Dr. Conzens laboratory studies mechanisms of survival signaling in breast cancer. One anti-apoptotic mechanism they have focused on is mediated through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). GR activation has been studied using cDNA microarray chip technology in mammary epithelial cells and has been shown to result in the transcriptional regulation of several genes that may be involved in anti-apoptotic responses. One such gene, SGK-1, is transcriptionally induced by the GR in mammary epithelial cells and by aldosterone action on the mineralicorticoid receptor in the kidney. SGK-1 has also been shown to be overexpressed in diabetic nephropathy in both humans and mouse models; thus, understanding SGK-1's regulation and function in breast epithelium may help us understand its role in the diabetic kidney.