Lab: +1-843-792-7848
Fax: +1-843-792-8568
Email: sommerg@musc.edu

BSB-507

Research Interests

My research interest is concentrated on identifying the role of RNA-binding proteins in cancer. Functional RNA-binding proteins are crucial players during all steps of the mRNA metabolism like co-transcriptional processing, nuclear export, translation and decay. Malfunction in those processes are correlating with missregulated gene expression in many human diseases. The focus of my work is the Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia (AMKL), which is an hematological malignancy common in childhood leukemia and is associated with the chromosomal translocation t(1;22). This translocation leads to the fusion of the RNA-binding protein OTT (RBM15) and the transcription factor MAL (MKL1). To study the malfunction of OTT/MAL we express the fusion protein in mammalian cell cultures and analyze its implications on the cellular mRNA metabolism. Therefore we are applying a broad spectrum of methods in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology like RNA interference, immunoprecipitation assays (coIP, ChIP), quantitative RT-PCR, protein:RNA binding assays and immunofluorescence to study the cellular localization and colocalization of proteins.

Selected Publications

• Sommer G and Heise T. Posttranscriptional control of HBV gene expression. Frontiers in Bioscience (2008) May 1, 5533-5547, review.
• Rossi F, Ehlers I, Agosti V, Socci ND, Viale A, Sommer G, Yozgat Y, Manova K, Antonescu CR, Besmer P. Oncogenic Kit signaling and therapeutic intervention in a mouse model of gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. (2006)103(34),12843-8.
• Heise T, Sommer G, Reumann K, Will H, Schaal H. T he hepatitis B virus PRE contains a splicing regulatory element. Nucleic Acid Res. (2006) 34(1), 353-63.
• Cammenga J, Horn S, Bergholz U, Sommer G, Besmer P, Fiedler W, Stocking C. Extracellular KIT receptor mutants, commonly found in core binding factor AML, are constitutively active and respond to imatinib mesylate. Blood (2005) 106(12), 3958-61.
• Hass M, Hannoun C, Kalinina T, Sommer G, Manegold C, Gunther S . Functional analysis of hepatitis B virus reactivating in hepatitis B surface antigen-negative individuals. Hepatology (2005) 42(1), 93-103.
• Agosti V, Corbacioglu S, Ehlers I, Waskow C, Sommer G, Berrozpe G, Kissel H, Tucker CM, Manova K, Moore MA, Rodewald HR, Besmer P. Critical role for Kit-mediated Src kinase but not PI 3-kinase signaling in pro T and pro B cell development. J. Exp. Med. (2004) 199(6), 867-78.
• Robson ME, Glogowski E, Sommer G, Antonescu CR, Nafa K, Maki RG, Ellis N, Besmer P, Brennan M, Offit K. Pleomorphic characteristics of a germ-line KIT mutation in a large kindred with gastrointestinal stromal tumors, hyperpigmentation, and dysphagia. Clin. Cancer Res. (2004) 10(4), 1250-4.
• Sommer G , Agosti V, Ehlers I, Rossi F, Corbacioglu S, Farkas J, Moore M, Manova K, Antonescu CR, and Besmer P. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors in a mouse model by targeted mutation of the kit receptor tyrosine kinase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (2003)100(11), 6706-11.
• Antonescu CR, Sommer G, Sarran L, Tschernyavsky SJ, Riedel E, Woodruff JM, Robson M, Maki R, Brennan MF, Ladanyi M, DeMatteo RP, and Besmer P. Association of KIT exon 9 mutations with nongastric primary site and aggressive behavior: KIT mutation analysis and clinical correlates of 120 gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Clin. Cancer Res. (2003) 9(9), 3329-37.
• Sommer G and Will H (2001). Genotype-specific analysis of hepatitis B virus DNA on the LightCycler, p. 303-311. In Meuer, S, Wittwer, C, and Nakagawara, K (eds). Rapid cycle real-time PCR - methods and applications. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg.
• Dandri M, Burda MR, Torok E, Pollok JM, Iwanska A, Sommer G, Rogiers X, Rogler CE, Gupta S, Will H, Greten H, and Petersen J. Repopulation of mouse liver with human hepatocytes and in vivo infection with hepatitis B virus. Hepatology (2001) 33(4), 981-8.
• Sommer G , van Bömmel F, and Will H. Genotype-specific synthesis and secretion of spliced hepatitis B virus genomes in hepatoma cells. Virolog (2000) 271, 371-381.
• Pult I, Günther S, Burda M, Dandri M, Iwanska A, Kalinina T, Possehl C, Rang A, Sommer G, Wollersheim M, and Will H. Hepatitis B virus variants and their role in hepatopathogenesis. Hepat. Polska 5 (1998) Suppl. 1, 57-70.
• Günther S, Sommer G, von Breunig F, Iwanska A, Kalinina T, Sterneck M, and Will H. Amplification of full-length hepatitis B virus genomes from low viremic samples: frequency and functional consequences of PCR-introduced mutations. J. Clin. Microbiol. (1998) 36, 531-538.
• Sommer G , Günther S, Sterneck M, Otto S, and Will H. A new class of defective hepatitis B virus genomes with an internal poly(dA) sequence. Virology (1997) 239, 402-412.
• Günther S, Sommer G, Plikat U, Iwanska A, Wain-Hobson S, Will H, and Meyerhans A. Naturally occuring hepatitis B virus genomes bearing the hallmarks of retroviral G -> A hypermutation. Virology (1997) 235, 104-108.
• Günther S, Sommer G, Iwanska A, and Will H. Heterogeneity and common features of defective hepatitis B virus genomes derived from spliced pregenomic RNA. Virology (1997) 238, 363-371.
• Günther S, Netter HJ, Sommer G, Wollersheim-Kolmer M, Li B-C, Chassot S, Iwanska A, Piwon N, and Will H (1997). Structural and functional complexity of hepatitis B virus variant genomes and virus populations, p. 116-120. In Rizzetto M, Purcell RH, Gerin, JL, and Verme G (eds). Viral hepatitis and liver disease, Edizioni Minerva Medica, Turin.