Bio for Gary S Stein

Gary S Stein

Professor and Chairperson, Department of Biochemistry
Professor, Department of Surgery
Cancer Center Member

Contact Information

E-mail: Gary.Stein@uvm.edu
Phone: 802/656-6613
Office Location: Biochemistry, Health Science Complex

Expertise

Trained in biology and pathology, Gary Stein has a longstanding dedication to translating mechanistic understanding of cancer biology into clinically relevant investigation with the potential for advancing cancer prevention, early detection and therapy. Transdisciplinary team research has always been a key approach for Gary Stein – it has been the guiding strategy for his own research group and he actively advocates collaboration in his role as Chair of the University of Vermont Department of Biochemistry and Vermont Principal Investigator for the Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network (NNE-CTR). He is committed to addressing the challenges of health and healthcare equity in rural northern New England.

Research Interests

Genetic and Epigenetic Control in Cancer Biology and Pathology

The central theme of Gary Stein’s research is to discover mechanisms that control proliferation and differentiation, with an emphasis on compromised genetic and epigenetic regulation linked with cancer. The priority of his research group is discovery of mechanisms, molecular signatures and biomarkers, including those driven by intra- and inter-chromosomal interactions and noncoding RNAs. These initiatives are directed toward advancing capabilities for prevention, early detection, treatment and survivorship of leukemia, breast and prostate cancer, as well as mechanistic and clinical understanding of solid tumor metastasis to bone. The laboratory has consistently been at the forefront of characterizing genetic and epigenetic regulation that mediates cell cycle control in lineage-committed cells, cancer stem cells, and pluripotent and induced pluripotent stem cells with an abbreviated cell cycle. The Stein lab has made pivotal contributions to understanding the transcriptome by defining mechanisms that govern combinatorial organization and assembly of regulatory machinery in nuclear microenvironments, higher-order genomic organization and epigenetic control of cell fate and lineage commitment in biological control and cancer. His recent discoveries of mitotic bookmarking and mitosis-specific bivalent histone modifications in pluripotent stem cells that are recapitulated in early stage breast and prostate cancer cells establish “oncofetal epigenetic control” as a novel dimension to tumorigenesis.

Research Grants

Gary Stein’s research program is supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and the National Institute for General Medical Science -- as well as funding from research foundations and biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies.

Publications

Freitas GP, Lopes HB, Souza ATP, Gomes MPO, Quiles GK, Gordon J, Tye C, Stein JL, Stein GS, Lian JB, Beloti MM, Rosa AL. Mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing BMP-9 by CRISPR-Cas9 present high in vitro osteogenic potential and enhance in vivo bone formation. Gene Ther. 2021 Dec;28(12):748-759. doi: 10.1038/s41434-021-00248-8. Epub 2021 Mar 8. PubMed PMID: 33686254; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8423866.

Bolf EL, Gillis NE, Davidson CD, Cozzens LM, Kogut S, Tomczak JA, Frietze S, Carr FE. Common tumor-suppressive signaling of thyroid hormone receptor beta in breast and thyroid cancer cells. Mol Carcinog. 2021 Dec;60(12):874-885. doi: 10.1002/mc.23352. Epub 2021 Sep 17. PubMed PMID: 34534367; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8585704.

Yang X, Pande S, Koza RA, Friesel R. Sprouty1 regulates gonadal white adipose tissue growth through a PDGFRa/ß-Akt pathway. Adipocyte. 2021 Dec;10(1):574-586. doi: 10.1080/21623945.2021.1987634. PubMed PMID: 34714716; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8565826.

Tero BW, Fortier B, Soucy AN, Paquette G, Liaw L. Quantification of Lipid Area within Thermogenic Mouse Perivascular Adipose Tissue Using Standardized Image Analysis in FIJI. J Vasc Res. 2021 Nov 4;:1-7. doi: 10.1159/000517178. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34736260; NIHMSID:NIHMS1726193.

Harder VS, Varni SE, Murray KA, Plante TB, Villanti AC, Wolfson DL, Maruti S, Fairfield KM. Prescription opioid policies and associations with opioid overdose and related adverse effects. Int J Drug Policy. 2021 Nov;97:103306. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103306. Epub 2021 Jun 6. PubMed PMID: 34107447; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8585674.

McGill MM, Richman AR, Boyd JR, Sabikunnahar B, Lahue KG, Montgomery TL, Caldwell S, Varnum S, Frietze S, Krementsov DN. p38 MAP Kinase Signaling in Microglia Plays a Sex-Specific Protective Role in CNS Autoimmunity and Regulates Microglial Transcriptional States. Front Immunol. 2021;12:715311. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.715311. eCollection 2021. PubMed PMID: 34707603; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8542909.

Che X, Park NR, Jin X, Jung YK, Han MS, Park CY, Chun JS, Kim SG, Jin J, Kim HJ, Lian JB, Stein JL, Stein GS, Choi JY. Hypoxia-inducible factor 2a is a novel inhibitor of chondrocyte maturation. J Cell Physiol. 2021 Oct;236(10):6963-6973. doi: 10.1002/jcp.30356. Epub 2021 Mar 21. PubMed PMID: 33748969; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8662706.

Rodriguez PD, Mariani M, Gay J, Hogan TC, Amiel E, Deming PB, Frietze S. A guided-inquiry investigation of genetic variants using Oxford nanopore sequencing for an undergraduate molecular biology laboratory course. Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2021 Jul;49(4):588-597. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21514. Epub 2021 May 3. PubMed PMID: 33939256; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8356555.

Harder VS, Plante TB, Koh I, Rogers EB, Varni SE, Villanti AC, Brooklyn JR, Fairfield KM. Influence of Opioid Prescription Policy on Overdoses and Related Adverse Effects in a Primary Care Population. J Gen Intern Med. 2021 Jul;36(7):2013-2020. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-06831-4. Epub 2021 May 4. PubMed PMID: 33948793; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8298594.

Townsend K, Imbert I, Eaton V, Stevenson GW, King T. Voluntary exercise blocks ongoing pain and diminishes bone remodeling while sparing protective mechanical pain in a rat model of advanced osteoarthritis pain. Pain. 2021 Jun 28;. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002392. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34224496; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8712625.

Costa S, Fairfield H, Farrell M, Murphy CS, Soucy A, Vary C, Holdsworth G, Reagan MR. Sclerostin antibody increases trabecular bone and bone mechanical properties by increasing osteoblast activity damaged by whole-body irradiation in mice. Bone. 2021 Jun;147:115918. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2021.115918. Epub 2021 Mar 16. PubMed PMID: 33737193; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8076093.

Craig AK, McAllister LM, Evans S, Melendi ME. Telemedicine consults to assess neonatal encephalopathy are feasible in the neonatal intensive care unit. J Perinatol. 2021 Jun;41(6):1519-1521. doi: 10.1038/s41372-020-00828-3. Epub 2020 Sep 21. PubMed PMID: 32958837; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8593849.

Han PKJ, Scharnetzki E, Scherer AM, Thorpe A, Lary C, Waterston LB, Fagerlin A, Dieckmann NF. Communicating Scientific Uncertainty About the COVID-19 Pandemic: Online Experimental Study of an Uncertainty-Normalizing Strategy. J Med Internet Res. 2021 Apr 22;23(4):e27832. doi: 10.2196/27832. PubMed PMID: 33769947; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8064708.

Rodriguez PD, Paculova H, Kogut S, Heath J, Schjerven H, Frietze S. Non-Coding RNA Signatures of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Mar 7;22(5). doi: 10.3390/ijms22052683. Review. PubMed PMID: 33799946; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7961854.

Ahrens KA, McBride CA, O'Connor A, Meyer MC. Medication for Addiction Treatment and Postpartum Health Care Utilization Among Pregnant Persons With Opioid Use Disorder. J Addict Med. 2021 Mar 4;. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000827. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33675606; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8417138.

Yin H, Favreau-Lessard AJ, deKay JT, Herrmann YR, Robich MP, Koza RA, Prudovsky I, Sawyer DB, Ryzhov S. Protective role of ErbB3 signaling in myeloid cells during adaptation to cardiac pressure overload. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2021 Mar;152:1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2020.11.009. Epub 2020 Nov 28. PubMed PMID: 33259856; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7981250.

Han X, Caron JM, Lary CW, Sathyanarayana P, Vary C, Brooks PC. An RGDKGE-Containing Cryptic Collagen Fragment Regulates Phosphorylation of Large Tumor Suppressor Kinase-1 and Controls Ovarian Tumor Growth by a Yes-Associated Protein-Dependent Mechanism. Am J Pathol. 2021 Mar;191(3):527-544. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2020.11.009. Epub 2020 Dec 8. PubMed PMID: 33307038; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7927278.

Zullo AR, Lee Y, Lary C, Daiello LA, Kiel DP, Berry SD. Comparative effectiveness of denosumab, teriparatide, and zoledronic acid among frail older adults: a retrospective cohort study. Osteoporos Int. 2021 Mar;32(3):565-573. doi: 10.1007/s00198-020-05732-2. Epub 2021 Jan 7. PubMed PMID: 33411003; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7933063.

Kennedy MA, Pepin R, Stevens CJ, Bartels SJ, Batsis JA, Beyea A, Bruce ML, Eckhaus JM, Korsen N, Pidgeon DM, Powell KE, Reynolds CF, LaMantia MA. Mind, Mood, Mobility: Supporting Independence Among Rural Older Adults at Risk for Functional Decline. Am J Health Promot. 2021 Feb;35(2):295-298. doi: 10.1177/0890117120934622. Epub 2020 Jun 22. PubMed PMID: 32567321; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7752854.