Bethany E. Perez White, PhD

Bethany Elena Perez White received her doctoral training at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the laboratory of Dr. Debra A. Tonetti.  Her doctoral studies were focused on defining a novel epithelial-mesenchymal transition mechanism in breast cancer as a result of PKCα overexpression. The long-term objective of her research is to discover novel signaling proteins that regulate epidermal differentiation and morphogenesis. Her project builds on recent observations demonstrating nonredundant roles for two Eph receptor tyrosine kinases, EphA1 and EphA2 in keratinocyte differentiation. To determine the roles of EphA1 and EphA2 in differentiation, Dr. Perez White is using an unbiased proteomic screen to compare their ‘interactomes’ in 3-dimensional human epidermal equivalents. Through close collaboration with the Proteomics Center for Excellence at Northwestern University, Dr. Perez White has optimized a relatively novel method of protein identification. In this approach, a promiscuous biotin ligase is fused to EphA1 or EphA2. The addition of biotin to epidermal equivalents expressing these fusions leads to the biotinylation of interactors that can be identified by affinity capture and mass spectrometry. Comparing the EphA1 and EphA2 ‘interactomes’ will extend our fundamental understanding of these receptors and identify novel signaling molecules impacting differentiation. Using this proteomics approach, Dr. Perez White has identified and validated and EphA2:EGFR interaction. Her current studies indicate that this receptor tyrosine kinase interaction is required to promote epidermal differentiation; in the absence of EphA2, EFGR is hyperactivated and cellular proliferation is increased. This interaction has not been described in keratinocytes. Dr. Perez White’s independent research studies will focus on the role of EphA2 in epidermal differentiation, specifically the positive regulation tight junctions by EphA2, and its relationship to the barrier defect in atopic dermatitis.

Dr. Perez White’s training has enhanced her career in cutaneous biology through research, publications, and grant writing. For example, following her post-doctoral studies, Dr. Perez White joined the Northwestern University faculty as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology. Dr. Perez White has presented an oral and poster presentation at the 2014 (where she was also awarded a Kligman Award), 2015, 2016, and 2017 Society for Investigative Dermatology Annual Meetings. Dr. Perez White received a Northwestern Postdoctoral Professional Development Award to attend the 2015 SID Annual Meeting. She was also selected to present her work from the podium at the 2015 Gordon Conference and Seminar on Cell Contact and Adhesion, where she received a Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship to attend this Gordon Conference.  Dr. Perez White was selected to present her work with a lecture at the 7th Annual Lurie Cancer Center Symposium at Northwestern University.  Dr. Perez White has also been asked to teach first year graduate students a Cell Biology module on the extracellular matrix and to teach first year medical students in introduction to skin biology.

In 2014, Dr. Perez White was granted the inaugural Postdoctoral Research grant ($15,000) from the Chicago Biomedical Consortium to study EphA interactors in epidermal keratinocytes. Her successes in this project led to a renewal of the grant ($15,000) in 2015. She was also awarded a Diversity Supplement on the R01 NIH grant of her former mentor, Dr. Getsios. Now a faculty member, Dr. Perez White was recently awarded a Career Development Award from the Dermatology Foundation to help her establish her independent laboratory. She also has funding from the SDRC for her role as Director of the Skin Tissue Engineering Core. A K01 award is pending.

While on the T32, Dr. Perez White’s Mentoring Team consisted of Drs. Spiro Getsios, Robert Lavker, Amy Paller, and Kathleen Green. Dr. Paller is serving as her primary mentor in her stages as a junior investigator and she also receives mentoring support from Dr. Lavker and Green.

Dr. Perez White has taken on the role as Director of the Skin Tissue Engineering Core of the SDRC, and is a 2017-2018 awardee of our Pilot & Feasibility Study Program for her proposal, Breaking down barriers: defining the role of EphA2 in building epidermal tight junctions.

Publications

Perez White BE , Getsios S. Eph receptor and ephrin function in breast, gut, and skin epithelia. Cell Adh Migr. 8:327-338, 2014. PMID:25482622.

Perez White BE, Ventrella R, Cable CJ, Thomas PM, Getsios S. EphA2 proteomics in human keratinocytes reveals a novel association with afadin and epidermal tight junctions. Journal of Cell Science. 130:111-8, 2017. PMID: 27815408.

Dr. Perez White will shortly be submitting her publication based on her work with EphA2 and EGFR.

Abstracts

Perez White BE, Kaplan N, Getsios, S. Contact-dependent activation of EphA2 is required for keratinocyte differentiation and recruitment of the phosphoinositol phosphatase SHIP2. J Invest Dermatol, 134: S1, 2014.

Ventrella R, Perez White BE, Xia K, Kaplan N, Peng H, Lavker RM, Getsios S. Building a better tight junction barrier by targeting epidermal Eph receptors. J Invest Dermatol, 134: S66, 2014.

Perez White BE, Thomas, P, Rappoport J, Getsios S. EphA2 negatively regulates EGFR to promote keratinocyte differentiation. J Invest Dermatol 135:S1, 2015.

Zheng J*, Perez White BE*, Kaplan N, Petty A, Zhou Z, Honda K, Denning M, Blumenberg M, Getsios S, Wang B. Ephrin-A loss in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma progression and metastasis. J Invest Dermatol, 136:S14, 2016 (*, authors contributed equally).

Zheng J*, Perez White BE*, Kaplan N, Zhao Z, Blumenberg M, Getsios S, Blumenberg M, Wang B†. Ephrin-A ligands regulate cutaneous tumor etiology and metastasis through cell autonomous and non-autonomous mechanisms. 110th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, Washington, D.C., April 2017 (*, authors contributed equally. †, presenting author).

Cable C, Getsios S, Perez White BE†. Breaking down barriers: determining the role for EphA2 in cSCC-associated tight junctions. J Invest Dermatol, 137:S20, 2017 (†, presenting author).

Ventrella R, Kaplan N, Hoover P, Perez White BE, Lavker RM, Getsios S. EphA2 transmembrane domain governs receptor membrane distribution and differentiation-associated signaling in keratinocytes, J Invest Dermatol, 137:S78, 2017.