Pathology and Cell Biology
USF Health - College of Medicine
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George Blanck , Ph.D.

Primary Department: COLLEGE OF MEDICINE MOLECULAR MEDICINE

Professor
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE MOLECULAR MEDICINE

Professor
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE PATHOLOGY & CELL BIOLOGY
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Contacts
Email: gblanck@health.usf.edu
Phone: (813) 974-9585
Office: MDC, 4024
Mailing address 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. ,MDC 7
Tampa, FL 33612
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Education
  • PHD, Biological Sciences, Columbia University , United States - 1984.
    		•
     
    Interdisciplinary & Emerging Signature Programs
    Cancer Biology, Allergy, Immunology & Infectious Disease, Other.
     
    Research Summary

    genomics and bioinformatics based analysis of gene expression and cancer; vaccine development

     


    Selected Publications
  • Levitt, A.Chen, S.Blanck, G.George, D.Pollack, RE. Two integrated partial repeats of simian virus 40 together code for a super-T antigen. Molecular and cellular biology. 5(4): 742-50, 1985.
  • Blanck, G.Li, D.Pomert, E.Pollack, R.Chen, S. Multiple insertions and tandem repeats of origin-minus simian virus 40 DNA in transformed rat and mouse cells. Journal of virology. 62(5): 1520-3, 1988.
  • Blanck, G.Strominger, JL. Molecular organization of the DQ subregion (DO-DX-DV-DQ) of the human MHC and its evolutionary implications. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). 141(5): 1734-7, 1988.
  • Spies, T.Blanck, G.Bresnahan, M.Sands, J.Strominger, JL. A new cluster of genes within the human major histocompatibility complex. Science (New York, N.Y.). 243(4888): 214-7, 1989.
  • Blanck, G.Strominger, JL. Cosmid clones in the HLA-DZ and -DP subregions. Human immunology. 27(3): 265-8, 1990.
  • Spies, T.Bresnahan, M.Bahram, S.Arnold, D.Blanck, G.Mellins, E.Pious, D.DeMars, R. A gene in the human major histocompatibility complex class II region controlling the class I antigen presentation pathway. Nature. 348(6303): 744-7, 1990.
  • Blanck, G.Lok, M.Kok, K.Downie, E.Korn, JH.Strominger, JL. Gamma-interferon induction of HLA class II mRNAs in dermal fibroblasts studied by RNAse protection analysis. Human immunology. 29(2): 150-6, 1990.
  • Lu, Y.Ussery, GD.Muncaster, MM.Gallie, BL.Blanck, G. Evidence for retinoblastoma protein (RB) dependent and independent IFN-gamma responses: RB coordinately rescues IFN-gamma induction of MHC class II gene transcription in noninducible breast carcinoma cells. Oncogene. 9(4): 1015-9, 1994.
  • Lu, Y.Ussery, GD.Jacim, M.Tschickardt, M.Boss, JM.Blanck, G. Retinoblastoma protein regulation of surface CD74 (invariant chain) expression in breast carcinoma cells. Molecular immunology. 31(17): 1365-8, 1994.
  • Tschickardt, ME.Lu, Y.Jacim, M.Ussery, GD.Steimle, V.Mach, B.Blanck, G. RB and a novel E2F-1 binding protein in MHC class II deficient B-cell lines and normal IFN-gamma induction of the class IL transactivator CIITA in class II non-inducible RB-defective tumor lines. International journal of cancer. Journal international du cancer. 62(4): 461-5, 1995.
  • Lu, Y.Boss, JM.Hu, SX.Xu, HJ.Blanck, G. Apoptosis-independent retinoblastoma protein rescue of HLA class II messenger RNA IFN-gamma inducibility in non-small cell lung carcinoma cells. Lack of surface class II expression associated with a specific defect in HLA-DRA induction. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). 156(7): 2495-502, 1996.
  • Berry, DE.Lu, Y.Schmidt, B.Fallon, PG.O'Connell, C.Hu, SX.Xu, HJ.Blanck, G. Retinoblastoma protein inhibits IFN-gamma induced apoptosis. Oncogene. 12(8): 1809-19, 1996.
  • Schmidt, B.Carter, SS.Berry, DE.Blanck, G. Vitamin D3 reduces the apoptotic effect of IFN-gamma but does not facilitate HLA class II inducibility in RB-defective cells. Cancer letters. 110(1-2): 169-76, 1996.
  • Osborne, A.Tschickardt, M.Blanck, G. Retinoblastoma protein expression facilitates chromatin remodeling at the HLA-DRA promoter. Nucleic acids research. 25(24): 5095-102, 1997.
  • Lu, Y.Tschickardt, ME.Schmidt, BJ.Blanck, G. IFN-gamma inducibility of class II transactivator is specifically lacking in human tumour lines: relevance to retinoblastoma protein rescue of IFN-gamma inducibility of the HLA class II genes. Immunology and cell biology. 75(4): 325-32, 1997.
  • Xi, H.Eason, DD.Ghosh, D.Dovhey, S.Wright, KL.Blanck, G. Co-occupancy of the interferon regulatory element of the class II transactivator (CIITA) type IV promoter by interferon regulatory factors 1 and 2. Oncogene. 18(43): 5889-903, 1999.
  • Blanck, G. HLA class II expression in human tumor lines. Microbes and infection / Institut Pasteur. 1(11): 913-8, 1999.
  • Eason, DD.Shepherd, AT.Blanck, G. Interferon regulatory factor 1 tryptophan 11 to arginine point mutation abolishes DNA binding. Biochimica et biophysica acta. 1446(1-2): 140-4, 1999.
  • Zhang, H.Wei, S.Sun, J.Coppola, D.Zhong, B.Wu, GD.Goodwin, B.Sebti, S.Djeu, JY.Blanck, G. Retinoblastoma protein activation of interleukin 8 expression inhibits tumor cell survival in nude mice. Cell growth & differentiation : the molecular biology journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 11(12): 635-9, 2000.
  • Xi, H.Blanck, G. Interferon regulatory factor-2 point mutations in human pancreatic tumors. International journal of cancer. Journal international du cancer. 87(6): 803-8, 2000.
  • Eason, DD.Blanck, G. High level class II trans-activator induction does not occur with transient activation of the IFN-gamma signaling pathway. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). 166(2): 1041-8, 2001.
  • Goodwin, BL.Xi, H.Tejiram, R.Eason, DD.Ghosh, N.Wright, KL.Nagarajan, U.Boss, JM.Blanck, G. Varying functions of specific major histocompatibility class II transactivator promoter III and IV elements in melanoma cell lines. Cell growth & differentiation : the molecular biology journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 12(6): 327-35, 2001.
  • Xi, H.Goodwin, B.Shepherd, AT.Blanck, G. Impaired class II transactivator expression in mice lacking interferon regulatory factor-2. Oncogene. 20(31): 4219-27, 2001.
  • Eason, DD.Coppola, D.Livingston, S.Shepherd, AT.Blanck, G. Loss of MHC class II inducibility in hyperplastic tissue in Rb-defective mice. Cancer letters. 171(2): 209-14, 2001.
  • Osborne, A.Zhang, H.Yang, WM.Seto, E.Blanck, G. Histone deacetylase activity represses gamma interferon-inducible HLA-DR gene expression following the establishment of a DNase I-hypersensitive chromatin conformation. Molecular and cellular biology. 21(19): 6495-506, 2001.
  • Blanck, G. Components of the IFN-gamma signaling pathway in tumorigenesis. Archivum immunologiae et therapiae experimentalis. 50(3): 151-8, 2002.
  • Xi, H.Blanck, G. The IRF-2 DNA binding domain facilitates the activation of the class II transactivator (CIITA) type IV promoter by IRF-1. Molecular immunology. 39(11): 677-84, 2003.
  • Eason, DD.LeBron, C.Coppola, D.Moscinski, LC.Livingston, S.Sutton, ET.Blanck, G. Development of CD30+ lymphoproliferative disease in mice lacking interferon regulatory factor-1. Oncogene. 22(40): 6166-76, 2003.
  • Osborne, AR.Zhang, H.Fejer, G.Palubin, KM.Niesen, MI.Blanck, G. Oct-1 maintains an intermediate, stable state of HLA-DRA promoter repression in Rb-defective cells: an Oct-1-containing repressosome that prevents NF-Y binding to the HLA-DRA promoter. The Journal of biological chemistry. 279(28): 28911-9, 2004.
  • Blanck, G. Mutations and regulatory anomalies effecting tumor cell immune functions. Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII. 53(1): 1-16, 2004.
  • Niesen, MI.Osborne, AR.Yang, H.Rastogi, S.Chellappan, S.Cheng, JQ.Boss, JM.Blanck, G. Activation of a methylated promoter mediated by a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein, RFX. The Journal of biological chemistry. 280(47): 38914-22, 2005.
  • Le, E.Zhang, H.Blanck, G. CIITA transformation rescues the apoptotic function of MHC class II in melanoma cells. Anticancer research. 25(6B): 3889-92, 2006.
  • Palubin, KM.Goodwin, BL.Niesen, MI.Le, EA.Osborne, AR.Blanck, G. A direct mechanistic link between growth control and a tumor cell immune function: increased interleukin-8 secretion accounts for elimination of Oct-1 antisense transformants from scid mice. Anticancer research. 26(3A): 1733-8, 2006.
  • Osborne, AR.Zhang, H.Blanck, G. Oct-1 DNA binding activity unresponsive to retinoblastoma protein expression prevents MHC class II induction in a non-small cell lung carcinoma cell line. Molecular immunology. 43(6): 710-6, 2006.
  • Spies, T.Bresnahan, M.Bahram, S.Arnold, D.Blanck, G.Mellins, E.Pious, D.Demars, R. Pillars Article: A Gene in the Human Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Region Controlling the Class I Antigen Presentation Pathway. Nature 1990. 348: 744-747. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). 180(5): 2737-40, 2008.
  • Mohapatra, S.Park, SJ.Boyapalle, S.Pastey, MK.Graham, BS.Blanck, G. Human respiratory syncytial virus reduces the number of cells in S-phase and increases GADD153 expression in HEp-2 cells. Acta virologica. 53(3): 207-11, 2009.
  • Coppola, D.Parikh, V.Boulware, D.Blanck, G. Substantially reduced expression of PIAS1 is associated with colon cancer development. Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology. (): , 2009.
  • Narsing, S.Jelsovsky, Z.Mbah, A.Blanck, G. Genes that contribute to cancer fusion genes are large and evolutionarily conserved. Cancer genetics and cytogenetics. 191(2): 78-84, 2009.
  • Niesen, MI.Osborne, AR.Lagor, WR.Zhang, H.Kazemfar, K.Ness, GC.Blanck, G. Technological advances in the study of HLA-DRA promoter regulation: extending the functions of CIITA, Oct-1, Rb, and RFX. Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica. 41(3): 198-205, 2009.
  • Niesen, MI.Blanck, G. Rescue of major histocompatibility-DR surface expression in retinoblastoma-defective, non-small cell lung carcinoma cells by the MS-275 histone deacetylase inhibitor. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin. 32(3): 480-2, 2009.
  • Kazemfar, K.Chen, R.Nicholson, K.Coppola, D.Zhou, JM.Chen, X.Wei, S.Blanck, G. Combined IL-8 and TGF-beta blockade efficiently prevents neutrophil infiltrates into an A549-cell tumor. Immunology letters. 122(1): 26-9, 2009.
  • Xu, L.Niesen, MI.Blanck, G. Linkage of a tumor immune function and cell cycle de-regulation via a gene regulatory network subcircuit. Molecular immunology. 46(4): 569-75, 2009.
  • Long, K.Abuelenen, T.Pava, L.Bastille, M.Blanck, G. Size matters: sequential mutations in tumorigenesis may reflect the stochastic effect of mutagen target sizes. Genes & cancer. 2(10): 927-31, 2011.
  • Pava, LM.Morton, DT.Chen, R.Blanck, G. Unifying the Genomics-based Classes of Cancer Fusion Gene Partners: Large Cancer Fusion Genes Are Evolutionarily Conserved. Cancer genomics & proteomics. 9(6): 389-95, 2012.
  • Pillai, S.Szekeres, K.Lawrence, N.Chellappan, SP.Blanck, G. Regulation of interlocking gene regulatory network subcircuits by a small molecule inhibitor of retinoblastoma protein (RB) phosphorylation: Cancer cell expression of HLA-DR. Gene. (): , 2012.
  • Cronin, K.Escobar, H.Szekeres, K.Reyes-Vargas, E.Rockwood, AL.Lloyd, MC.Delgado, JC.Blanck, G. Regulation of HLA-DR peptide occupancy by histone deacetylase inhibitors. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics. 9(4): , 2013.

    • Positions Held
  • Full Professor (Dept of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, University of South Florida 2002 - Present)
  • Associate Professor (Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida 1995 - 2002)
  • Assistant Professor (Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida 1990 - 1995)


    • Grants
  • NEGATIVE REGULATION OF THE MHC CLASS II PROMOTERS ($179,071.00, 01/01/2007-12/31/2007)
  • INTERFERON REGULATORY FACTOR-2 FUNCTIONS ($21,750.00, 05/01/1999-02/28/2004)
  • INTERFERON REGULATORY FACTOR-2 FUNCTIONS ($189,266.00, 05/01/1999-02/28/2003)
  • INTERFERON REGULATORY FACTOR-2 FUNCTIONS ($197,255.00, 05/01/1999-02/28/2003)
  • INTERFERON REGULATORY FACTOR-2 FUNCTIONS ($10,855.00, 05/01/1999-02/28/2003)


    • Profile last modified on 07/11/2012