Dr. Ben Greulich

Dr. Ben Greulich came to Mercer University in 2023. Before his arrival, he studied the transcription factor, ERG, in the context of prostate cancer and taught human anatomy at Indiana University. After he earned his Ph.D. at IU, he moved to Duke University School of Medicine to study the regulation of TβRIII shedding.

Education

• Postdoctoral Fellow at Duke University School of Medicine
• Ph.D., Cell, Molecular, and Cancer Biology, Indiana University – Bloomington
• B.S., Biology, Indiana University – Bloomington

Specialty

Cancer biology, transcription factors, membrane shedding

Professional Interests

Dr. Greulich’s primary research interests are exploring the precise molecular mechanisms governing how transcription factors can promote or suppress tumor formation or progression in humans. One major interest is how the ETS and FOX transcription factor families oppose or cooperate with one another in various cellular contexts and how these interactions could be leveraged to develop novel therapeutics.

A second interest is cell surface receptor shedding. While receptors traditionally promote signal transduction, they can be cleaved, or shed, from the membrane and released into the extracellular matrix. Once shed, these receptor fragments can bind ligand and suppress signal transduction. This phenomenon is important in normal biology as well as cancer and understanding how the balance of shedding is regulated carries the potential of discovering new therapeutic targets.

Other Interests

Dr. Greulich loves spending time with his family working in their vegetable garden, playing board games, watching sci-fi (particularly Marvel) movies, and camping. He also loves reading, creative writing, 3D printing, designing board games, and learning new skills.

Recent Publications

• Greulich BM, Rajendran S, Downing NF, Nicholas TR, Hollenhorst PC. A complex with poly(A)-binding protein and EWS facilitates the transcriptional function of oncogenic ETS transcription factors in prostate cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2023 Dec;299(12):105453. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105453. Epub 2023 Nov 11. PMID: 37956771; PMCID: PMC10704431.
• Nicholas TR, Metcalf SA, Greulich BM, Hollenhorst PC. Androgen signaling connects short isoform production to breakpoint formation at Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1. NAR Cancer. 2021 Sep;3(3):zcab033. doi: 10.1093/narcan/zcab033. eCollection 2021 Sep. PubMed PMID: 34409300; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8364332.
• Greulich BM, Plotnik JP, Jerde TJ, Hollenhorst PC. Toll-like receptor 4 signaling activates ERG function in prostate cancer and provides a therapeutic target. NAR Cancer. 2021 Mar;3(1):zcaa046. doi: 10.1093/narcan/zcaa046. eCollection 2021 Mar. PubMed PMID: 33554122; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7848947.
• Nicholas TR, Meng J, Greulich BM, Morris TS, Hollenhorst PC. –A high-throughput screen identifies inhibitors of the interaction between the oncogenic transcription factor ERG and the cofactor EWS. PLoS One. 2020;15(9):e0238999. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238999. eCollection 2020. PubMed PMID: 32915889; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7485968.

Contact Dr. Ben Greulich

(478) 301-2898
greulich_bm@mercer.edu
Office: Godsey Science Center, Room 322