Christophe P. Nicot, PhD

Associate Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Director, Center for Viral Oncology
KU Cancer Center Member

Ph.D., University of Bordeaux, France, 1995
Research Associate, Case Western Reserve University, Dept. of Infectious Diseases, 1995-1996
Research Associate, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Dept of Microbiology and Immunology, 1996 - 1998
Visiting Fellow,  National Cancer Institute, Division of Basic Sciences (DBS), 1998 - 2000
Staff Scient. National Cancer Institute, DBS. 2000 – 2002
Assistant Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Microbiology, Molecular genetics& Immunology, Kansas City, KS, 2003-  2006
Associate Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Microbiology, Molecular genetics& Immunology, Kansas City, KS, 2006-2008
Associate Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Kansas City, KS, 2008-present

Email: cnicot@kumc.edu
Nicot Lab web site

Post doctoral Fellows are now available. Contact Dr. Nicot for more information.

The oncogenic human retrovirus HTLV-I is the etiological agent of an aggressive and fatal T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) disease. ATL is associated with a poor clinical prognosis and treatment of patients using conventional chemotherapy has limited benefit given that HTLV-I cells are resistant to conventional anti-cancer, apoptosis-inducing agents. In addition to ATLL, HTLV-I is also the etiological agent of an inflammatory neuro-degenerative disorder called Tropical Spastic Paraparesis/ HTLV-I-Associated Myelopathy (TSP/HAM). My laboratory studies early and late molecular events associated with cellular transformation and leukemogenesis. We are especially interested in genome instability, telomerase reactivation, RNA export and signaling pathways involved in T-cell transformation and/or virus replication. We also study new therapeutic approaches for treatment of ATL. Nicot Lab web site.

Selected Publications

2008

• Taylor JM, Nicot C. HTLV-1 and apoptosis: role in cellular transformation and recent advances in therapeutic approaches. Apoptosis. 2008 Jun;13(6):733-47.
• Bellon M, Nicot C. Central role of PI3K in transcriptional activation of hTERT in HTLV-I infected cells. Blood. 2008 May 29.
• Bellon M, Nicot C. Regulation of telomerase and telomeres: human tumor viruses take control. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2008 Jan 16;100(2):98-108. Epub 2008 Jan 8.Open access.
• Sinha-Datta U, Taylor JM, Brown M, Nicot C. Celecoxib disrupts the canonical apoptotic network in HTLV-I cells through activation of Bax and inhibition of PKB/Akt. Apoptosis. 2008 Jan;13(1):33-40.Open access.

2007

• Bellon M, Nicot C. Telomerase: a crucial player in HTLV-I-induced human T-cell leukemia. : Cancer Genomics Proteomics. 2007 Jan-Feb;4(1):21-5. Open access.
• Datta A, Nicot C. Telomere attrition induces a DNA double-strand break damage signal that reactivates p53 transcription in HTLV-I leukemic cells. Oncogene. 2007 Aug 20. Open access.
• Lacoste V, Nicot C, Gessain A, Valensi F, Gabarre J, Matta H, Chaudhary PM, Mahieux R. In primary effusion lymphoma cells, MYB transcriptional repression is associated with v-FLIP expression during latent KSHV infection while both v-FLIP and v-GPCR become involved during the lytic cycle. Br J Haematol. 2007 Aug;138(4):487-501. Open access
• Sinha-Datta U, Datta A, Ghorbel S, Dodon MD, Nicot C. Human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type I rex and p30 interactions govern the switch between virus latency and replication. J Biol Chem. 2007 May 11;282(19):14608-15. Open access
• Brown M, Bellon M, Nicot C. Emodin and DHA potently increase arsenic trioxide interferon-alpha-induced cell death of HTLV-I-transformed cells by generation of reactive oxygen species and inhibition of Akt and AP-1. Blood. 2007 Feb 15;109(4):1653-9. Open access
• Fukumoto R, Dundr M, Nicot C, Adams A, Valeri VW, Samelson LE, Franchini G. Inhibition of TCR Signal Transduction and Viral Expression by the Linker for Activation of T Cells-Interacting p12I Protein of HTLV-1.  J Virol. 2007 Jun 20. Open access

2006

• Ghorbel S, Sinha-Datta U, Dundr M, Brown M, Franchini G, Nicot C. Human T-cell leukemia virus type I p30 nuclear/nucleolar retention is mediated through interactions with RNA and a constituent of the 60 S ribosomal subunit.  J Biol Chem. 2006 Dec 1;281(48):37150-8. Open access
• Bellon M, Datta A, Brown M, Pouliquen JF, Couppie P, Kazanji M, Nicot C. Increased expression of telomere length regulating factors TRF1, TRF2 and TIN2 in patients with adult T-cell leukemia.  Int J Cancer. 2006 Nov 1;119(9):2090-7. Open access
• Datta A, Sinha-Datta U, Dhillon NK, Buch S, Nicot C. The HTLV-I p30 interferes with TLR4 signaling and modulates the release of pro- and anti- inflammatory cytokines from human macrophages.  J Biol Chem. 2006 Aug 18;281(33):23414-24.Open access
• Datta A, Bellon M, Sinha-Datta U, Bazarbachi A, Lepelletier Y, Canioni D, Waldmann TA, Hermine O, Nicot C.
  Persistent inhibition of telomerase reprograms adult T-cell leukemia to p53-dependent
  senescence. Blood. 2006 Aug 1;108(3):1021-9. Epub 2006 Mar 28. Open access

2005

• Nicot C, Harrod RL, Ciminale V, Franchini G.
  Human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1 nonstructural genes and their functions. Oncogene. 2005 Sep 5;24(39):6026-34. Open access
• Nicot C. Current views in HTLV-I-associated adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. Am J Hematol. 2005 Mar;78(3):232-9. Open access

2004

• Nicot C, Dundr M, Johnson JM, Fullen JR, Alonzo N, Fukumoto R, Princler GL, Derse D, Misteli T, Franchini G.
  HTLV-1-encoded p30II is a post-transcriptional negative regulator of viral replication. Nat Med. 2004 Feb;10(2):197-201. Open access
• Sinha-Datta U, Horikawa I, Michishita E, Datta A, Sigler-Nicot JC, Brown M, Kazanji M, Barrett JC, Nicot C.
  Transcriptional activation of hTERT through the NF-kappaB pathway in HTLV-I-transformed cells. Blood. 2004 Oct 15;104(8):2523-31. Open access