[2] In addition, he has used related approaches to study transcriptional regulatory circuits involved in cellular transformation and the formation of cancer stem cells.Kevin Struhl was born on September 2, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York.
He has 3 younger brothers, Gary (1954-), a developmental geneticist at Columbia Medical School, Clifford (1956-) who took over the family business, and Steven (1958-) an orthopedic surgeon.
[23] Detailed genetic dissection led to the discovery of short acidic activation domains required for transcription that are functionally autonomous and can be encoded by different sequences.
[57][58] Lastly, Struhl was among the first to use ChIP to analyze transcription in E. coli, showing that the transition between initiation and elongation is highly variable and often rate-limiting[59] and uncovering extensive functional overlap between sigma factors.
[74] Struhl discovered an epigenetic switch from non-transformed to transformed cells, a new type of step in cancer progression distinct from mutation or DNA methylation.
[75] This epigenetic switch is mediated by a positive inflammatory feedback loop that involves the joint role of the NF-κB, STAT3, AP-1, and TEAD transcription factors along with YAP/TAZ co-activators as well as Let7 and other microRNAs.
[80][81] Struhl showed that metformin, the first-line drug for treating type 2 diabetes, selectively kills cancer stem cells and acts together with chemotherapy to inhibit tumor progression and prolong remission.