Corina Antal, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology
Corina Antal, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology
Research Interests
Our goal is to understand how RNA processing interfaces with cell signaling pathways to drive cancer progression. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are central regulators of gene expression, yet the mechanisms by which signaling networks dynamically control RBP function and how these mechanisms become dysregulated in cancer remain poorly understood. Disruption of RNA processing programs contributes to malignant transformation, tumor progression, and therapeutic resistance, positioning RBPs as an underexplored and potentially actionable class of therapeutic targets. Our laboratory aims to identify novel cancer vulnerabilities by elucidating posttranslational mechanisms that regulate RNA-binding protein function during tumorigenesis. We focus on pancreatic and breast cancers, two malignancies with high mortality and limited therapeutic options. To address these questions, we employ a multidisciplinary approach that combines cellular, molecular, and genetic methodologies with high-throughput CRISPR and DNA base-editing screens, computational analyses, and mouse models of cancer.
Selected Publications
Tankka AT, Zhang Y, Einstein JM, Zhou CJ, Pham VN, Naritomi JT, Nguyen GG, Mendez-Molina AN, Hu Z, Mizrahi O, Perelis M, Sarsam J, Tan FE, Kaufman DS, Yang J, Antal CE*, Yeo GW*. Integrative CRISPR Screening and RNA Analyses Discover an Essential Role for PUF60 Interactions with 3' Splice Sites in Cancer Progression. Cancer Res. 2025. Epub 20251218. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-0453. PMID: 41411621. https://aacrjournals.org/cancerres/article/doi/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-0453/771101/Integrative-CRISPR-Screening-and-RNA-Analyses *co-corresponding
Antal CE, Oh TG, Aigner S, Luo E-C, Yee BA, Campos T, Tiriac H, Rothamel K, Cheng Z, Jiao H, Wang A, Hah N, Lenkiewicz E, Lumibao JC, Truitt ML, Estepa G, Banyo E, Bashi S, Esparza E, Munoz R, Diedrich JK, Sodir NM, Mueller JR, Fraser CR, Borazanci E, Propper D, Von Hoff DV, Liddle C, Yu RT, Atkins AR, Han H, Lowy AM, Barrett MT, Engle DD, Evan GI, Yeo GW, Downes M, Evans RM. A super-enhancer regulated RNA-binding protein cascade drives pancreatic cancer. Nature Communications. 2023 Sep 6;14(1):5195. Epub 2023/09/07. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40798-6. PMID: 37673892. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-40798-6
Antal CE, Hudson AM, Kang E, Zanca C, Wirth C, Stephenson NL, Trotter EW, Gallegos LL, Miller CJ, Furnari FB, Hunter T, Brognard J, Newton AC. Cancer-associated protein kinase C mutations reveal kinase's role as tumor suppressor. Cell. 2015 Jan 29;160(3):489-502. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.01.001. Epub 2015 Jan 22. PMID: 25619690; PMCID: PMC4313737.
Antal CE, Callender JA, Kornev AP, Taylor SS, Newton AC. Intramolecular C2 Domain-Mediated Autoinhibition of Protein Kinase C βII. Cell Rep. 2015 Aug 25;12(8):1252-60. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.07.039. Epub 2015 Aug 13. PMID: 26279568; PMCID: PMC4551583
Antal CE, Violin JD, Kunkel MT, Skovsø S, Newton AC. Intramolecular conformational changes optimize protein kinase C signaling. Chem Biol. 2014 Apr 24;21(4):459-469. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2014.02.008. Epub 2014 Mar 13. PMID: 24631122; PMCID: PMC4020788.
Antal CE, Newton AC. Spatiotemporal dynamics of phosphorylation in lipid second messenger signaling. Mol Cell Proteomics. 2013 Dec;12(12):3498-508. doi: 10.1074/mcp.R113.029819. Epub 2013 Jun 20. PMID: 23788531; PMCID: PMC3861703.
Antal CE, Newton AC. Tuning the signalling output of protein kinase C. Biochem Soc Trans. 2014 Dec;42(6):1477-83. doi: 10.1042/BST20140172. PMID: 25399557; PMCID: PMC5783555.