissue Res. 2006 Jan;323(1):71-9. Epub 2005 Sep 14.
