Research Summary

Dr. Chesner’s research centers on uncovering molecular mechanisms that regulate prostate cancer development and treatment response. Her work examines hormone signaling, immune regulation in tumors, and utilizes genome-wide functional genomics approaches such as CRISPR screening to identify novel therapeutic targets. The Chesner lab is particularly interested in how hormone receptor activity affects antigen presentation and immune recognition in prostate cancer, as well as identifying synthetic lethal vulnerabilities in genetically defined tumors, including ATM-deficient prostate cancers.

Education

PhD, 2018 - Pharmacology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
MS, 08/2014 - Pharmacology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
BS, 06/2011 - Biology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Honors & Awards

  • Career Enhancement Program Award, UCSF Prostate Cancer SPORE, 2025
  • Pilot Research Award, UCSF Prostate Cancer Program, 2024
  • Early Investigator Research Award, Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program, 2020-2023
  • Young Investigator Award, Prostate Cancer Foundation, 2020-2023
  • Dr. Marvin and Hadassah Bananer Research Award, University of Minnesota, 2018
  • Honorable Mention, 3 Minute Thesis, University of Minnesota, 2018
  • Milne and Brandenburg Award, University of Minnesota, 2018
  • NHLBI T32 Training Grant, University of Minnesota, 2016-2018

Selected Publications

  1. Li H, Melnyk JE, Fu BXH, Shrestha R, Zhang M, Sjöström M, Feng S, Anderson JA, Han W, Chesner LN, Shin HJ, Farsh T, Suarez HJ, Nath S, Chou J, Das R, Egusa EA, Calvert M, Kishishita A, Barpanda A, Zhu J, Maheshwari A, Chen WS, Alshalalfa M, Winters A, Hua JT, Liu T, Davicioni E, Wiita AP, Stohr BA, Siddiqui J, Huang B, Small EJ, Shokat KM, Nelson PS, Quigley DA, Wasmuth EV, Gilbert LA, Feng FY. Genome-scale CRISPR screens identify PTGES3 as a direct modulator of androgen receptor function in advanced prostate cancer. View on PubMed
  2. Likasitwatanakul P, Besonen C, Tsai AK, Sadeghipour N, Elliott A, Arafa AT, Passow R, Chesner L, Felices M, Kennedy PR, Patnaik A, Narayan V, Hamrick J, Sena LA, Zorko NA, Hwang JH, Antonarakis ES. HLA class I expression shapes the tumor immune microenvironment and influences prognosis in prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2025 Oct 25. View on PubMed
  3. Li H, Melnyk JE, Fu BXH, Shrestha R, Zhang M, Sjöström M, Feng S, Anderson JA, Han W, Chesner LN, Shin HJ, Farsh T, Suarez HJ, Nath S, Chou J, Das R, Egusa EA, Zhu J, Winters A, Maheshwari A, Hua JT, Alshalalfa M, Chen WS, Calvert M, Davicioni E, Kishishita A, Barpanda A, Liu T, Wiita AP, Stohr BA, Siddiqui J, Huang B, Small EJ, Shokat KM, Nelson P, Quigley DA, Wasmuth EV, Gilbert LA, Feng FY. Genome-wide CRISPR screens identify PTGES3 as a novel AR modulator. bioRxiv. 2025 May 31. View on PubMed
  4. Li H, Younger NS, Malik B, Shin HJ, Zhang C, Niknafs Y, Zhao SG, Wilder-Romans K, Pitchiaya S, Han S, Barnard T, Lloyd P, Zhang M, Chesner LN, Calvert M, Egusa EA, Zhu J, Chou J, Das R, Kothari V, Shenoy T, Diolaiti ME, Malik R, Prensner JR, Burlingame A, Ashworth A, Chinnaiyan AM, Feng F, Li H. Identification and Characterization of PLUTO-201, a Novel Long Non-Coding RNA Associated with Poor Outcomes in Prostate Cancer. bioRxiv. 2025 May 24. View on PubMed
  5. Chesner LN, Polesso F, Graff JN, Hawley JE, Smith AK, Lundberg A, Das R, Shenoy T, Sjöström M, Zhao F, Hu YM, Linder S, Chen WS, Hawkins RM, Shrestha R, Zhu X, Foye A, Li H, Kim LM, Bhalla M, O'loughlin T, Kuzuoglu-Ozturk D, Hua JT, Badura ML, Wilkinson S, Trostel SY, Bergman AM, Ruggero D, Drake CG, Sowalsky AG, Fong L, Cooperberg MR, Zwart W, Guan X, Ashworth A, Xia Z, Quigley DA, Gilbert LA, Feng FY, Moran AE. Androgen Receptor Inhibition Increases MHC Class I Expression and Improves Immune Response in Prostate Cancer. Cancer Discov. 2025 Mar 03; 15(3):481-494. View on PubMed
  6. Miyahira AK, Sharifi M, Chesner LN, El-Kenawi A, Haas R, Sena LA, Tewari AK, Pienta KJ, Soule HR. Personalized Medicine: Leave no Patient Behind; Report From the 2024 Coffey-Holden Prostate Cancer Academy Meeting. Prostate. 2025 Feb; 85(3):211-226. View on PubMed
  7. Shrestha R, Chesner LN, Zhang M, Zhou S, Foye A, Lundberg A, Weinstein AS, Sjöström M, Zhu X, Moreno-Rodriguez T, Li H, SU2C/PCF West Coast Prostate Cancer Dream Team, Alumkal JJ, Aggarwal R, Small EJ, Lupien M, Quigley DA, Feng FY. An Atlas of Accessible Chromatin in Advanced Prostate Cancer Reveals the Epigenetic Evolution during Tumor Progression. Cancer Res. 2024 Sep 16; 84(18):3086-3100. View on PubMed
  8. Zhao SG, Bootsma M, Zhou S, Shrestha R, Moreno-Rodriguez T, Lundberg A, Pan C, Arlidge C, Hawley JR, Foye A, Weinstein AS, Sjöström M, Zhang M, Li H, Chesner LN, Rydzewski NR, Helzer KT, Shi Y, West Coast Dream Team Consortium, Lynch M, Dehm SM, Lang JM, Alumkal JJ, He HH, Wyatt AW, Aggarwal R, Zwart W, Small EJ, Quigley DA, Lupien M, Feng FY. Integrated analyses highlight interactions between the three-dimensional genome and DNA, RNA and epigenomic alterations in metastatic prostate cancer. Nat Genet. 2024 Aug; 56(8):1689-1700. View on PubMed
  9. Essawy M, Chesner L, Alshareef D, Ji S, Tretyakova N, Campbell C. Ubiquitin signaling and the proteasome drive human DNA-protein crosslink repair. Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 12 11; 51(22):12174-12184. View on PubMed
  10. Sjöström M, Zhao SG, Levy S, Zhang M, Ning Y, Shrestha R, Lundberg A, Herberts C, Foye A, Aggarwal R, Hua JT, Li H, Bergamaschi A, Maurice-Dror C, Maheshwari A, Chen S, Ng SWS, Ye W, Petricca J, Fraser M, Chesner L, Perry MD, Moreno-Rodriguez T, Chen WS, Alumkal JJ, Chou J, Morgans AK, Beer TM, Thomas GV, Gleave M, Lloyd P, Phillips T, McCarthy E, Haffner MC, Zoubeidi A, Annala M, Reiter RE, Rettig MB, Witte ON, Fong L, Bose R, Huang FW, Luo J, Bjartell A, Lang JM, Mahajan NP, Lara PN, Evans CP, Tran PT, Posadas EM, He C, Cui XL, Huang J, Zwart W, Gilbert LA, Maher CA, Boutros PC, Chi KN, Ashworth A, Small EJ, He HH, Wyatt AW, Quigley DA, Feng FY. The 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Landscape of Prostate Cancer. Cancer Res. 2022 11 02; 82(21):3888-3902. View on PubMed
  11. Das R, Sjöström M, Shrestha R, Yogodzinski C, Egusa EA, Chesner LN, Chen WS, Chou J, Dang DK, Swinderman JT, Ge A, Hua JT, Kabir S, Quigley DA, Small EJ, Ashworth A, Feng FY, Gilbert LA. An integrated functional and clinical genomics approach reveals genes driving aggressive metastatic prostate cancer. Nat Commun. 2021 07 29; 12(1):4601. View on PubMed
  12. Chesner LN, Essawy M, Warner C, Campbell C. DNA-protein crosslinks are repaired via homologous recombination in mammalian mitochondria. DNA Repair (Amst). 2021 01; 97:103026. View on PubMed
  13. Zhao SG, Chen WS, Li H, Foye A, Zhang M, Sjöström M, Aggarwal R, Playdle D, Liao A, Alumkal JJ, Das R, Chou J, Hua JT, Barnard TJ, Bailey AM, Chow ED, Perry MD, Dang HX, Yang R, Moussavi-Baygi R, Zhang L, Alshalalfa M, Laura Chang S, Houlahan KE, Shiah YJ, Beer TM, Thomas G, Chi KN, Gleave M, Zoubeidi A, Reiter RE, Rettig MB, Witte O, Yvonne Kim M, Fong L, Spratt DE, Morgan TM, Bose R, Huang FW, Li H, Chesner L, Shenoy T, Goodarzi H, Asangani IA, Sandhu S, Lang JM, Mahajan NP, Lara PN, Evans CP, Febbo P, Batzoglou S, Knudsen KE, He HH, Huang J, Zwart W, Costello JF, Luo J, Tomlins SA, Wyatt AW, Dehm SM, Ashworth A, Gilbert LA, Boutros PC, Farh K, Chinnaiyan AM, Maher CA, Small EJ, Quigley DA, Feng FY. The DNA methylation landscape of advanced prostate cancer. Nat Genet. 2020 08; 52(8):778-789. View on PubMed
  14. Chesner LN, Campbell C. A Simple, Rapid, and Quantitative Assay to Measure Repair of DNA-protein Crosslinks on Plasmids Transfected into Mammalian Cells. J Vis Exp. 2018 03 05; (133). View on PubMed
  15. Chesner LN, Campbell C. A quantitative PCR-based assay reveals that nucleotide excision repair plays a predominant role in the removal of DNA-protein crosslinks from plasmids transfected into mammalian cells. DNA Repair (Amst). 2018 02; 62:18-27. View on PubMed
  16. Chesner LN, Degner A, Sangaraju D, Yomtoubian S, Wickramaratne S, Malayappan B, Tretyakova N, Campbell C. Cellular Repair of DNA-DNA Cross-Links Induced by 1,2,3,4-Diepoxybutane. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 May 18; 18(5). View on PubMed
  17. Bandow N, Gilles VS, Freesmeier B, Semrau JD, Krentz B, Gallagher W, McEllistrem MT, Hartsel SC, Choi DW, Hargrove MS, Heard TM, Chesner LN, Braunreiter KM, Cao BV, Gavitt MM, Hoopes JZ, Johnson JM, Polster EM, Schoenick BD, Umlauf AM, DiSpirito AA. Spectral and copper binding properties of methanobactin from the facultative methanotroph Methylocystis strain SB2. J Inorg Biochem. 2012 May; 110:72-82. View on PubMed

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