86 Jonathan Lucas Street ,
Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston, SC 29425
Office: 843-792-0940
Lab: 843-792-0941
Email: ogretmen@musc.edu
HCC-512A ( office)
HCC-509(Lab)

Research Interests

• Molecular mechanisms of the regulation of telomerase and telomeres by ceramide signaling.
• Mechanisms of ceramide-mediated regulation of PP2A by lipid-protein interactions
• Regulation of ER stress and apoptosis by sphingolipid metabolism

Selected Publications

• Wooten-Blanks LG, Song P, Senkal CE, and Ogretmen, B. Mechanisms of ceramide-mediated repression of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter via deacetylation of Sp3 by histone deacetylase 1. The FASEB J. 2007, Oct;21(12):3386-97.

• Senkal CE, Ponnusamy S, Rossi MJ, Bialewski J, Sinha D, Jiang JC, Jazwinski SM, Hannun YA, Ogretmen B. Role of human longevity assurance gene 1 and C18-ceramide in chemotherapy-induced cell death in human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Mol Cancer Ther. 2007 Feb;6(2):712-22.

• Baran Y, Salas A, Senkal CE, Gunduz U, Bielawski J, Obeid LM, Ogretmen B. Alterations of ceramide/ sphingosine 1-phosphate rheostat involved in the regulation of resistance to imatinib-induced apoptosis in K562 human chronic myeloid leukemia cells. J Biol Chem. 2007 Apr 13;282(15):10922-34.

• Senkal CE, Ponnusamy S, Rossi MJ, Sundararaj K, Szulc Z, Bielawski J, Bielawska A, Meyer M, Cobanoglu B, Koybasi S, Sinha D, Day TA, Obeid LM, Hannun YA, Ogretmen B. Potent antitumor activity of a novel cationic pyridinium-ceramide alone or in combination with gemcitabine against human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas in vitro and in vivo. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2006 Jun;317(3):1188-99.

• Sultan I, Senkal CE, Ponnusamy S, Bielawski J, Szulc Z, Bielawska A, Hannun YA, Ogretmen B. Regulation of the sphingosine-recycling pathway for ceramide generation by oxidative stress, and its role in controlling c-Myc/Max function. Biochem J. 2006 Jan 15;393(Pt 2):513-21.

• Wooten LG,Ogretmen B. Sp1/Sp3-dependent regulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter activity by the bioactive sphingolipid ceramide. J Biol Chem. 2005 Aug 12;280(32):28867-76.

• Koybasi S, Senkal CE, Sundararaj K, Spassieva S, Bielawski J, Osta W, Day TA, Jiang JC, Jazwinski SM, Hannun YA, Obeid LM, Ogretmen B. Defects in cell growth regulation by C18:0-ceramide and longevity assurance gene 1 in human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. J Biol Chem. 2004 Oct 22;279(43):44311-9.

• Ogretmen B. Hannun YA. Biologically active sphingolipids in cancer pathogenesis and treatment. Nat Rev Cancer. 2004 Aug;4(8):604-16. Review.

• Sundararaj KP, Wood RE, Ponnusamy S, Salas AM, Szulc Z, Bielawska A, Obeid LM, Hannun YA, Ogretmen B. Rapid shortening of telomere length in response to ceramide involves the inhibition of telomere binding activity of nuclear glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. J Biol Chem. 2004 Feb 13;279(7):6152-62.