Sunil Sudarshan, M.D., professor in the Department of Urology, has been selected as the School of Medicine's Featured Discovery recipient for his most recent study.

Sudarshan’s study, “PRDM16 suppresses HIF-targeted gene expression in kidney cancer,” published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researched extensive epigenetic gene silencing in renal cancer, which can impact renal tumor growth.

Sudarshan and his team examined the biologic consequences resulting from loss of a transcription factor, referred to as PRDM16, in kidney cancer. Lead author, Anirban Kundu, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the Sudarshan lab. This factor has a prominent role in adipocyte physiology, but it is also highly expressed in the kidney. The team found that PRDM16 is lost in kidney cancer, and loss of this factor led to enhanced expression of the signaling molecule semaphorin 5B (SEMA5B). In turn, SEMA5B is what drives renal tumor growth.

This work will contribute to effective treatments and potentially better outcomes for patients with renal cancer.