Jukka Westermarck profile picture
Jukka
Westermarck
Research Director, Turku Bioscience Centre
Professor, Institute of Biomedicine
MD, PhD
Role and regulation of phosphatases, particularly tumor suppressor protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in human cancers

Contact

+358 29 450 2880
+358 40 742 3007
Tykistökatu 6
20520
Turku

Biography

Jukka Westermarck is a Professor of Cancer Biology, and Research Director, in the Turku Bioscience Centre at University of Turku. 

Westermarck earned his medical degree from University of Turku in 1996. Two years later he obtained his PhD degree in Department of Medical Biochemistry and Department of Dermatology at the same University. He was working as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dirk Bohmann during 1999-2001 in the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany. After being appointed as Academy Fellow by the Academy of Finland, he established his own research group at Turku Centre for Biotechnology in 2002. In 2006-2009 he was appointed as a group leader in the Institute of Medical Technology at University of Tampere, and after that he returned back to Turku due to his appointment as a tenure Research Director of Turku Centre for Biotechnology, and as a Professor of Cancer Biology at the Faculty of Medicine. In 2012, he worked as a visiting Professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.

Professor Westermarck received young researcher prize from Finnish Medical Association Duodecim 2007, and Anders Jahre young investigator prize 2009 from University of Oslo, Norway. In 2017, he became an elected member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.

Research

Prof. Westermarck´s research focuses on role and regulation of phosphatases, particularly tumor suppressor protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in human cancers. Based on this work his group has identified several novel signaling principles how PP2A regulates cancer progression, as well as potential novel cancer therapy targets and diagnostic biomarkers.

Publications

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Germline-specific RNA helicase DDX4 forms cytoplasmic granules in cancer cells and promotes tumor growth (2024)

Cell Reports
Olotu, Opeyemi; Koskenniemi, Anna-Riina; Ma, Lin; Paramonov, Valeriy; Laasanen, Sini; Louramo, Elina; Bourgery, Matthieu; Lehtiniemi, Tiina; Laasanen, Samuli; Rivero-Müller, Adolfo; Löyttyniemi, Eliisa; Sahlgren, Cecilia; Westermarck, Jukka; Ventelä, Sami; Visakorpi, Tapio; Poutanen, Matti; Vainio, Paula; Mäkelä, Juho-Antti; Kotaja, Noora
(A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä )

The PP2A regulator IER5L supports prostate cancer progression (2024)

Cell Death and Disease
Crespo, Jana R.; Martín-Martín, Natalia; Garcia-Longarte, Saioa; Corres-Mendizabal, Jon; Carlevaris, Onintza; Astobiza, Ianire; Zabala-Letona, Amaia; Guiu, Marc; Azkargorta, Mikel; Gonzalez-Lopez, Monika; Macías-Cámara, Nuria; Doan, Phuong; Elortza, Félix; Mendizabal, Isabel; Westermack, Jukka; Gomis, Roger R.; Ercilla, Amaia; Carracedo, Arkaitz
(A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä )

PP2A-based triple-strike therapy overcomes mitochondrial apoptosis resistance in brain cancer cells (2023)

Molecular Oncology
Denisova Oxana V., Merisaari Joni, Huhtaniemi Riikka, Qiao Xi, Yetukuri Laxman, Jumppanen Mikael, Kaur Amanpreet, Pääkkönen Mirva, von Schantz-Fant Carina, Ohlmeyer Michael, Wennerberg Krister, Kauko Otto, Koch Raphael, Aittokallio Tero, Taipale Mikko, Westermarck Jukka
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Structural mechanism for inhibition of PP2A-B56α and oncogenicity by CIP2A (2023)

Nature Communications
Pavic Karolina, Gupta Nikhil, Omella Judit Domènech, Derua Rita, Aakula Anna, Huhtaniemi Riikka, Määttä Juha A, Höfflin Nico, Okkeri Juha, Wang Zhizhi, Kauko Otto, Varjus Roosa, Honkanen Henrik, Abankwa Daniel, Köhn Maja, Hytönen Vesa P, Xu Wenqing, Nilsson Jakob, Page Rebecca, Janssens Veerle, Leitner Alexander, Westermarck Jukka
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))