Anait S. Levenson, MD, PhD

Research Associate Professor
Orthopaedic Surgery and Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center                                                               
a-levenson@northwestern.edu
312-503-3670

Current Research

My current research is focused on molecular mechanisms of bone metastases in breast and prostate cancer. I am particularly interested in hormonal regulation of the cell growth and metastases because tumors of the hormone-dependent type (breast, prostate, endometrial, ovarian) that retain the hormone dependency of the tissue of origin are sensitive to endocrine manipulation. The fact that skeleton as well as breast is estrogen-responsive tissue made me think that hormonal regulation of bone metastases might play critical role in the development and progression of metastasis. I believe that mechanistic understanding of the differential response to endocrine therapy in these tissues can help define major molecular targets of hormone action, and thus to identify potential targets for hormonal anticancer therapy. The Pilot Project as a part of Avon Products Foundation Breast Cancer Research Fund and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Grant support this research.

The role of direct contact between cancer cells and bone cells for establishing a successful skeletal metastasis is unknown. We are interested in understanding molecular interaction between cancer and bone cells and identifying the changes in expression of metastasis-associated factors that follow direct interaction. The Pilot Project as a part of SPORE in Breast Cancer (NCI, CA89018-01) currently supports this research (collaboration with Dr. RL Satcher).

I am also interested in natural products that might be valuable for cancer chemoprevention. Resveratrol, found in grapes and present in red wine, has been characterized as a phytoestrogen based on its ability to bind and activate both ER alpha and ER beta. The molecular mechanisms by which Resveratrol exerts its cancer-preventive effects are not known. I am interested in estrogenic/antiestrogenic properties of resveratrol in breast cancer and bone metastases.

Recent Publications

Levenson A.S. , MacGregor Schafer J.I., Bentrem D.J., Pease K.M. and Jordan V.C.  Control of the estrogen-like actions of the tamoxifen-estrogen receptor complex by the surface amino acid at position 351.  Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2001 Jan-Mar; 76(1-5): 61-70.

Jordan V.C., MacGregor Schafer J. I., Levenson A.S., Liu H., Pease K.M., Simons L.A. and Zapf J.W. Molecular classification of estrogens.  Cancer Research 2001 Sept 15; 61(18): 6619-23. 

Levenson A.S. and Jordan V.C. In: Breast Cancer: Prognosis-Treatment-Prevention. Pasqualini J.R. Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulation. (ed) Marcel Dekker, Inc., pp 271-285, 2002. 

Levenson A.S., Svoboda K.M., Pease K.M., Kaiser S.A., Chen B., Simons L.A., Jovanovic B.D., Dyck P.A. and Jordan V.C. Gene expression profiles with activation of the ER-SERM complex in breast cancer cells expressing wtER.  Cancer Research 2002 Aug 1; 62 (15): 4419-26.

Levenson A.S., Kliakhandler I.L., Pease K.M., Svoboda K.M., Kaiser S.A., Ward III J.E. and Jordan V.C. Molecular classification of SERMs on the basis of gene expression profiles of breast cancer cells expressing ER alpha.  British Journal of Cancer 2002 Aug 12; 87 (4): 449-56. 

Levenson A.S., Gehm B.D., Horiguchi J., Simons L.A., Ward III JE, Jameson JL and Jordan V.C. Resveratrol acts as an estrogen receptor (ER) agonist in breast cancer cells stably transfected with ERa.  International Journal of Cancer 2003 May 1; 104 (5): 587-96 (cover illustration of the issue).

Gehm BD, Levenson AS, Liu H, Lee E-J, Amundsen BM, Cushman M, Jordan VC and Jameson JL.  Estrogenic effects of resveratrol in breast cancer cells expressing mutant and wild- type estrogen receptors: role of AF1 and AF2.  Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2004 Mar; 88(3): 223-34. 

Satcher RL, Dvorkin K, Levenson AS, Vandenbroek T and Stupp SI.  Gene expression in cancer cells is influenced by contact with bone cells in a novel co-culture system that models bone metastasis.  Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 2004 Sept; 426: 54-63.

Levenson AS, Thurn TE, Simons LA, Veliceasa D, Jerrett J, Osipo C, Jordan VC, Volpert OV, Satcher RL, Gartenhaus RB. Iverexpression of MCT1 oncogene contributes to increase in vivo tumorigenicity of MCF7 cells by promotion of angiogenesis and inhibition of apoptosis. Cancer Research, Priority Reports 2005 Dec 1; 65 (23): 10651-6.

Book Chapters:

Levenson AS and Jordan VC. In: Breast Cancer: Prognosis-Treatment-Prevention.  Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulation. Pasqualini JR (ed) Marcel Dekker, Inc., pp 271-285, 2002. 

O'Regan RM, Levenson AS, England GM, Yao KA, Muenzner HD, Takei H and Jordan VC. In: Hormone Therapy in Breast and Prostate Cancer. Drug resistance to antiestrogens. Jordan VC and Furr BJA (eds) Humana Press, Totowa, New Jersey, pp 47-68, 2002.

Gehm BD and Levenson AS. In: Resveratrol in Health and Disease. Resveratrol as a phytoestrogen. Aggarwal BB adn Shishodia S (eds) Marcel Dekker, Inc., pp 439-64, 2005.