E. Aubrey Thompson, Ph.D.

Dr. E. Aubrey Thompson is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and a consultant in the Department of Cancer Basic Science at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

Dr. Thompson's research interests involve gene structure and function and control of gene expression as it applies to regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. A major focus in the lab is understanding how hormones control genes that control transit through the G1 phase of the cell cycle and initiation of DNA synthesis. The laboratory studies the mechanisms whereby peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPAR?) regulates proliferation and differentiated function of gastrointestinal epithelial cells. Our interests include both normal physiological regulation of renewal of the intestinal epithelium as well as inhibition of early stage transformation of colonic epithelial cells. Ongoing projects include analysis of epithelial and non-epithelial PPAR in inflammation, and the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer, the role of PPAR in controlling proliferation and motility of normal intestinal epithelial cells, and the relationship between PPAR and calcium signaling in colonic epithelial cells.