Paul Stein, PhD

Research Associate for the Department of Dermatology 

Biography

Dr. Stein received his undergraduate degree from Clark University and his Ph.D. from the State University of New York, Stony Brook. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship training with Dr. Paul Soriano at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. After an appointment at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia as an Assistant Professor, he was appointed to the Departments of Dermatology and Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. He moved the Departments of Dermatology and Microbiology/Immunology as an Associate Professor in 2003. Dr. Stein has published more than 20 research publications.

Research Interests

Dr. Stein's laboratory focuses on the function of Src family tyrosine kinases in regulating proliferation and differentiation. Src kinases were originally identified as proto-oncogenes, which, if mutated or over expressed, can cause cancer. Many of his studies focus on a family member called Fyn. In collaboration with Dr. Paolo Dotto's group at the Cutaneous Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Stein demonstrated that Fyn was important for controlling in vitro differentiation of keratinocytes. Cells isolated from genetically modified mice that lack Fyn fail to stratify and exhibit defects in adhesion. Skin expresses multiple Src kinases; not only is Dr. Stein interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms regulated by Fyn, but also how the remaining Src kinases work in concert to regulate epithelial function.

Dr. Stein is also interested in understanding the function of Src kinases in T cell development. T cells express two Src kinases, Fyn and Lck. Lck has many roles in controlling T cell development, whereas Fyn has a relatively modest effect on shaping the T cell repertoire. However, the Stein laboratory has demonstrated that NKT cells, a unique T cell subset, are highly dependent on Fyn for proper development. NKT cells function in a regulatory fashion and are important in suppressing a variety of autoimmune diseases as well as modulating tumor metastasis. The developmental biology of NKT cells is poorly understood and many studies suggest that the signal transduction networks controlling NKT cell ontogeny may differ from conventional T cells. Dr. Stein's continuing work in this field focuses on understanding the molecular pathways that regulate both the function and development of this unique T cell population.