Inflammation meets cancer: Is the TRIB2 oncogene a regulator of macrophage function?

Inflammation is now considered as the seventh hallmark feature of cancer. The role of TRIB2 in various cancers including acute myeloid leukaemia, melanoma, and lung cancer is well established. The proposed project aims to investigate the role of TRIB2, a key modulator of signaling pathways in inflammatory response, in macrophage polarisation and inflammatory diseases. This project will investigate the role of TRIB2 shaping the transcription programmes associated with pro-­inflammatory (M1) and anti-­inflammatory (M2) macrophage. These findings will be extended to an in vivo model of cutaneous inflammatory pathology. In addition experiments will be performed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammatory response. Analysis of the entire transcriptome of non-­inflamed and inflamed skin tissue from wild type and knockout mice will provide important insights into the role of TRIB2 in the regulation of inflammation. Moreover, the functional role of TRIB2 in macrophage activities such as phagocytosis, chemotaxis and polarization will be determined. Acquiring this knowledge will provide better understanding of the role of TRIB2 regulating macrophage function and inflammatory diseases. Moreover, this study will provide valuable insights into the role of TRIB2 in tumour associated macrophages and inflammation driven cancers.