Prince Henry’s Institute

 

Kristy Brown

 

Appointments

• Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Physiology, Monash University

Profile

After completing her bachelors degree in biochemistry at McGill University in Canada, Kristy undertook a PhD at the University of Montreal which she completed in 2006. She has over 7 years experience in sex hormone biology, specialising in the study of the regulation of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of sex hormones. Dr Brown joined PHI in 2006 as a Fonds Québecois de Recherche sur la Nature et les technologies (FQRNT) fellow. In 2008, she became a Terry Fox Foundation Fellow through an award by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the most prestigious Canadian fellowship awarded for cancer research. Kristy is now an NHMRC Career Development Fellow and Co-Head of the Metabolism and Cancer Laboratory at PHI.

 

Research Interests

Dr Brown's area of research interest is the regulation of the aromatase gene in the context of obesity and breast cancer.

Her recent work has identified the LKB1/AMPK pathway as a negative regulator of aromatase expression in human breast adipose stromal cells by inhibiting the nuclear entry of CRTC2, a CREB co-activator.

She has also demonstrated that factors produced in obesity inhibit LKB1 expression and activity and may increase the incidence of oestrogen-dependent breast cancer by increasing the expression of aromatase locally within the breast, thereby providing a link between obesity and breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Her current research aims to understand how additional interconnecting pathways may act on LKB1 to regulate aromatase within the breast.

 

Expertise

Biochemistry, enzymology, cell biology, molecular biology, and sex hormone endocrinology.

 

Recent Achievements

• Uncovered the mechanisms whereby obesity and ageing increase the risk of breast cancer

 

Current Research

• Obesity and breast cancer risk

 

Selected Publications

Brown KA, McInnes KJ, Hunger NI, Oakhill JS, Steinberg GR, Simpson ER. Subcellular localization of cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein-regulated transcription coactivator 2 provides a link between obesity and breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Cancer Res. 2009 Jul 1;69(13):5392-9.

Lovejoy, J.C., Sainsbury, A., the Stock Conference 2008 Working Group (Brown, K.A., Campbell, L., Asarian, L., Fried, S., Geary, N., Marks, D., Pasquali, R., Pralong F.P., Westerterp-Platenga, M.) (2008) Sex differences in obesity and the regulation of energy homeostasis. Obesity Reviews 10:154-67

McInnes, K.J., Brown, K.A., Knower, K.C., Chand, A.L., Clyne, C.D., Simpson, E.R. (2008) Characterization of Aromatase Expression in the Human Adipocyte Cell Line SGBS. Breast Cancer Res Treat 112:429-35    

Brown, K.A., Sayasith, K., Bouchard, N., Lussier, J.G., Sirois, J. (2007) Molecular Cloning of Equine 17b-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 and Its Downregulation during Follicular Luteinization In Vivo. J Mol Endocrinol 38:67-78

Brown, K.A., Bouchard, N., Lussier, J.G., Sirois, J. (2007) Down-Regulation of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid encoding an Importer of Sulfoconjugated Steroids during Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-Induced Follicular Luteinization In Vivo. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 103:10-19

Brown, K.A., Doré, M., Lussier, J.G., Sirois, J. (2006) Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-Dependent Upregulation of Genes Responsible for Estrogen Sulfoconjugation and Export in Granulosa Cells of Luteinizing Preovulatory Follicles. Endocrinology 147:4222-4233

Brown, K.A., Boerboom, D., Bouchard, N., Doré, M., Lussier, J.G., Sirois, J. (2006) Human chorionic gonadotropin-dependent induction of an equine aldo-keto reductase (AKR1C23) with 20a-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity during follicular luteinization in vivo.  J Mol Endocrinol  36: 449-461

Brown, K.A., Boerboom, D., Bouchard, N., Lussier, J.G., Sirois, J. (2004)  Regulation of 17b-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 4 in Equine Preovulatory Follicles during Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-Induced Ovulation.  Endocrinology  145:1906-15