Megan Keniry, Ph.D.
Megan Keniry, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Office: ESCNE 3.114
Office Tel.: (956) 665-7463
megan.keniry@utrgv.edu
Office Hours
Courses
Education
Ph.D. Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. 2002.
B.S. Biochemistry, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York. 1995.
Areas of Interest
Signal transduction, FOXO transcription factors, PI3K pathway.
Cellular growth and survival require the systematic coordination of signaling networks that direct gene expression, cell cycle, growth, polarity, motility, metabolism and cellular identity. My laboratory investigates signal transduction events on the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) pathway with a focus on transcriptional outputs. PI3K has global effects on cellular signal transaction by increasing the concentration of the lipid second messenger phosphatidylinositol 3,4 ,5 trisphosphate (PIP3). This lipid activates proteins that promote cellular growth and survival. The PI3K pathway is almost universally altered in cancer as well as diabetes. In cancer, PI3K output is almost universally increased. Current laboratory projects include investigating transcriptional outputs of Forkhead box subfamily O (FOXO) transcription factors on the PI3K pathway and impacts on stem cells as well as cell fate.