The Human Cytomegalovirus Strain DB Activates Oncogenic Pathways in Mammary Epithelial Cells

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Amit Kumar

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV establishes a persistent life-long infection and increasing evidence indicates HCMV infection can modulate signaling pathways associated with oncogenesis. Breast milk is an important route of HCMV transmission in humans and we hypothesized that mammary epithelial cells could be one of the main cellular targets of HCMV infection. Methods: The infectivity of primary human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs was assessed following infection with the HCMV-DB strain, a clinical isolate with a marked macrophage-tropism. The impact of HCMV-DB infection on expression of p53 and retinoblastoma proteins, telomerase activity and oncogenic pathways (c-Myc, Akt, Ras, STAT3 was studied. Finally the transformation of HCMV-DB infected HMECs was evaluated using soft agar assay. CTH cells (CMV Transformed HMECs were detected in prolonged cultures of infected HMECs. Tumor formation was observed in NOD/SCID Gamma (NSG mice injected with CTH cells. Detection of long non coding RNA4.9 (lncRNA4.9 gene was assessed in CTH cells, tumors isolated from xenografted NSG mice and biopsies of patients with breast cancer using qualitative and quantitative PCR. Results: We found that HCMV, especially a clinical strain named HCMV-DB, infects HMECs in vitro. The clinical strain HCMV-DB replicates productively in HMECs as evidenced by detection of early and late viral transcripts and proteins. Following infection of HMECs with HCMV-DB, we observed the inactivation of retinoblastoma and p53 proteins, the activation of telomerase activity, the activation of the proto-oncogenes c-Myc and Ras, the activation of Akt and STAT3, and the upregulation of cyclin D1 and Ki67 antigen. Colony formation was observed in soft agar seeded with HCMV-DB-infected HMECs. Prolonged culture of infected HMECs resulted in the development of clusters of spheroid cells that we called CTH cells (CMV Transformed HMECs. CTH cells when injected in NOD/SCID Gamma (NSG mice

Oncogenic functions of the cancer-testis antigen SSX on the proliferation, survival, and signaling pathways of cancer cells.

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Padraig D'Arcy

Full Text Available SSX is a transcription factor with elusive oncogenic functions expressed in a variety of human tumors of epithelial and mesenchymal origin. It has raised substantial interest as a target for cancer therapy since it elicits humoral responses and displays restricted expression to cancer, spermatogonia and mesenchymal stem cells. Here, we investigated the oncogenic properties of SSX by employing a RNA interference to knock-down the endogenous expression of SSX in melanoma and osteosarcoma cell lines. Depletion of SSX expression resulted in reduced proliferation with cells accumulating in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. We found that the growth promoting and survival properties of SSX are mediated in part though modulation of MAPK/Erk and Wnt signaling pathways, since SSX silencing inhibited Erk-mediated signaling and transcription of cMYC and Akt-1. We also found that SSX forms a transient complex with β-catenin at the G1-S phase boundary resulting in the altered expression of β-catenin target genes such as E-cadherin, snail-2 and vimentin, involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transitions. Importantly the silencing of SSX expression in in vivo significantly impaired the growth of melanoma tumor xenografts. Tumor biopsies from SSX silenced tumors displayed reduced cyclin A staining, indicative of low proliferation and predominantly cycloplasmic β-catenin compared to SSX expressing tumors. The present study demonstrates a previously unknown function of SSX, that as an oncogene and as a tumor target for the development of novel anti-cancer drugs.

Oncogenes, radiation and cancer; Oncogenes, radiacion y cancer

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Michelin, S C

1999-12-31

The discovery of the oncogenic virus and the analysis of its nucleic acid, together with the development of new biochemical technology have permitted the partial knowledge of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the cellular neoplastic transformation. This work, besides describing the discovery of the first oncogenic virus and the experiments to demonstrate the existence of the oncogenes, summarizes its activation mechanisms and its intervention in cellular metabolisms. Ionizing radiation is among the external agents that induce the neoplastic process. Its participation in the genesis of this process and the contribution of oncogenes to the cellular radioresistance are among the topics, which are referred to another topic that makes reference. At the same time as the advancement of theoretical knowledge, lines of investigation for the application of the new concepts in diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutical treatment, were developed. An example of this, is the study of the participation of the oncogen c-erbB-2 in human breast cancer and its implications on the anti tumoral therapy. (author) 87 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs. [Espanol] El descubrimiento de los virus oncogenicos y el analisis de su acido nucleico, junto con el desarrollo de nuevas tecnicas bioquimicas, ha permitido conocer parcialmente los mecanismos moleculares responsables de la transformacion de una celula normal en neoplasica. En este trabajo, ademas de describir el descubrimiento de los primeros virus oncogenicos y las experiencias para demostrar la existencia de los oncogenes, se resumen sus mecanismos de activacion y su intervencion en el metabolismo celular. Entre los agentes expernos que inducen un proceso oncogenico, se encuentran las radiaciones ionizantes. Su participacion en la genesis de este proceso y la contribucion de los oncogenes a la radioresistencia de las celulas tumorales, es otro de los temas a que se hace referencia. Paralelamente al avance del conocimiento teorico, se

MO-DE-207B-03: Improved Cancer Classification Using Patient-Specific Biological Pathway Information Via Gene Expression Data

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Young, M; Craft, D [Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To develop an efficient, pathway-based classification system using network biology statistics to assist in patient-specific response predictions to radiation and drug therapies across multiple cancer types. Methods: We developed PICS (Pathway Informed Classification System), a novel two-step cancer classification algorithm. In PICS, a matrix m of mRNA expression values for a patient cohort is collapsed into a matrix p of biological pathways. The entries of p, which we term pathway scores, are obtained from either principal component analysis (PCA), normal tissue centroid (NTC), or gene expression deviation (GED). The pathway score matrix is clustered using both k-means and hierarchical clustering, and a clustering is judged by how well it groups patients into distinct survival classes. The most effective pathway scoring/clustering combination, per clustering p-value, thus generates various ‘signatures’ for conventional and functional cancer classification. Results: PICS successfully regularized large dimension gene data, separated normal and cancerous tissues, and clustered a large patient cohort spanning six cancer types. Furthermore, PICS clustered patient cohorts into distinct, statistically-significant survival groups. For a suboptimally-debulked ovarian cancer set, the pathway-classified Kaplan-Meier survival curve (p = .00127) showed significant improvement over that of a prior gene expression-classified study (p = .0179). For a pancreatic cancer set, the pathway-classified Kaplan-Meier survival curve (p = .00141) showed significant improvement over that of a prior gene expression-classified study (p = .04). Pathway-based classification confirmed biomarkers for the pyrimidine, WNT-signaling, glycerophosphoglycerol, beta-alanine, and panthothenic acid pathways for ovarian cancer. Despite its robust nature, PICS requires significantly less run time than current pathway scoring methods. Conclusion: This work validates the PICS method to improve

Validation of the prognostic gene portfolio, ClinicoMolecular Triad Classification, using an independent prospective breast cancer cohort and external patient populations.

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Wang, Dong-Yu; Done, Susan J; Mc Cready, David R; Leong, Wey L

2014-07-04

Using genome-wide expression profiles of a prospective training cohort of breast cancer patients, ClinicoMolecular Triad Classification (CMTC) was recently developed to classify breast cancers into three clinically relevant groups to aid treatment decisions. CMTC was found to be both prognostic and predictive in a large external breast cancer cohort in that study. This study serves to validate the reproducibility of CMTC and its prognostic value using independent patient cohorts. An independent internal cohort (n = 284) and a new external cohort (n = 2,181) were used to validate the association of CMTC between clinicopathological factors, 12 known gene signatures, two molecular subtype classifiers, and 19 oncogenic signalling pathway activities, and to reproduce the abilities of CMTC to predict clinical outcomes of breast cancer. In addition, we also updated the outcome data of the original training cohort (n = 147). The original training cohort reached a statistically significant difference (p value of the triad classification was reproduced in the second independent internal cohort and the new external validation cohort. CMTC achieved even higher prognostic significance when all available patients were analyzed (n = 4,851). Oncogenic pathways Myc, E2F1, Ras and β-catenin were again implicated in the high-risk groups. Both prospective internal cohorts and the independent external cohorts reproduced the triad classification of CMTC and its prognostic significance. CMTC is an independent prognostic predictor, and it outperformed 12 other known prognostic gene signatures, molecular subtype classifications, and all other standard prognostic clinicopathological factors. Our results support further development of CMTC portfolio into a guide for personalized breast cancer treatments.

Oncogenic K-Ras Activates p38 to Maintain Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation during MEK Inhibition

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Winan J. van Houdt

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Colon carcinomas frequently contain activating mutations in the K-ras proto-oncogene. K-ras itself is a poor drug target and drug development efforts have mostly focused on components of the classical Ras-activated MEK/ERK pathway. Here we have studied whether endogenous oncogenic K-ras affects the dependency of colorectal tumor cells on MEK/ERK signaling.

KIF26B, a novel oncogene, promotes proliferation and metastasis by activating the VEGF pathway in gastric cancer.

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Zhang, H; Ma, R-R; Wang, X-J; Su, Z-X; Chen, X; Shi, D-B; Guo, X-Y; Liu, H-T; Gao, P

2017-10-05

Tumor metastasis is the main reason of cancer-related death for gastric cancer (GC) patients and gene expression microarray data indicate that kinesin family member 26B (KIF26B) is one of the most upregulated genes in metastatic GC samples. Specifically, KIF26B expression was upregulated in a stepwise manner from non-tumorous gastric mucosa, primary GC tissues without metastasis, via primary GC tissues with metastasis, to secondary lymph node metastatic (LNM) foci. Increased expression of KIF26B was correlated with tumor size, positive LNM or distant metastases and poor prognosis. KIF26B, negatively regulated by miR-372, promoted GC cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic investigations confirmed that the main target of KIF26B was the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway, particularly by inhibition or overexpression of VEGFA, PXN, FAK, PIK3CA, BCL2 and CREB1. Thus, KIF26B, a novel oncogene regulated by miR-372, promotes proliferation and metastasis through the VEGF pathway in GC.

Oncogene-induced progression of preneoplastic rat tracheal epithelial cells to neoplasia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomassen, D.G.; Kelly, G.

1988-01-01

N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) induced preneoplastic variants of rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cells can be neo plastically transformed following transfection with oncogenic DNA. Variants differ with respect to the oncogenes required for neoplastic conversion. Polyma virus DNA transformed each of four variants neo plastically, whereas viral ras DNA only transformed two of four variants. These data demonstrate that preneoplastic variants of RTE cells differ with respect to the changes needed for conversion to neoplastic cells and that the variants tested are either at different stages or on different pathways of progression to neoplasia. (author)

An Oncogenic Role for Alternative NF-κB Signaling in DLBCL Revealed upon Deregulated BCL6 Expression

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Baochun Zhang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL is a complex disease comprising diverse subtypes and genetic profiles. Possibly because of the prevalence of genetic alterations activating canonical NF-κB activity, a role for oncogenic lesions that activate the alternative NF-κB pathway in DLBCL has remained elusive. Here, we show that deletion/mutation of TRAF3, a negative regulator of the alternative NF-κB pathway, occurs in ∼15% of DLBCLs and that it often coexists with BCL6 translocation, which prevents terminal B cell differentiation. Accordingly, in a mouse model constitutive activation of the alternative NF-κB pathway cooperates with BCL6 deregulation in DLBCL development. This work demonstrates a key oncogenic role for the alternative NF-κB pathway in DLBCL development.

Shared Oncogenic Pathways Implicated in Both Virus-Positive and UV-Induced Merkel Cell Carcinomas.

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González-Vela, María Del Carmen; Curiel-Olmo, Soraya; Derdak, Sophia; Beltran, Sergi; Santibañez, Miguel; Martínez, Nerea; Castillo-Trujillo, Alfredo; Gut, Martha; Sánchez-Pacheco, Roxana; Almaraz, Carmen; Cereceda, Laura; Llombart, Beatriz; Agraz-Doblas, Antonio; Revert-Arce, José; López Guerrero, José Antonio; Mollejo, Manuela; Marrón, Pablo Isidro; Ortiz-Romero, Pablo; Fernandez-Cuesta, Lynnette; Varela, Ignacio; Gut, Ivo; Cerroni, Lorenzo; Piris, Miguel Ángel; Vaqué, José Pedro

2017-01-01

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly malignant neuroendocrine tumor of the skin whose molecular pathogenesis is not completely understood, despite the role that Merkel cell polyomavirus can play in 55-90% of cases. To study potential mechanisms driving this disease in clinically characterized cases, we searched for somatic mutations using whole-exome sequencing, and extrapolated our findings to study functional biomarkers reporting on the activity of the mutated pathways. Confirming previous results, Merkel cell polyomavirus-negative tumors had higher mutational loads with UV signatures and more frequent mutations in TP53 and RB compared with their Merkel cell polyomavirus-positive counterparts. Despite important genetic differences, the two Merkel cell carcinoma etiologies both exhibited nuclear accumulation of oncogenic transcription factors such as NFAT or nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), P-CREB, and P-STAT3, indicating commonly deregulated pathogenic mechanisms with the potential to serve as targets for therapy. A multivariable analysis identified phosphorylated CRE-binding protein as an independent survival factor with respect to clinical variables and Merkel cell polyomavirus status in our cohort of Merkel cell carcinoma patients. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oncogenic LINE-1 Retroelements Sustain Prostate Tumor Cells and Promote Metastatic Progression

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2015-10-01

limit to 20 words ). 3. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The PI is reminded that the recipient organization is required to obtain prior written approval...activating novel oncogenic transcriptional pathways and by acting as a telomerase thereby contributing to immortalization of the metastases. We also

Oncogenic Notch signaling in T-cell and B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Mark Y; Radojcic, Vedran; Maillard, Ivan

2016-07-01

This article highlights recent discoveries about Notch activation and its oncogenic functions in lymphoid malignancies, and discusses the therapeutic potential of Notch inhibition. NOTCH mutations arise in a broad spectrum of lymphoid malignancies and are increasingly scrutinized as putative therapeutic targets. In T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), NOTCH1 mutations affect the extracellular negative regulatory region and lead to constitutive Notch activation, although mutated receptors remain sensitive to Notch ligands. Other NOTCH1 mutations in T-ALL and NOTCH1/2 mutations in multiple B-cell malignancies truncate the C-terminal proline (P), glutamic acid (E), serine (S), threonine (T)-rich (PEST) domain, leading to decreased Notch degradation after ligand-mediated activation. Thus, targeting Notch ligand-receptor interactions could provide therapeutic benefits. In addition, we discuss recent reports on clinical testing of Notch inhibitors in T-ALL that influenced contemporary thinking on the challenges of targeting Notch in cancer. We review advances in the laboratory to address these challenges in regards to drug targets, the Notch-driven metabolome, and the sophisticated protein-protein interactions at Notch-dependent superenhancers that underlie oncogenic Notch functions. Notch signaling is a recurrent oncogenic pathway in multiple T- and B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Understanding the complexity and consequences of Notch activation is critical to define optimal therapeutic strategies targeting the Notch pathway.

Computational design of selective peptides to discriminate between similar PDZ domains in an oncogenic pathway.

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Zheng, Fan; Jewell, Heather; Fitzpatrick, Jeremy; Zhang, Jian; Mierke, Dale F; Grigoryan, Gevorg

2015-01-30

Reagents that target protein-protein interactions to rewire signaling are of great relevance in biological research. Computational protein design may offer a means of creating such reagents on demand, but methods for encoding targeting selectivity are sorely needed. This is especially challenging when targeting interactions with ubiquitous recognition modules--for example, PDZ domains, which bind C-terminal sequences of partner proteins. Here we consider the problem of designing selective PDZ inhibitor peptides in the context of an oncogenic signaling pathway, in which two PDZ domains (NHERF-2 PDZ2-N2P2 and MAGI-3 PDZ6-M3P6) compete for a receptor C-terminus to differentially modulate oncogenic activities. Because N2P2 has been shown to increase tumorigenicity and M3P6 to decreases it, we sought to design peptides that inhibit N2P2 without affecting M3P6. We developed a structure-based computational design framework that models peptide flexibility in binding yet is efficient enough to rapidly analyze tradeoffs between affinity and selectivity. Designed peptides showed low-micromolar inhibition constants for N2P2 and no detectable M3P6 binding. Peptides designed for reverse discrimination bound M3P6 tighter than N2P2, further testing our technology. Experimental and computational analysis of selectivity determinants revealed significant indirect energetic coupling in the binding site. Successful discrimination between N2P2 and M3P6, despite their overlapping binding preferences, is highly encouraging for computational approaches to selective PDZ targeting, especially because design relied on a homology model of M3P6. Still, we demonstrate specific deficiencies of structural modeling that must be addressed to enable truly robust design. The presented framework is general and can be applied in many scenarios to engineer selective targeting. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developmental defects in zebrafish for classification of EGF pathway inhibitors

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Pruvot, Benoist; Curé, Yoann; Djiotsa, Joachim; Voncken, Audrey; Muller, Marc, E-mail: m.muller@ulg.ac.be

2014-01-15

One of the major challenges when testing drug candidates targeted at a specific pathway in whole animals is the discrimination between specific effects and unwanted, off-target effects. Here we used the zebrafish to define several developmental defects caused by impairment of Egf signaling, a major pathway of interest in tumor biology. We inactivated Egf signaling by genetically blocking Egf expression or using specific inhibitors of the Egf receptor function. We show that the combined occurrence of defects in cartilage formation, disturbance of blood flow in the trunk and a decrease of myelin basic protein expression represent good indicators for impairment of Egf signaling. Finally, we present a classification of known tyrosine kinase inhibitors according to their specificity for the Egf pathway. In conclusion, we show that developmental indicators can help to discriminate between specific effects on the target pathway from off-target effects in molecularly targeted drug screening experiments in whole animal systems. - Highlights: • We analyze the functions of Egf signaling on zebrafish development. • Genetic blocking of Egf expression causes cartilage, myelin and circulatory defects. • Chemical inhibition of Egf receptor function causes similar defects. • Developmental defects can reveal the specificity of Egf pathway inhibitors.

Developmental defects in zebrafish for classification of EGF pathway inhibitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pruvot, Benoist; Curé, Yoann; Djiotsa, Joachim; Voncken, Audrey; Muller, Marc

2014-01-01

One of the major challenges when testing drug candidates targeted at a specific pathway in whole animals is the discrimination between specific effects and unwanted, off-target effects. Here we used the zebrafish to define several developmental defects caused by impairment of Egf signaling, a major pathway of interest in tumor biology. We inactivated Egf signaling by genetically blocking Egf expression or using specific inhibitors of the Egf receptor function. We show that the combined occurrence of defects in cartilage formation, disturbance of blood flow in the trunk and a decrease of myelin basic protein expression represent good indicators for impairment of Egf signaling. Finally, we present a classification of known tyrosine kinase inhibitors according to their specificity for the Egf pathway. In conclusion, we show that developmental indicators can help to discriminate between specific effects on the target pathway from off-target effects in molecularly targeted drug screening experiments in whole animal systems. - Highlights: • We analyze the functions of Egf signaling on zebrafish development. • Genetic blocking of Egf expression causes cartilage, myelin and circulatory defects. • Chemical inhibition of Egf receptor function causes similar defects. • Developmental defects can reveal the specificity of Egf pathway inhibitors

Oncogenic N-Ras Stimulates SRF-Mediated Transactivation via H3 Acetylation at Lysine 9

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Sun-Ju Yi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Signal transduction pathways regulate the gene expression by altering chromatin dynamics in response to mitogens. Ras proteins are key regulators linking extracellular stimuli to a diverse range of biological responses associated with gene regulation. In mammals, the three ras genes encode four Ras protein isoforms: H-Ras, K-Ras4A, K-Ras4B, and N-Ras. Although emerging evidence suggests that Ras isoforms differentially regulate gene expressions and are functionally nonredundant, the mechanisms underlying Ras specificity and Ras signaling effects on gene expression remain unclear. Here, we show that oncogenic N-Ras acts as the most potent regulator of SRF-, NF-κB-, and AP-1-dependent transcription. N-Ras-RGL2 axis is a distinct signaling pathway for SRF target gene expression such as Egr1 and JunB, as RGL2 Ras binding domain (RBD significantly impaired oncogenic N-Ras-induced SRE activation. By monitoring the effect of Ras isoforms upon the change of global histone modifications in oncogenic Ras-overexpressed cells, we discovered that oncogenic N-Ras elevates H3K9ac/H3K23ac levels globally in the chromatin context. Importantly, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP assays revealed that H3K9ac is significantly enriched at the promoter and coding regions of Egr1 and JunB. Collectively, our findings define an undocumented role of N-Ras in modulating of H3 acetylation and in gene regulation.

PAK1 is a breast cancer oncogene that coordinately activates MAPK and MET signaling

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Shrestha, Yashaswi; Schafer, Eric J.; Boehm, Jesse S.; Thomas, Sapana R.; He, Frank; Du, Jinyan; Wang, Shumei; Barretina, Jordi; Weir, Barbara A.; Zhao, Jean J.; Polyak, Kornelia; Golub, Todd R.; Beroukhim, Rameen; Hahn, William C.

2011-01-01

Activating mutations in the RAS family or BRAF frequently occur in many types of human cancers but are rarely detected in breast tumors. However, activation of the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathway is commonly observed in human breast cancers, suggesting that other genetic alterations lead to activation of this signaling pathway. To identify breast cancer oncogenes that activate the MAPK pathway, we screened a library of human kinases for their ability to induce ...

Oncogenes, radiation and cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michelin, S.C.

1998-01-01

The discovery of the oncogenic virus and the analysis of its nucleic acid, together with the development of new biochemical technology have permitted the partial knowledge of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the cellular neoplastic transformation. This work, besides describing the discovery of the first oncogenic virus and the experiments to demonstrate the existence of the oncogenes, summarizes its activation mechanisms and its intervention in cellular metabolisms. Ionizing radiation is among the external agents that induce the neoplastic process. Its participation in the genesis of this process and the contribution of oncogenes to the cellular radioresistance are among the topics, which are referred to another topic that makes reference. At the same time as the advancement of theoretical knowledge, lines of investigation for the application of the new concepts in diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutical treatment, were developed. An example of this, is the study of the participation of the oncogen c-erbB-2 in human breast cancer and its implications on the anti tumoral therapy. (author) [es

Decomposing Oncogenic Transcriptional Signatures to Generate Maps of Divergent Cellular States.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jong Wook; Abudayyeh, Omar O; Yeerna, Huwate; Yeang, Chen-Hsiang; Stewart, Michelle; Jenkins, Russell W; Kitajima, Shunsuke; Konieczkowski, David J; Medetgul-Ernar, Kate; Cavazos, Taylor; Mah, Clarence; Ting, Stephanie; Van Allen, Eliezer M; Cohen, Ofir; Mcdermott, John; Damato, Emily; Aguirre, Andrew J; Liang, Jonathan; Liberzon, Arthur; Alexe, Gabriella; Doench, John; Ghandi, Mahmoud; Vazquez, Francisca; Weir, Barbara A; Tsherniak, Aviad; Subramanian, Aravind; Meneses-Cime, Karina; Park, Jason; Clemons, Paul; Garraway, Levi A; Thomas, David; Boehm, Jesse S; Barbie, David A; Hahn, William C; Mesirov, Jill P; Tamayo, Pablo

2017-08-23

The systematic sequencing of the cancer genome has led to the identification of numerous genetic alterations in cancer. However, a deeper understanding of the functional consequences of these alterations is necessary to guide appropriate therapeutic strategies. Here, we describe Onco-GPS (OncoGenic Positioning System), a data-driven analysis framework to organize individual tumor samples with shared oncogenic alterations onto a reference map defined by their underlying cellular states. We applied the methodology to the RAS pathway and identified nine distinct components that reflect transcriptional activities downstream of RAS and defined several functional states associated with patterns of transcriptional component activation that associates with genomic hallmarks and response to genetic and pharmacological perturbations. These results show that the Onco-GPS is an effective approach to explore the complex landscape of oncogenic cellular states across cancers, and an analytic framework to summarize knowledge, establish relationships, and generate more effective disease models for research or as part of individualized precision medicine paradigms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A view on EGFR-targeted therapies from the oncogene-addiction perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez, Rolando; Crombet, Tania; de Leon, Joel; Moreno, Ernesto

2013-01-01

Tumor cell growth and survival can often be impaired by inactivating a single oncogen- a phenomenon that has been called as "oncogene addiction." It is in such scenarios that molecular targeted therapies may succeed. among known oncogenes, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has become the target of different cancer therapies. So far, however, the clinical benefit from EGFR-targeted therapies has been rather limited. a critical review of the large amount of clinical data obtained with anti-EGFR agents, carried out from the perspective of the oncogene addiction concept, may help to understand the causes of the unsatisfactory results. In this article we intend to do such an exercise taking as basis for the analysis a few case studies of anti-EGFR agents that are currently in the clinic. There, the "EGFR addiction" phenomenon becomes apparent in high-responder patients. We further discuss how the concept of oncogene addiction needs to be interpreted on the light of emerging experimental evidences and ideas; in particular, that EGFR addiction may reflect the interconnection of several cellular pathways. In this regard we set forth several hypotheses; namely, that requirement of higher glucose uptake by hypoxic tumor cells may reinforce EGFR addiction; and that chronic use of EGFR-targeted antibodies in EGFR-addicted tumors would induce stable disease by reversing the malignant phenotype of cancer stem cells and also by sustaining an anti-tumor T cell response. Finally, we discuss possible reasons for the failure of certain combinatorial therapies involving anti-EGFR agents, arguing that some of these agents might produce either a negative or a positive trans-modulation effect on other oncogenes. It becomes evident that we need operational definitions of EGFR addiction in order to determine which patient populations may benefit from treatment with anti-EGFR drugs, and to improve the design of these therapies.

A view on EGFR-targeted therapies from the oncogene-addiction perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rolando ePerez

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Tumor cell growth and survival can often be impaired by inactivating a single oncogen – a phenomenon that has been called as 'oncogene addiction'. It is in such scenarios that molecular targeted therapies may succeed. Among known oncogenes, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR has become the target of different cancer therapies. So far, however, the clinical benefit from EGFR-targeted therapies has been rather limited. A critical review of the large amount of clinical data obtained with anti-EGFR agents, carried out from the perspective of the oncogene addiction concept, may help to understand the causes of the unsatisfactory results. In this article we intend to do such an exercise taking as basis for the analysis a few case studies of anti-EGFR agents that are currently in the clinic. There, the 'EGFR addiction' phenomenon becomes apparent in high-responder patients. We further discuss how the concept of oncogene addiction needs to be interpreted on the light of emerging experimental evidences and ideas; in particular, that EGFR addiction may reflect the interconnection of several cellular pathways. In this regard we set forth several hypotheses; namely, that requirement of higher glucose uptake by hypoxic tumor cells may reinforce EGFR addiction; and that chronic use of EGFR-targeted antibodies in EGFR-addicted tumors would induce stable disease by reversing the malignant phenotype of cancer stem cells and also by sustaining an anti-tumor T cell response. Finally, we discuss possible reasons for the failure of certain combinatorial therapies involving anti-EGFR agents, arguing that some of these agents might produce either a negative or a positive trans-modulation effect on other oncogenes. It becomes evident that we need operational definitions of EGFR addiction in order to determine which patient populations may benefit from treatment with anti-EGFR drugs, and to improve the design of these therapies.

Differential p53 engagement in response to oxidative and oncogenic stresses in Fanconi anemia mice

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Rani, Reena; Li, Jie; Pang, Qishen

2008-01-01

Members of the Fanconi anemia (FA) protein family are involved in repair of genetic damage caused by DNA cross-linkers. It is not clear whether the FA proteins function in oxidative DNA damage and oncogenic stress response. Here we report that deficiency in the Fanca gene in mice elicits a p53-dependent growth arrest and DNA damage response to oxidative DNA damage and oncogenic stress. Using a Fanca-/- Trp53-/- double knockout model and a functionally switchable p53 retrovirus, we define the kinetics, dependence, and persistence of p53-mediated response to oxidative and oncogenic stresses in Fanca-/- cells. Notably, oxidative stress induces persistent p53 response in Fanca-/- cells, likely due to accumulation of unrepaired DNA damage. On the other hand, whereas WT cells exhibit prolonged response to oncogene activation, the p53-activating signals induced by oncogenic ras are short-lived in Fanca-/- cells, suggesting that Fanca may be required for the cell to engage p53 during constitutive ras activation. We propose that the FA proteins protect cells from stress-induced proliferative arrest and tumor evolution by acting as a modulator of the signaling pathways that link FA to p53. PMID:19047147

Differential p53 engagement in response to oxidative and oncogenic stresses in Fanconi anemia mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Rani, Reena; Li, Jie; Pang, Qishen

2008-12-01

Members of the Fanconi anemia (FA) protein family are involved in repair of genetic damage caused by DNA cross-linkers. It is not clear whether the FA proteins function in oxidative DNA damage and oncogenic stress response. Here, we report that deficiency in the Fanca gene in mice elicits a p53-dependent growth arrest and DNA damage response to oxidative DNA damage and oncogenic stress. Using a Fanca-/-Trp53-/- double knockout model and a functionally switchable p53 retrovirus, we define the kinetics, dependence, and persistence of p53-mediated response to oxidative and oncogenic stresses in Fanca-/- cells. Notably, oxidative stress induces persistent p53 response in Fanca-/- cells, likely due to accumulation of unrepaired DNA damage. On the other hand, whereas wild-type cells exhibit prolonged response to oncogene activation, the p53-activating signals induced by oncogenic ras are short-lived in Fanca-/- cells, suggesting that Fanca may be required for the cell to engage p53 during constitutive ras activation. We propose that the FA proteins protect cells from stress-induced proliferative arrest and tumor evolution by acting as a modulator of the signaling pathways that link FA to p53.

Finding Combination of Features from Promoter Regions for Ovarian Cancer-related Gene Group Classification

KAUST Repository

Olayan, Rawan S.

2012-01-01

In classification problems, it is always important to use the suitable combination of features that will be employed by classifiers. Generating the right combination of features usually results in good classifiers. In the situation when the problem is not well understood, data items are usually described by many features in the hope that some of these may be the relevant or most relevant ones. In this study, we focus on one such problem related to genes implicated in ovarian cancer (OC). We try to recognize two important OC-related gene groups: oncogenes, which support the development and progression of OC, and oncosuppressors, which oppose such tendencies. For this, we use the properties of promoters of these genes. We identified potential “regulatory features” that characterize OC-related oncogenes and oncosuppressors promoters. In our study, we used 211 oncogenes and 39 oncosuppressors. For these, we identified 538 characteristic sequence motifs from their promoters. Promoters are annotated by these motifs and derived feature vectors used to develop classification models. We made a comparison of a number of classification models in their ability to distinguish oncogenes from oncosuppressors. Based on 10-fold cross-validation, the resultant model was able to separate the two classes with sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 100% with the complete set of features. Moreover, we developed another recognition model where we attempted to distinguish oncogenes and oncosuppressors as one group from other OC-related genes. That model achieved accuracy of 82%. We believe that the results of this study will help in discovering other OC-related oncogenes and oncosuppressors not identified as yet.

Finding Combination of Features from Promoter Regions for Ovarian Cancer-related Gene Group Classification

KAUST Repository

Olayan, Rawan S.

2012-12-01

In classification problems, it is always important to use the suitable combination of features that will be employed by classifiers. Generating the right combination of features usually results in good classifiers. In the situation when the problem is not well understood, data items are usually described by many features in the hope that some of these may be the relevant or most relevant ones. In this study, we focus on one such problem related to genes implicated in ovarian cancer (OC). We try to recognize two important OC-related gene groups: oncogenes, which support the development and progression of OC, and oncosuppressors, which oppose such tendencies. For this, we use the properties of promoters of these genes. We identified potential “regulatory features” that characterize OC-related oncogenes and oncosuppressors promoters. In our study, we used 211 oncogenes and 39 oncosuppressors. For these, we identified 538 characteristic sequence motifs from their promoters. Promoters are annotated by these motifs and derived feature vectors used to develop classification models. We made a comparison of a number of classification models in their ability to distinguish oncogenes from oncosuppressors. Based on 10-fold cross-validation, the resultant model was able to separate the two classes with sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 100% with the complete set of features. Moreover, we developed another recognition model where we attempted to distinguish oncogenes and oncosuppressors as one group from other OC-related genes. That model achieved accuracy of 82%. We believe that the results of this study will help in discovering other OC-related oncogenes and oncosuppressors not identified as yet.

Ras oncogenes in oral cancer: the past 20 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Murugan, Avaniyapuram Kannan; Munirajan, Arasambattu Kannan; Tsuchida, Nobuo

2012-05-01

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of head and neck is associated with high morbidity and mortality in both Western and Asian countries. Several risk factors for the development of oral cancer are very well established, including tobacco chewing, betel quid, smoking, alcohol drinking and human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Apart from these risk factors, many genetic factors such as oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes and regulatory genes are identified to involve in oral carcinogenesis with these risk factors dependent and independent manner. Ras is one of the most frequently genetically deregulated oncogene in oral cancer. In this review, we analyze the past 22years of literature on genetic alterations such as mutations and amplifications of the isoforms of the ras oncogene in oral cancer. Further, we addressed the isoform-specific role of the ras in oral carcinogenesis. We also discussed how targeting the Akt and MEK, downstream effectors of the PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways, respectively, would probably pave the possible molecular therapeutic target for the ras driven tumorigenesis in oral cancer. Analysis of these ras isoforms may critically enlighten specific role of a particular ras isoform in oral carcinogenesis, enhance prognosis and pave the way for isoform-specific molecular targeted therapy in OSCC. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved prognostic classification of breast cancer defined by antagonistic activation patterns of immune response pathway modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teschendorff, Andrew E; Gomez, Sergio; Arenas, Alex; El-Ashry, Dorraya; Schmidt, Marcus; Gehrmann, Mathias; Caldas, Carlos

2010-01-01

Elucidating the activation pattern of molecular pathways across a given tumour type is a key challenge necessary for understanding the heterogeneity in clinical response and for developing novel more effective therapies. Gene expression signatures of molecular pathway activation derived from perturbation experiments in model systems as well as structural models of molecular interactions ('model signatures') constitute an important resource for estimating corresponding activation levels in tumours. However, relatively few strategies for estimating pathway activity from such model signatures exist and only few studies have used activation patterns of pathways to refine molecular classifications of cancer. Here we propose a novel network-based method for estimating pathway activation in tumours from model signatures. We find that although the pathway networks inferred from cancer expression data are highly consistent with the prior information contained in the model signatures, that they also exhibit a highly modular structure and that estimation of pathway activity is dependent on this modular structure. We apply our methodology to a panel of 438 estrogen receptor negative (ER-) and 785 estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancers to infer activation patterns of important cancer related molecular pathways. We show that in ER negative basal and HER2+ breast cancer, gene expression modules reflecting T-cell helper-1 (Th1) and T-cell helper-2 (Th2) mediated immune responses play antagonistic roles as major risk factors for distant metastasis. Using Boolean interaction Cox-regression models to identify non-linear pathway combinations associated with clinical outcome, we show that simultaneous high activation of Th1 and low activation of a TGF-beta pathway module defines a subtype of particularly good prognosis and that this classification provides a better prognostic model than those based on the individual pathways. In ER+ breast cancer, we find that

Characterization of ERAS, a putative novel human oncogene, in skin and breast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peña Avalos, B.L. de la

2014-07-01

Most human tumors have mutations in genes of the RAS small GTPase protein family. RAS works as a molecular switch for signaling pathways that modulate many aspects of cell behavior, including proliferation, differentiation, motility and death. Oncogenic mutations in RAS prevent GTP hydrolysis, locking RAS in a permanently active state, being the most common mutations in HRAS, KRAS and NRAS. The human RAS family consists of at least 36 different genes, many of which have been scarcely studied. One of these relatively unknown genes is ERAS (ES cell-expressed RAS), which is a constitutively active RAS protein, localized in chromosome X and expressed only in embryonic cells, being undetectable in adult tissues. New high throughput technologies have made it possible to screen complete cancer genomes for identification of mutations associated to cancer. Using the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system, ERAS was identified as a putative novel oncogene in non-melanoma skin and breast cancers. The major aim of this project is to determine the general characteristics of ERAS as a putative novel human oncogene in skin and breast cells. Forced expression of ERAS results in drastic changes in cell shape, proliferation and motility. When ERAS is overexpressed in skin and breast human cells it is mainly localized in the cytoplasmic membrane. ERAS activates the phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI3K) pathway but not the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. ERAS-expressing cells suffer spontaneous morphologic and phenotypic EMT-like changes, including cytoskeleton reorganization, vimentin and N-cadherin up-regulation and down-regulation of E-cadherin, which can be associated with increased malignancy, and invasive and metastatic potential. Our results suggest that inappropriate expression of ERAS lead to transformation of human cells. (Author)

Oncogenic Signaling Pathways in The Cancer Genome Atlas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sanchez-Vega, Francisco; Mina, Marco; Armenia, Joshua; Chatila, Walid K.; Luna, Augustin; La, Konnor C.; Dimitriadoy, Sofia; Liu, David L.; Kantheti, Havish S.; Saghafinia, Sadegh; Chakravarty, Debyani; Daian, Foysal; Gao, Qingsong; Bailey, Matthew H.; Liang, Wen Wei; Foltz, Steven M.; Shmulevich, Ilya; Ding, Li; Heins, Zachary J.; Ochoa, Angelica; Gross, Benjamin E.; Gao, Jianjiong; Zhang, Hongxin; Kundra, Ritika; Kandoth, Cyriac; Bahceci, Istemi; Dervishi, Leonard; Dogrusoz, Ugur; Zhou, Wanding; Shen, Hui; Laird, Peter W.; Way, Gregory P.; Greene, Casey S.; Liang, Han; Xiao, Yonghong; Wang, Chen; Iavarone, Antonio; Berger, Alice H.; Bivona, Trever G.; Lazar, Alexander J.; Hammer, Gary D.; Giordano, Thomas; Kwong, Lawrence N.; McArthur, Grant; Huang, Chenfei; Tward, Aaron D.; Frederick, Mitchell J.; McCormick, Frank; Meyerson, Matthew; Caesar-Johnson, Samantha J.; Demchok, John A.; Felau, Ina; Kasapi, Melpomeni; Ferguson, Martin L.; Hutter, Carolyn M.; Sofia, Heidi J.; Tarnuzzer, Roy; Wang, Zhining; Yang, Liming; Zenklusen, Jean C.; Zhang, Jiashan (Julia); Chudamani, Sudha; Liu, Jia; Lolla, Laxmi; Naresh, Rashi; Pihl, Todd; Sun, Qiang; Wan, Yunhu; Wu, Ye; Cho, Juok; DeFreitas, Timothy; Frazer, Scott; Gehlenborg, Nils; Getz, Gad; Heiman, David I.; Kim, Jaegil; Lawrence, Michael S.; Lin, Pei; Meier, Sam; Noble, Michael S.; Saksena, Gordon; Voet, Doug; Zhang, Hailei; Bernard, Brady; Chambwe, Nyasha; Dhankani, Varsha; Knijnenburg, Theo; Kramer, Roger; Leinonen, Kalle; Liu, Yuexin; Miller, Michael; Reynolds, Sheila; Shmulevich, Ilya; Thorsson, Vesteinn; Zhang, Wei; Akbani, Rehan; Broom, Bradley M.; Hegde, Apurva M.; Ju, Zhenlin; Kanchi, Rupa S.; Korkut, Anil; Li, Jun; Liang, Han; Ling, Shiyun; Liu, Wenbin; Lu, Yiling; Mills, Gordon B.; Ng, Kwok Shing; Rao, Arvind; Ryan, Michael; Wang, Jing; Weinstein, John N.; Zhang, Jiexin; Abeshouse, Adam; Armenia, Joshua; Chakravarty, Debyani; Chatila, Walid K.; de Bruijn, Ino; Gao, Jianjiong; Gross, Benjamin E.; Heins, Zachary J.; Kundra, Ritika; La, Konnor; Ladanyi, Marc; Luna, Augustin; Nissan, Moriah G.; Ochoa, Angelica; Phillips, Sarah M.; Reznik, Ed; Sanchez-Vega, Francisco; Sander, Chris; Schultz, Nikolaus; Sheridan, Robert; Sumer, S. Onur; Sun, Yichao; Taylor, Barry S.; Wang, Jioajiao; Zhang, Hongxin; Anur, Pavana; Peto, Myron; Spellman, Paul; Benz, Christopher; Stuart, Joshua M.; Wong, Christopher K.; Yau, Christina; Hayes, D. Neil; Parker, Joel S.; Wilkerson, Matthew D.; Ally, Adrian; Balasundaram, Miruna; Bowlby, Reanne; Brooks, Denise; Carlsen, Rebecca; Chuah, Eric; Dhalla, Noreen; Holt, Robert; Jones, Steven J.M.; Kasaian, Katayoon; Lee, Darlene; Ma, Yussanne; Marra, Marco A.; Mayo, Michael; Moore, Richard A.; Mungall, Andrew J.; Mungall, Karen; Robertson, A. Gordon; Sadeghi, Sara; Schein, Jacqueline E.; Sipahimalani, Payal; Tam, Angela; Thiessen, Nina; Tse, Kane; Wong, Tina; Berger, Ashton C.; Beroukhim, Rameen; Cherniack, Andrew D.; Cibulskis, Carrie; Gabriel, Stacey B.; Gao, Galen F.; Ha, Gavin; Meyerson, Matthew; Schumacher, Steven E.; Shih, Juliann; Kucherlapati, Melanie H.; Kucherlapati, Raju S.; Baylin, Stephen; Cope, Leslie; Danilova, Ludmila; Bootwalla, Moiz S.; Lai, Phillip H.; Maglinte, Dennis T.; Van Den Berg, David J.; Weisenberger, Daniel J.; Auman, J. Todd; Balu, Saianand; Bodenheimer, Tom; Fan, Cheng; Hoadley, Katherine A.; Hoyle, Alan P.; Jefferys, Stuart R.; Jones, Corbin D.; Meng, Shaowu; Mieczkowski, Piotr A.; Mose, Lisle E.; Perou, Amy H.; Perou, Charles M.; Roach, Jeffrey; Shi, Yan; Simons, Janae V.; Skelly, Tara; Soloway, Matthew G.; Tan, Donghui; Veluvolu, Umadevi; Fan, Huihui; Hinoue, Toshinori; Laird, Peter W.; Shen, Hui; Zhou, Wanding; Bellair, Michelle; Chang, Kyle; Covington, Kyle; Creighton, Chad J.; Dinh, Huyen; Doddapaneni, Harsha Vardhan; Donehower, Lawrence A.; Drummond, Jennifer; Gibbs, Richard A.; Glenn, Robert; Hale, Walker; Han, Yi; Hu, Jianhong; Korchina, Viktoriya; Lee, Sandra; Lewis, Lora; Li, Wei; Liu, Xiuping; Morgan, Margaret; Morton, Donna; Muzny, Donna; Santibanez, Jireh; Sheth, Margi; Shinbrot, Eve; Wang, Linghua; Wang, Min; Wheeler, David A.; Xi, Liu; Zhao, Fengmei; Hess, Julian; Appelbaum, Elizabeth L.; Bailey, Matthew; Cordes, Matthew G.; Ding, Li; Fronick, Catrina C.; Fulton, Lucinda A.; Fulton, Robert S.; Kandoth, Cyriac; Mardis, Elaine R.; McLellan, Michael D.; Miller, Christopher A.; Schmidt, Heather K.; Wilson, Richard K.; Crain, Daniel; Curley, Erin; Gardner, Johanna; Lau, Kevin; Mallery, David; Morris, Scott; Paulauskis, Joseph; Penny, Robert; Shelton, Candace; Shelton, Troy; Sherman, Mark; Thompson, Eric; Yena, Peggy; Bowen, Jay; Gastier-Foster, Julie M.; Gerken, Mark; Leraas, Kristen M.; Lichtenberg, Tara M.; Ramirez, Nilsa C.; Wise, Lisa; Zmuda, Erik; Corcoran, Niall; Costello, Tony; Hovens, Christopher; Carvalho, Andre L.; de Carvalho, Ana C.; Fregnani, José H.; Longatto-Filho, Adhemar; Reis, Rui M.; Scapulatempo-Neto, Cristovam; Silveira, Henrique C.S.; Vidal, Daniel O.; Burnette, Andrew; Eschbacher, Jennifer; Hermes, Beth; Noss, Ardene; Singh, Rosy; Anderson, Matthew L.; Castro, Patricia D.; Ittmann, Michael; Huntsman, David; Kohl, Bernard; Le, Xuan; Thorp, Richard; Andry, Chris; Duffy, Elizabeth R.; Lyadov, Vladimir; Paklina, Oxana; Setdikova, Galiya; Shabunin, Alexey; Tavobilov, Mikhail; McPherson, Christopher; Warnick, Ronald; Berkowitz, Ross; Cramer, Daniel; Feltmate, Colleen; Horowitz, Neil; Kibel, Adam; Muto, Michael; Raut, Chandrajit P.; Malykh, Andrei; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill S.; Barrett, Wendi; Devine, Karen; Fulop, Jordonna; Ostrom, Quinn T.; Shimmel, Kristen; Wolinsky, Yingli; Sloan, Andrew E.; De Rose, Agostino; Giuliante, Felice; Goodman, Marc; Karlan, Beth Y.; Hagedorn, Curt H.; Eckman, John; Harr, Jodi; Myers, Jerome; Tucker, Kelinda; Zach, Leigh Anne; Deyarmin, Brenda; Hu, Hai; Kvecher, Leonid; Larson, Caroline; Mural, Richard J.; Somiari, Stella; Vicha, Ales; Zelinka, Tomas; Bennett, Joseph; Iacocca, Mary; Rabeno, Brenda; Swanson, Patricia; Latour, Mathieu; Lacombe, Louis; Têtu, Bernard; Bergeron, Alain; McGraw, Mary; Staugaitis, Susan M.; Chabot, John; Hibshoosh, Hanina; Sepulveda, Antonia; Su, Tao; Wang, Timothy; Potapova, Olga; Voronina, Olga; Desjardins, Laurence; Mariani, Odette; Roman-Roman, Sergio; Sastre, Xavier; Stern, Marc Henri; Cheng, Feixiong; Signoretti, Sabina; Berchuck, Andrew; Bigner, Darell; Lipp, Eric; Marks, Jeffrey; McCall, Shannon; McLendon, Roger; Secord, Angeles; Sharp, Alexis; Behera, Madhusmita; Brat, Daniel J.; Chen, Amy; Delman, Keith; Force, Seth; Khuri, Fadlo; Magliocca, Kelly; Maithel, Shishir; Olson, Jeffrey J.; Owonikoko, Taofeek; Pickens, Alan; Ramalingam, Suresh; Shin, Dong M.; Sica, Gabriel; Van Meir, Erwin G.; Zhang, Hongzheng; Eijckenboom, Wil; Gillis, Ad; Korpershoek, Esther; Looijenga, Leendert; Oosterhuis, Wolter; Stoop, Hans; van Kessel, Kim E.; Zwarthoff, Ellen C.; Calatozzolo, Chiara; Cuppini, Lucia; Cuzzubbo, Stefania; DiMeco, Francesco; Finocchiaro, Gaetano; Mattei, Luca; Perin, Alessandro; Pollo, Bianca; Chen, Chu; Houck, John; Lohavanichbutr, Pawadee; Hartmann, Arndt; Stoehr, Christine; Stoehr, Robert; Taubert, Helge; Wach, Sven; Wullich, Bernd; Kycler, Witold; Murawa, Dawid; Wiznerowicz, Maciej; Chung, Ki; Edenfield, W. Jeffrey; Martin, Julie; Baudin, Eric; Bubley, Glenn; Bueno, Raphael; De Rienzo, Assunta; Richards, William G.; Kalkanis, Steven; Mikkelsen, Tom; Noushmehr, Houtan; Scarpace, Lisa; Girard, Nicolas; Aymerich, Marta; Campo, Elias; Giné, Eva; Guillermo, Armando López; Van Bang, Nguyen; Hanh, Phan Thi; Phu, Bui Duc; Tang, Yufang; Colman, Howard; Evason, Kimberley; Dottino, Peter R.; Martignetti, John A.; Gabra, Hani; Juhl, Hartmut; Akeredolu, Teniola; Stepa, Serghei; Hoon, Dave; Ahn, Keunsoo; Kang, Koo Jeong; Beuschlein, Felix; Breggia, Anne; Birrer, Michael; Bell, Debra; Borad, Mitesh; Bryce, Alan H.; Castle, Erik; Chandan, Vishal; Cheville, John; Copland, John A.; Farnell, Michael; Flotte, Thomas; Giama, Nasra; Ho, Thai; Kendrick, Michael; Kocher, Jean Pierre; Kopp, Karla; Moser, Catherine; Nagorney, David; O'Brien, Daniel; O'Neill, Brian Patrick; Patel, Tushar; Petersen, Gloria; Que, Florencia; Rivera, Michael; Roberts, Lewis; Smallridge, Robert; Smyrk, Thomas; Stanton, Melissa; Thompson, R. Houston; Torbenson, Michael; Yang, Ju Dong; Zhang, Lizhi; Brimo, Fadi; Ajani, Jaffer A.; Gonzalez, Ana Maria Angulo; Behrens, Carmen; Bondaruk, Jolanta; Broaddus, Russell; Czerniak, Bogdan; Esmaeli, Bita; Fujimoto, Junya; Gershenwald, Jeffrey; Guo, Charles; Lazar, Alexander J.; Logothetis, Christopher; Meric-Bernstam, Funda; Moran, Cesar; Ramondetta, Lois; Rice, David; Sood, Anil; Tamboli, Pheroze; Thompson, Timothy; Troncoso, Patricia; Tsao, Anne; Wistuba, Ignacio; Carter, Candace; Haydu, Lauren; Hersey, Peter; Jakrot, Valerie; Kakavand, Hojabr; Kefford, Richard; Lee, Kenneth; Long, Georgina; Mann, Graham; Quinn, Michael; Saw, Robyn; Scolyer, Richard; Shannon, Kerwin; Spillane, Andrew; Stretch, Jonathan; Synott, Maria; Thompson, John; Wilmott, James; Al-Ahmadie, Hikmat; Chan, Timothy A.; Ghossein, Ronald; Gopalan, Anuradha; Levine, Douglas A.; Reuter, Victor; Singer, Samuel; Singh, Bhuvanesh; Tien, Nguyen Viet; Broudy, Thomas; Mirsaidi, Cyrus; Nair, Praveen; Drwiega, Paul; Miller, Judy; Smith, Jennifer; Zaren, Howard; Park, Joong Won; Hung, Nguyen Phi; Kebebew, Electron; Linehan, W. Marston; Metwalli, Adam R.; Pacak, Karel; Pinto, Peter A.; Schiffman, Mark; Schmidt, Laura S.; Vocke, Cathy D.; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Worrell, Robert; Yang, Hannah; Moncrieff, Marc; Goparaju, Chandra; Melamed, Jonathan; Pass, Harvey; Botnariuc, Natalia; Caraman, Irina; Cernat, Mircea; Chemencedji, Inga; Clipca, Adrian; Doruc, Serghei; Gorincioi, Ghenadie; Mura, Sergiu; Pirtac, Maria; Stancul, Irina; Tcaciuc, Diana; Albert, Monique; Alexopoulou, Iakovina; Arnaout, Angel; Bartlett, John; Engel, Jay; Gilbert, Sebastien; Parfitt, Jeremy; Sekhon, Harman; Thomas, George; Rassl, Doris M.; Rintoul, Robert C.; Bifulco, Carlo; Tamakawa, Raina; Urba, Walter; Hayward, Nicholas; Timmers, Henri; Antenucci, Anna; Facciolo, Francesco; Grazi, Gianluca; Marino, Mirella; Merola, Roberta; de Krijger, Ronald; Gimenez-Roqueplo, Anne Paule; Piché, Alain; Chevalier, Simone; McKercher, Ginette; Birsoy, Kivanc; Barnett, Gene; Brewer, Cathy; Farver, Carol; Naska, Theresa; Pennell, Nathan A.; Raymond, Daniel; Schilero, Cathy; Smolenski, Kathy; Williams, Felicia; Morrison, Carl; Borgia, Jeffrey A.; Liptay, Michael J.; Pool, Mark; Seder, Christopher W.; Junker, Kerstin; Omberg, Larsson; Dinkin, Mikhail; Manikhas, George; Alvaro, Domenico; Bragazzi, Maria Consiglia; Cardinale, Vincenzo; Carpino, Guido; Gaudio, Eugenio; Chesla, David; Cottingham, Sandra; Dubina, Michael; Moiseenko, Fedor; Dhanasekaran, Renumathy; Becker, Karl Friedrich; Janssen, Klaus Peter; Slotta-Huspenina, Julia; Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed H.; Aziz, Dina; Bell, Sue; Cebulla, Colleen M.; Davis, Amy; Duell, Rebecca; Elder, J. Bradley; Hilty, Joe; Kumar, Bahavna; Lang, James; Lehman, Norman L.; Mandt, Randy; Nguyen, Phuong; Pilarski, Robert; Rai, Karan; Schoenfield, Lynn; Senecal, Kelly; Wakely, Paul; Hansen, Paul; Lechan, Ronald; Powers, James; Tischler, Arthur; Grizzle, William E.; Sexton, Katherine C.; Kastl, Alison; Henderson, Joel; Porten, Sima; Waldmann, Jens; Fassnacht, Martin; Asa, Sylvia L.; Schadendorf, Dirk; Couce, Marta; Graefen, Markus; Huland, Hartwig; Sauter, Guido; Schlomm, Thorsten; Simon, Ronald; Tennstedt, Pierre; Olabode, Oluwole; Nelson, Mark; Bathe, Oliver; Carroll, Peter R.; Chan, June M.; Disaia, Philip; Glenn, Pat; Kelley, Robin K.; Landen, Charles N.; Phillips, Joanna; Prados, Michael; Simko, Jeffry; Smith-McCune, Karen; VandenBerg, Scott; Roggin, Kevin; Fehrenbach, Ashley; Kendler, Ady; Sifri, Suzanne; Steele, Ruth; Jimeno, Antonio; Carey, Francis; Forgie, Ian; Mannelli, Massimo; Carney, Michael; Hernandez, Brenda; Campos, Benito; Herold-Mende, Christel; Jungk, Christin; Unterberg, Andreas; von Deimling, Andreas; Bossler, Aaron; Galbraith, Joseph; Jacobus, Laura; Knudson, Michael; Knutson, Tina; Ma, Deqin; Milhem, Mohammed; Sigmund, Rita; Godwin, Andrew K.; Madan, Rashna; Rosenthal, Howard G.; Adebamowo, Clement; Adebamowo, Sally N.; Boussioutas, Alex; Beer, David; Giordano, Thomas; Mes-Masson, Anne Marie; Saad, Fred; Bocklage, Therese; Landrum, Lisa; Mannel, Robert; Moore, Kathleen; Moxley, Katherine; Postier, Russel; Walker, Joan; Zuna, Rosemary; Feldman, Michael; Valdivieso, Federico; Dhir, Rajiv; Luketich, James; Pinero, Edna M.Mora; Quintero-Aguilo, Mario; Carlotti, Carlos Gilberto; Dos Santos, Jose Sebastião; Kemp, Rafael; Sankarankuty, Ajith; Tirapelli, Daniela; Catto, James; Agnew, Kathy; Swisher, Elizabeth; Creaney, Jenette; Robinson, Bruce; Shelley, Carl Simon; Godwin, Eryn M.; Kendall, Sara; Shipman, Cassaundra; Bradford, Carol; Carey, Thomas; Haddad, Andrea; Moyer, Jeffey; Peterson, Lisa; Prince, Mark; Rozek, Laura; Wolf, Gregory; Bowman, Rayleen; Fong, Kwun M.; Yang, Ian; Korst, Robert; Rathmell, W. Kimryn; Fantacone-Campbell, J. Leigh; Hooke, Jeffrey A.; Kovatich, Albert J.; Shriver, Craig D.; DiPersio, John; Drake, Bettina; Govindan, Ramaswamy; Heath, Sharon; Ley, Timothy; Van Tine, Brian; Westervelt, Peter; Rubin, Mark A.; Lee, Jung Il; Aredes, Natália D.; Mariamidze, Armaz; Van Allen, Eliezer M.; Cherniack, Andrew D.; Ciriello, Giovanni; Sander, Chris; Schultz, Nikolaus

2018-01-01

Genetic alterations in signaling pathways that control cell-cycle progression, apoptosis, and cell growth are common hallmarks of cancer, but the extent, mechanisms, and co-occurrence of alterations in these pathways differ between individual tumors and tumor types. Using mutations, copy-number

PAK1 is a breast cancer oncogene that coordinately activates MAPK and MET signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Shrestha, Y; Schafer, E J; Boehm, J S; Thomas, S R; He, F; Du, J; Wang, S; Barretina, J; Weir, B A; Zhao, J J; Polyak, K; Golub, T R; Beroukhim, R; Hahn, W C

2012-07-19

Activating mutations in the RAS family or BRAF frequently occur in many types of human cancers but are rarely detected in breast tumors. However, activation of the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK MAPK pathway is commonly observed in human breast cancers, suggesting that other genetic alterations lead to activation of this signaling pathway. To identify breast cancer oncogenes that activate the MAPK pathway, we screened a library of human kinases for their ability to induce anchorage-independent growth in a derivative of immortalized human mammary epithelial cells (HMLE). We identified p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) as a kinase that permitted HMLE cells to form anchorage-independent colonies. PAK1 is amplified in several human cancer types, including 30--33% of breast tumor samples and cancer cell lines. The kinase activity of PAK1 is necessary for PAK1-induced transformation. Moreover, we show that PAK1 simultaneously activates MAPK and MET signaling; the latter via inhibition of merlin. Disruption of these activities inhibits PAK1-driven anchorage-independent growth. These observations establish PAK1 amplification as an alternative mechanism for MAPK activation in human breast cancer and credential PAK1 as a breast cancer oncogene that coordinately regulates multiple signaling pathways, the cooperation of which leads to malignant transformation.

Signaling Pathways Regulating Redox Balance in Cancer Metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

De Santis, Maria Chiara; Porporato, Paolo Ettore; Martini, Miriam; Morandi, Andrea

2018-01-01

The interplay between rewiring tumor metabolism and oncogenic driver mutations is only beginning to be appreciated. Metabolic deregulation has been described for decades as a bystander effect of genomic aberrations. However, for the biology of malignant cells, metabolic reprogramming is essential to tackle a harsh environment, including nutrient deprivation, reactive oxygen species production, and oxygen withdrawal. Besides the well-investigated glycolytic metabolism, it is emerging that several other metabolic fluxes are relevant for tumorigenesis in supporting redox balance, most notably pentose phosphate pathway, folate, and mitochondrial metabolism. The relationship between metabolic rewiring and mutant genes is still unclear and, therefore, we will discuss how metabolic needs and oncogene mutations influence each other to satisfy cancer cells' demands. Mutations in oncogenes, i.e., PI3K/AKT/mTOR, RAS pathway, and MYC, and tumor suppressors, i.e., p53 and liver kinase B1, result in metabolic flexibility and may influence response to therapy. Since metabolic rewiring is shaped by oncogenic driver mutations, understanding how specific alterations in signaling pathways affect different metabolic fluxes will be instrumental for the development of novel targeted therapies. In the era of personalized medicine, the combination of driver mutations, metabolite levels, and tissue of origins will pave the way to innovative therapeutic interventions.

Global Expression Profiling and Pathway Analysis of Mouse Mammary Tumor Reveals Strain and Stage Specific Dysregulated Pathways in Breast Cancer Progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Yan; Yang, Jun-Ping; Lang, Yan-Hong; Peng, Li-Xia; Yang, Ming-Ming; Liu, Qin; Meng, Dong-Fang; Zheng, Li-Sheng; Qiang, Yuan-Yuan; Xu, Liang; Li, Chang-Zhi; Wei, Wen-Wen; Niu, Ting; Peng, Xing-Si; Yang, Qin; Lin, Fen; Hu, Hao; Xu, Hong-Fa; Huang, Bi-Jun; Wang, Li-Jing; Qian, Chao-Nan

2018-05-01

It is believed that the alteration of tissue microenvironment would affect cancer initiation and progression. However, little is known in terms of the underlying molecular mechanisms that would affect the initiation and progression of breast cancer. In the present study, we use two murine mammary tumor models with different speeds of tumor initiation and progression for whole genome expression profiling to reveal the involved genes and signaling pathways. The pathways regulating PI3K-Akt signaling and Ras signaling were activated in Fvb mice and promoted tumor progression. Contrastingly, the pathways regulating apoptosis and cellular senescence were activated in Fvb.B6 mice and suppressed tumor progression. We identified distinct patterns of oncogenic pathways activation at different stages of breast cancer, and uncovered five oncogenic pathways that were activated in both human and mouse breast cancers. The genes and pathways discovered in our study would be useful information for other researchers and drug development.

Identifying Breast Cancer Oncogenes

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-01

cells we observed that it promoted transformation of HMLE cells, suggesting a tumor suppressive role of Merlin in breast cancer (Figure 4B). A...08-1-0767 TITLE: Identifying Breast Cancer Oncogenes PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Yashaswi Shrestha...Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 W81XWH-08-1-0767 Identifying Breast Cancer Oncogenes Yashaswi Shrestha Dana-Farber

Oncogenic cancer/testis antigens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjerstorff, Morten F; Andersen, Mads H; Ditzel, Henrik J

2015-01-01

Recent developments have set the stage for immunotherapy as a supplement to conventional cancer treatment. Consequently, a significant effort is required to further improve efficacy and specificity, particularly the identification of optimal therapeutic targets for clinical testing. Cancer....../testis antigens are immunogenic, highly cancer-specific, and frequently expressed in various types of cancer, which make them promising candidate targets for cancer immunotherapy, including cancer vaccination and adoptive T-cell transfer with chimeric T-cell receptors. Our current understanding of tumor...... immunology and immune escape suggests that targeting oncogenic antigens may be beneficial, meaning that identification of cancer/testis antigens with oncogenic properties is of high priority. Recent work from our lab and others provide evidence that many cancer/testis antigens, in fact, have oncogenic...

High-Risk Human Papillomaviral Oncogenes E6 and E7 Target Key Cellular Pathways to Achieve Oncogenesis.

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Yeo-Teh, Nicole S L; Ito, Yoshiaki; Jha, Sudhakar

2018-06-08

Infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) has been linked to several human cancers, the most prominent of which is cervical cancer. The integration of the viral genome into the host genome is one of the manners in which the viral oncogenes E6 and E7 achieve persistent expression. The most well-studied cellular targets of the viral oncogenes E6 and E7 are p53 and pRb, respectively. However, recent research has demonstrated the ability of these two viral factors to target many more cellular factors, including proteins which regulate epigenetic marks and splicing changes in the cell. These have the ability to exert a global change, which eventually culminates to uncontrolled proliferation and carcinogenesis.

Effect of ionizing radiation on the biological activity of activated oncogenes and dormant proto-oncogenes

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Angenent, G.C.; Berg, K.J. van den.

1984-01-01

The authors have studied the effect of ionizing radiation on the cloned human activated Ha-ras oncogene, on the Ha-ras gene in integrated form and on the dormant proto-oncogene murine c-mos using the NIH/3T3 transfection system. NIH/3T3 cells were transfected with DNA from the plasmid pT24 carrying the cloned Ha-ras oncogene of the T24 bladder carcinoma cell line. Various individual foci which developed were injected into nude mice. DNA was isolated from tumours, digested with the restriction enzyme Bam HI, electrophoresed on agarose and blotted onto nitrocellulose filter according to Southern. Hybridization with a pT24 probe showed that all the primary foci of transformed cells contained various fragments of the pT24 plasmid indicating that fibroblast transformation had been induced by introduction of the Ha-ras oncogene. (Auth.)

Systems biology modeling reveals a possible mechanism of the tumor cell death upon oncogene inactivation in EGFR addicted cancers.

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Jian-Ping Zhou

Full Text Available Despite many evidences supporting the concept of "oncogene addiction" and many hypotheses rationalizing it, there is still a lack of detailed understanding to the precise molecular mechanism underlying oncogene addiction. In this account, we developed a mathematic model of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR associated signaling network, which involves EGFR-driving proliferation/pro-survival signaling pathways Ras/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK and phosphoinositol-3 kinase (PI3K/AKT, and pro-apoptotic signaling pathway apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1/p38. In the setting of sustained EGFR activation, the simulation results show a persistent high level of proliferation/pro-survival effectors phospho-ERK and phospho-AKT, and a basal level of pro-apoptotic effector phospho-p38. The potential of p38 activation (apoptotic potential due to the elevated level of reactive oxygen species (ROS is largely suppressed by the negative crosstalk between PI3K/AKT and ASK1/p38 pathways. Upon acute EGFR inactivation, the survival signals decay rapidly, followed by a fast increase of the apoptotic signal due to the release of apoptotic potential. Overall, our systems biology modeling together with experimental validations reveals that inhibition of survival signals and concomitant release of apoptotic potential jointly contribute to the tumor cell death following the inhibition of addicted oncogene in EGFR addicted cancers.

Direct Targeting of β-Catenin by a Small Molecule Stimulates Proteasomal Degradation and Suppresses Oncogenic Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

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So-Young Hwang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a major role in tissue homeostasis, and its dysregulation can lead to various human diseases. Aberrant activation of β-catenin is oncogenic and is a critical driver in the development and progression of human cancers. Despite the significant potential of targeting the oncogenic β-catenin pathway for cancer therapy, the development of specific inhibitors remains insufficient. Using a T cell factor (TCF-dependent luciferase-reporter system, we screened for small-molecule compounds that act against Wnt/β-catenin signaling and identified MSAB (methyl 3-{[(4-methylphenylsulfonyl]amino}benzoate as a selective inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. MSAB shows potent anti-tumor effects selectively on Wnt-dependent cancer cells in vitro and in mouse cancer models. MSAB binds to β-catenin, promoting its degradation, and specifically downregulates Wnt/β-catenin target genes. Our findings might represent an effective therapeutic strategy for cancers addicted to the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

The c-Myc target glycoprotein1balpha links cytokinesis failure to oncogenic signal transduction pathways in cultured human cells.

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Qian Wu

2010-05-01

Full Text Available An increase in chromosome number, or polyploidization, is associated with a variety of biological changes including breeding of cereal crops and flowers, terminal differentiation of specialized cells such as megakaryocytes, cellular stress and oncogenic transformation. Yet it remains unclear how cells tolerate the major changes in gene expression, chromatin organization and chromosome segregation that invariably accompany polyploidization. We show here that cancer cells can initiate increases in chromosome number by inhibiting cell division through activation of glycoprotein1b alpha (GpIbalpha, a component of the c-Myc signaling pathway. We are able to recapitulate cytokinesis failure in primary cells by overexpression of GpIbalpha in a p53-deficient background. GpIbalpha was found to localize to the cleavage furrow by microscopy analysis and, when overexpressed, to interfere with assembly of the cellular cortical contraction apparatus and normal division. These results indicate that cytokinesis failure and tetraploidy in cancer cells are directly linked to cellular hyperproliferation via c-Myc induced overexpression of GpIbalpha.

RASOnD - A comprehensive resource and search tool for RAS superfamily oncogenes from various species

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Singh Tej P

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Ras superfamily plays an important role in the control of cell signalling and division. Mutations in the Ras genes convert them into active oncogenes. The Ras oncogenes form a major thrust of global cancer research as they are involved in the development and progression of tumors. This has resulted in the exponential growth of data on Ras superfamily across different public databases and in literature. However, no dedicated public resource is currently available for data mining and analysis on this family. The present database was developed to facilitate straightforward accession, retrieval and analysis of information available on Ras oncogenes from one particular site. Description We have developed the RAS Oncogene Database (RASOnD as a comprehensive knowledgebase that provides integrated and curated information on a single platform for oncogenes of Ras superfamily. RASOnD encompasses exhaustive genomics and proteomics data existing across diverse publicly accessible databases. This resource presently includes overall 199,046 entries from 101 different species. It provides a search tool to generate information about their nucleotide and amino acid sequences, single nucleotide polymorphisms, chromosome positions, orthologies, motifs, structures, related pathways and associated diseases. We have implemented a number of user-friendly search interfaces and sequence analysis tools. At present the user can (i browse the data (ii search any field through a simple or advance search interface and (iii perform a BLAST search and subsequently CLUSTALW multiple sequence alignment by selecting sequences of Ras oncogenes. The Generic gene browser, GBrowse, JMOL for structural visualization and TREEVIEW for phylograms have been integrated for clear perception of retrieved data. External links to related databases have been included in RASOnD. Conclusions This database is a resource and search tool dedicated to Ras oncogenes. It has

Oncogene Mimicry as a Mechanism of Primary Resistance to BRAF Inhibitors

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Martin L. Sos

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Despite the development of potent RAF/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK pathway inhibitors, only a fraction of BRAF-mutant patients benefit from treatment with these drugs. Using a combined chemogenomics and chemoproteomics approach, we identify drug-induced RAS-RAF-MEK complex formation in a subset of BRAF-mutant cancer cells characterized by primary resistance to vemurafenib. In these cells, autocrine interleukin-6 (IL-6 secretion may contribute to the primary resistance phenotype via induction of JAK/STAT3 and MAPK signaling. In a subset of cell lines, combined IL-6/MAPK inhibition is able to overcome primary resistance to BRAF-targeted therapy. Overall, we show that the signaling plasticity exerted by primary resistant BRAF-mutant cells is achieved by their ability to mimic signaling features of oncogenic RAS, a strategy that we term “oncogene mimicry.” This model may guide future strategies for overcoming primary resistance observed in these tumors.

A Pathway Based Classification Method for Analyzing Gene Expression for Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis.

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Voyle, Nicola; Keohane, Aoife; Newhouse, Stephen; Lunnon, Katie; Johnston, Caroline; Soininen, Hilkka; Kloszewska, Iwona; Mecocci, Patrizia; Tsolaki, Magda; Vellas, Bruno; Lovestone, Simon; Hodges, Angela; Kiddle, Steven; Dobson, Richard Jb

2016-01-01

Recent studies indicate that gene expression levels in blood may be able to differentiate subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) from normal elderly controls and mild cognitively impaired (MCI) subjects. However, there is limited replicability at the single marker level. A pathway-based interpretation of gene expression may prove more robust. This study aimed to investigate whether a case/control classification model built on pathway level data was more robust than a gene level model and may consequently perform better in test data. The study used two batches of gene expression data from the AddNeuroMed (ANM) and Dementia Case Registry (DCR) cohorts. Our study used Illumina Human HT-12 Expression BeadChips to collect gene expression from blood samples. Random forest modeling with recursive feature elimination was used to predict case/control status. Age and APOE ɛ4 status were used as covariates for all analysis. Gene and pathway level models performed similarly to each other and to a model based on demographic information only. Any potential increase in concordance from the novel pathway level approach used here has not lead to a greater predictive ability in these datasets. However, we have only tested one method for creating pathway level scores. Further, we have been able to benchmark pathways against genes in datasets that had been extensively harmonized. Further work should focus on the use of alternative methods for creating pathway level scores, in particular those that incorporate pathway topology, and the use of an endophenotype based approach.

Synergistic Induction of Potential Warburg Effect in Zebrafish Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Co-Transgenic Expression of Myc and xmrk Oncogenes.

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Zhen Li

Full Text Available Previously we have generated inducible liver tumor models by transgenic expression of Myc or xmrk (activated EGFR homolog oncogenes in zebrafish. To investigate the interaction of the two oncogenes, we crossed the two transgenic lines and observed more severe and faster hepatocarcinogenesis in Myc/xmrk double transgenic zebrafish than either single transgenic fish. RNA-Seq analyses revealed distinct changes in many molecular pathways among the three types of liver tumors. In particular, we found dramatic alteration of cancer metabolism based on the uniquely enriched pathways in the Myc/xmrk tumors. Critical glycolytic genes including hk2, pkm and ldha were significantly up-regulated in Myc/xmrk tumors but not in either single oncogene-induced tumors, suggesting a potential Warburg effect. In RT-qPCR analyses, the specific pkm2 isoformin Warburg effect was found to be highly enriched in the Myc/xmrk tumors but not in Myc or xmrk tumors, consistent with the observations in many human cancers with Warburg effect. Moreover, the splicing factor genes (hnrnpa1, ptbp1a, ptbp1b and sfrs3b responsible for generating the pkm isoform were also greatly up-regulated in the Myc/xmrk tumors. As Pkm2 isoform is generally inactive and causes incomplete glycolysis to favor anabolism and tumor growth, by treatment with a Pkm2-specific activator, TEPP-46, we further demonstrated that activation of Pkm2 suppressed the growth of oncogenic liver as well as proliferation of liver cells. Collectively, our Myc/xmrk zebrafish model suggests synergetic effect of EGFR and MYC in triggering Warburg effect in the HCC formation and may provide a promising in vivo model for Warburg effect.

Determination of the transforming activities of adenovirus oncogenes.

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Speiseder, Thomas; Nevels, Michael; Dobner, Thomas

2014-01-01

The last 50 years of molecular biological investigations into human adenoviruses (Ads) have contributed enormously to our understanding of the basic principles of normal and malignant cell growth. Much of this knowledge stems from analyses of the Ad productive infection cycle in permissive host cells. Also, initial observations concerning the transforming potential of human Ads subsequently revealed decisive insights into the molecular mechanisms of the origins of cancer and established Ads as a model system for explaining virus-mediated transformation processes. Today it is well established that cell transformation by human Ads is a multistep process involving several gene products encoded in early transcription units 1A (E1A) and 1B (E1B). Moreover, a large body of evidence now indicates that alternative or additional mechanisms are engaged in Ad-mediated oncogenic transformation involving gene products encoded in early region 4 (E4) as well as epigenetic changes resulting from viral DNA integration. In particular, studies on the transforming potential of several E4 gene products have now revealed new pathways that point to novel general mechanisms of virus-mediated oncogenesis. In this chapter we describe in vitro and in vivo assays to determine the transforming and oncogenic activities of the E1A, E1B, and E4 oncoproteins in primary baby rat kidney cells, human amniotic fluid cells and athymic nude mice.

Enhanced inflammation and attenuated tumor suppressor pathways are associated with oncogene-induced lung tumors in aged mice

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Aging is often accompanied by a dramatic increase in cancer susceptibility. To gain insights into how aging affects tumor susceptibility, we generated a conditional mouse model in which oncogenic KrasG12D was activated specifically in lungs of young (3-5 months) and old (19-24 months) mice. Activati...

Oncogenic ras-driven cancer cell vesiculation leads to emission of double-stranded DNA capable of interacting with target cells

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Lee, Tae Hoon; Chennakrishnaiah, Shilpa; Audemard, Eric; Montermini, Laura; Meehan, Brian; Rak, Janusz

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Oncogenic H-ras stimulates emission of extracellular vesicles containing double-stranded DNA. • Vesicle-associated extracellular DNA contains mutant N-ras sequences. • Vesicles mediate intercellular transfer of mutant H-ras DNA to normal fibroblasts where it remains for several weeks. • Fibroblasts exposed to vesicles containing H-ras DNA exhibit increased proliferation. - Abstract: Cell free DNA is often regarded as a source of genetic cancer biomarkers, but the related mechanisms of DNA release, composition and biological activity remain unclear. Here we show that rat epithelial cell transformation by the human H-ras oncogene leads to an increase in production of small, exosomal-like extracellular vesicles by viable cancer cells. These EVs contain chromatin-associated double-stranded DNA fragments covering the entire host genome, including full-length H-ras. Oncogenic N-ras and SV40LT sequences were also found in EVs emitted from spontaneous mouse brain tumor cells. Disruption of acidic sphingomyelinase and the p53/Rb pathway did not block emission of EV-related oncogenic DNA. Exposure of non-transformed RAT-1 cells to EVs containing mutant H-ras DNA led to the uptake and retention of this material for an extended (30 days) but transient period of time, and stimulated cell proliferation. Thus, our study suggests that H-ras-mediated transformation stimulates vesicular emission of this histone-bound oncogene, which may interact with non-transformed cells

Oncogenic ras-driven cancer cell vesiculation leads to emission of double-stranded DNA capable of interacting with target cells

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Lee, Tae Hoon; Chennakrishnaiah, Shilpa [Montreal Children’s Hospital, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); Audemard, Eric [McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); Montermini, Laura; Meehan, Brian [Montreal Children’s Hospital, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); Rak, Janusz, E-mail: janusz.rak@mcgill.ca [Montreal Children’s Hospital, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

2014-08-22

Highlights: • Oncogenic H-ras stimulates emission of extracellular vesicles containing double-stranded DNA. • Vesicle-associated extracellular DNA contains mutant N-ras sequences. • Vesicles mediate intercellular transfer of mutant H-ras DNA to normal fibroblasts where it remains for several weeks. • Fibroblasts exposed to vesicles containing H-ras DNA exhibit increased proliferation. - Abstract: Cell free DNA is often regarded as a source of genetic cancer biomarkers, but the related mechanisms of DNA release, composition and biological activity remain unclear. Here we show that rat epithelial cell transformation by the human H-ras oncogene leads to an increase in production of small, exosomal-like extracellular vesicles by viable cancer cells. These EVs contain chromatin-associated double-stranded DNA fragments covering the entire host genome, including full-length H-ras. Oncogenic N-ras and SV40LT sequences were also found in EVs emitted from spontaneous mouse brain tumor cells. Disruption of acidic sphingomyelinase and the p53/Rb pathway did not block emission of EV-related oncogenic DNA. Exposure of non-transformed RAT-1 cells to EVs containing mutant H-ras DNA led to the uptake and retention of this material for an extended (30 days) but transient period of time, and stimulated cell proliferation. Thus, our study suggests that H-ras-mediated transformation stimulates vesicular emission of this histone-bound oncogene, which may interact with non-transformed cells.

A microRNA activity map of human mesenchymal tumors: connections to oncogenic pathways; an integrative transcriptomic study

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Fountzilas Elena

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs are nucleic acid regulators of many human mRNAs, and are associated with many tumorigenic processes. miRNA expression levels have been used in profiling studies, but some evidence suggests that expression levels do not fully capture miRNA regulatory activity. In this study we integrate multiple gene expression datasets to determine miRNA activity patterns associated with cancer phenotypes and oncogenic pathways in mesenchymal tumors – a very heterogeneous class of malignancies. Results Using a computational method, we identified differentially activated miRNAs between 77 normal tissue specimens and 135 sarcomas and we validated many of these findings with microarray interrogation of an independent, paraffin-based cohort of 18 tumors. We also showed that miRNA activity is imperfectly correlated with miRNA expression levels. Using next-generation miRNA sequencing we identified potential base sequence alterations which may explain differential activity. We then analyzed miRNA activity changes related to the RAS-pathway and found 21 miRNAs that switch from silenced to activated status in parallel with RAS activation. Importantly, nearly half of these 21 miRNAs were predicted to regulate integral parts of the miRNA processing machinery, and our gene expression analysis revealed significant reductions of these transcripts in RAS-active tumors. These results suggest an association between RAS signaling and miRNA processing in which miRNAs may attenuate their own biogenesis. Conclusions Our study represents the first gene expression-based investigation of miRNA regulatory activity in human sarcomas, and our findings indicate that miRNA activity patterns derived from integrated transcriptomic data are reproducible and biologically informative in cancer. We identified an association between RAS signaling and miRNA processing, and demonstrated sequence alterations as plausible causes for differential miRNA activity

Oncogenes and radiosensitivity: in vitro studies. Potential impact in radiotherapy

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Alapetite, C.; Moustacchi, E.; Cosset, J.M.

1992-01-01

It is of interest to address the question of whether or not activated oncogenes can influence tumorigenic cell response to radiations. Malignant transformation through transfection of oncogenes offers a possibility for in vitro comparison of transformed cells and parental cells. Murin cellular system analysis suggests an acquisition of radioresistance through some oncogenes transfection. In human cells, only a limited number of oncogenes (ras and myc) has been studied so far. To date, no crucial influence could be demonstrated. The extension of the analysis to other oncogenes and suppressor genes could potentially be helpful for the choice and the modalities of cancer treatment

The PDZ-binding motif of Yes-associated protein is required for its co-activation of TEAD-mediated CTGF transcription and oncogenic cell transforming activity

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Shimomura, Tadanori; Miyamura, Norio; Hata, Shoji; Miura, Ryota; Hirayama, Jun; Nishina, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

Highlights: •Loss of the PDZ-binding motif inhibits constitutively active YAP (5SA)-induced oncogenic cell transformation. •The PDZ-binding motif of YAP promotes its nuclear localization in cultured cells and mouse liver. •Loss of the PDZ-binding motif inhibits YAP (5SA)-induced CTGF transcription in cultured cells and mouse liver. -- Abstract: YAP is a transcriptional co-activator that acts downstream of the Hippo signaling pathway and regulates multiple cellular processes, including proliferation. Hippo pathway-dependent phosphorylation of YAP negatively regulates its function. Conversely, attenuation of Hippo-mediated phosphorylation of YAP increases its ability to stimulate proliferation and eventually induces oncogenic transformation. The C-terminus of YAP contains a highly conserved PDZ-binding motif that regulates YAP’s functions in multiple ways. However, to date, the importance of the PDZ-binding motif to the oncogenic cell transforming activity of YAP has not been determined. In this study, we disrupted the PDZ-binding motif in the YAP (5SA) protein, in which the sites normally targeted by Hippo pathway-dependent phosphorylation are mutated. We found that loss of the PDZ-binding motif significantly inhibited the oncogenic transformation of cultured cells induced by YAP (5SA). In addition, the increased nuclear localization of YAP (5SA) and its enhanced activation of TEAD-dependent transcription of the cell proliferation gene CTGF were strongly reduced when the PDZ-binding motif was deleted. Similarly, in mouse liver, deletion of the PDZ-binding motif suppressed nuclear localization of YAP (5SA) and YAP (5SA)-induced CTGF expression. Taken together, our results indicate that the PDZ-binding motif of YAP is critical for YAP-mediated oncogenesis, and that this effect is mediated by YAP’s co-activation of TEAD-mediated CTGF transcription

The PDZ-binding motif of Yes-associated protein is required for its co-activation of TEAD-mediated CTGF transcription and oncogenic cell transforming activity

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Shimomura, Tadanori; Miyamura, Norio; Hata, Shoji; Miura, Ryota; Hirayama, Jun, E-mail: hirayama.dbio@mri.tmd.ac.jp; Nishina, Hiroshi, E-mail: nishina.dbio@mri.tmd.ac.jp

2014-01-17

Highlights: •Loss of the PDZ-binding motif inhibits constitutively active YAP (5SA)-induced oncogenic cell transformation. •The PDZ-binding motif of YAP promotes its nuclear localization in cultured cells and mouse liver. •Loss of the PDZ-binding motif inhibits YAP (5SA)-induced CTGF transcription in cultured cells and mouse liver. -- Abstract: YAP is a transcriptional co-activator that acts downstream of the Hippo signaling pathway and regulates multiple cellular processes, including proliferation. Hippo pathway-dependent phosphorylation of YAP negatively regulates its function. Conversely, attenuation of Hippo-mediated phosphorylation of YAP increases its ability to stimulate proliferation and eventually induces oncogenic transformation. The C-terminus of YAP contains a highly conserved PDZ-binding motif that regulates YAP’s functions in multiple ways. However, to date, the importance of the PDZ-binding motif to the oncogenic cell transforming activity of YAP has not been determined. In this study, we disrupted the PDZ-binding motif in the YAP (5SA) protein, in which the sites normally targeted by Hippo pathway-dependent phosphorylation are mutated. We found that loss of the PDZ-binding motif significantly inhibited the oncogenic transformation of cultured cells induced by YAP (5SA). In addition, the increased nuclear localization of YAP (5SA) and its enhanced activation of TEAD-dependent transcription of the cell proliferation gene CTGF were strongly reduced when the PDZ-binding motif was deleted. Similarly, in mouse liver, deletion of the PDZ-binding motif suppressed nuclear localization of YAP (5SA) and YAP (5SA)-induced CTGF expression. Taken together, our results indicate that the PDZ-binding motif of YAP is critical for YAP-mediated oncogenesis, and that this effect is mediated by YAP’s co-activation of TEAD-mediated CTGF transcription.

The fanconi anemia pathway limits human papillomavirus replication.

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Hoskins, Elizabeth E; Morreale, Richard J; Werner, Stephen P; Higginbotham, Jennifer M; Laimins, Laimonis A; Lambert, Paul F; Brown, Darron R; Gillison, Maura L; Nuovo, Gerard J; Witte, David P; Kim, Mi-Ok; Davies, Stella M; Mehta, Parinda A; Butsch Kovacic, Melinda; Wikenheiser-Brokamp, Kathryn A; Wells, Susanne I

2012-08-01

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) deregulate epidermal differentiation and cause anogenital and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). The E7 gene is considered the predominant viral oncogene and drives proliferation and genome instability. While the implementation of routine screens has greatly reduced the incidence of cervical cancers which are almost exclusively HPV positive, the proportion of HPV-positive head and neck SCCs is on the rise. High levels of HPV oncogene expression and genome load are linked to disease progression, but genetic risk factors that regulate oncogene abundance and/or genome amplification remain poorly understood. Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genome instability syndrome characterized at least in part by extreme susceptibility to SCCs. FA results from mutations in one of 15 genes in the FA pathway, whose protein products assemble in the nucleus and play important roles in DNA damage repair. We report here that loss of FA pathway components FANCA and FANCD2 stimulates E7 protein accumulation in human keratinocytes and causes increased epithelial proliferation and basal cell layer expansion in the HPV-positive epidermis. Additionally, FANCD2 loss stimulates HPV genome amplification in differentiating cells, demonstrating that the intact FA pathway functions to restrict the HPV life cycle. These findings raise the possibility that FA genes suppress HPV infection and disease and suggest possible mechanism(s) for reported associations of HPV with an FA cohort in Brazil and for allelic variation of FA genes with HPV persistence in the general population.

A Network-Based Model of Oncogenic Collaboration for Prediction of Drug Sensitivity

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Ted G Laderas

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Tumorigenesis is a multi-step process, involving the acquisition of multiple oncogenic mutations that transform cells, resulting in systemic dysregulation that enables proliferation, among other cancer hallmarks. High throughput omics techniques are used in precision medicine, allowing identification of these mutations with the goal of identifying treatments that target them. However, the multiplicity of oncogenes required for transformation, known as oncogenic collaboration, makes assigning effective treatments difficult. Motivated by this observation, we propose a new type of oncogenic collaboration where mutations in genes that interact with an oncogene may contribute to its dysregulation, a new genomic feature that we term surrogate oncogenes. By mapping mutations to a protein/protein interaction network, we can determine significance of the observed distribution using permutation-based methods. For a panel of 38 breast cancer cell lines, we identified significant surrogate oncogenes in oncogenes such as BRCA1 and ESR1. In addition, using Random Forest Classifiers, we show that these significant surrogate oncogenes predict drug sensitivity for 74 drugs in the breast cancer cell lines with a mean error rate of 30.9%. Additionally, we show that surrogate oncogenes are predictive of survival in patients. The surrogate oncogene framework incorporates unique or rare mutations on an individual level. Our model has the potential for integrating patient-unique mutations in predicting drug-sensitivity, suggesting a potential new direction in precision medicine, as well as a new approach for drug development. Additionally, we show the prevalence of significant surrogate oncogenes in multiple cancers within the Cancer Genome Atlas, suggesting that surrogate oncogenes may be a useful genomic feature for guiding pancancer analyses and assigning therapies across many tissue types.

Updating the Wnt pathways

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Yu, Jia; Virshup, David M.

2014-01-01

In the three decades since the discovery of the Wnt1 proto-oncogene in virus-induced mouse mammary tumours, our understanding of the signalling pathways that are regulated by the Wnt proteins has progressively expanded. Wnts are involved in an complex signalling network that governs multiple biological processes and cross-talk with multiple additional signalling cascades, including the Notch, FGF (fibroblast growth factor), SHH (Sonic hedgehog), EGF (epidermal growth factor) and Hippo pathways. The Wnt signalling pathway also illustrates the link between abnormal regulation of the developmental processes and disease manifestation. Here we provide an overview of Wnt-regulated signalling cascades and highlight recent advances. We focus on new findings regarding the dedicated Wnt production and secretion pathway with potential therapeutic targets that might be beneficial for patients with Wnt-related diseases. PMID:25208913

REGγ is associated with multiple oncogenic pathways in human cancers

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He, Jing; Wang, Zhuo; Shi, Tieliu; Zhang, Pei; Chen, Rui; Li, Xiaotao; Cui, Long; Zeng, Yu; Wang, Guangqiang; Zhou, Ping; Yang, Yuanyuan; Ji, Lei; Zhao, Yanyan; Chen, Jiwu

2012-01-01

Recent studies suggest a role of the proteasome activator, REGγ, in cancer progression. Since there are limited numbers of known REGγ targets, it is not known which cancers and pathways are associated with REGγ. REGγ protein expressions in four different cancers were investigated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis. Following NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database search, microarray platform validation, differential expressions of REGγ in corresponding cancers were statistically analyzed. Genes highly correlated with REGγ were defined based on Pearson's correlation coefficient. Functional links were estimated by Ingenuity Core analysis. Finally, validation was performed by RT-PCR analysis in established cancer cell lines and IHC in human colon cancer tissues Here, we demonstrate overexpression of REGγ in four different cancer types by micro-tissue array analysis. Using meta-analysis of publicly available microarray databases and biological studies, we verified elevated REGγ gene expression in the four types of cancers and identified genes significantly correlated with REGγ expression, including genes in p53, Myc pathways, and multiple other cancer-related pathways. The predicted correlations were largely consistent with quantitative RT-PCR analysis. This study provides us novel insights in REGγ gene expression profiles and its link to multiple cancer-related pathways in cancers. Our results indicate potentially important pathogenic roles of REGγ in multiple cancer types and implicate REGγ as a putative cancer marker

A comparison of oncogene-induced senescence and replicative senescence: implications for tumor suppression and aging.

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Nelson, David M; McBryan, Tony; Jeyapalan, Jessie C; Sedivy, John M; Adams, Peter D

2014-06-01

Cellular senescence is a stable proliferation arrest associated with an altered secretory pathway, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. However, cellular senescence is initiated by diverse molecular triggers, such as activated oncogenes and shortened telomeres, and is associated with varied and complex physiological endpoints, such as tumor suppression and tissue aging. The extent to which distinct triggers activate divergent modes of senescence that might be associated with different physiological endpoints is largely unknown. To begin to address this, we performed gene expression profiling to compare the senescence programs associated with two different modes of senescence, oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) and replicative senescence (RS [in part caused by shortened telomeres]). While both OIS and RS are associated with many common changes in gene expression compared to control proliferating cells, they also exhibit substantial differences. These results are discussed in light of potential physiological consequences, tumor suppression and aging.

Targeted Cancer Therapy: Vital Oncogenes and a New Molecular Genetic Paradigm for Cancer Initiation Progression and Treatment

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Willis, Rudolph E.

2016-01-01

It has been declared repeatedly that cancer is a result of molecular genetic abnormalities. However, there has been no working model describing the specific functional consequences of the deranged genomic processes that result in the initiation and propagation of the cancer process during carcinogenesis. We no longer need to question whether or not cancer arises as a result of a molecular genetic defect within the cancer cell. The legitimate questions are: how and why? This article reviews the preeminent data on cancer molecular genetics and subsequently proposes that the sentinel event in cancer initiation is the aberrant production of fused transcription activators with new molecular properties within normal tissue stem cells. This results in the production of vital oncogenes with dysfunctional gene activation transcription properties, which leads to dysfunctional gene regulation, the aberrant activation of transduction pathways, chromosomal breakage, activation of driver oncogenes, reactivation of stem cell transduction pathways and the activation of genes that result in the hallmarks of cancer. Furthermore, a novel holistic molecular genetic model of cancer initiation and progression is presented along with a new paradigm for the approach to personalized targeted cancer therapy, clinical monitoring and cancer diagnosis. PMID:27649156

Cross-regulation of signaling pathways: An example of nuclear hormone receptors and the canonical Wnt pathway

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Beildeck, Marcy E. [Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, 3970 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20057 (United States); Gelmann, Edward P. [Columbia University, Department of Medicine, New York, NY (United States); Byers, Stephen W., E-mail: byerss@georgetown.edu [Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, 3970 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20057 (United States)

2010-07-01

Predicting the potential physiological outcome(s) of any given molecular pathway is complex because of cross-talk with other pathways. This is particularly evident in the case of the nuclear hormone receptor and canonical Wnt pathways, which regulate cell growth and proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and metastatic potential in numerous tissues. These pathways are known to intersect at many levels: in the intracellular space, at the membrane, in the cytoplasm, and within the nucleus. The outcomes of these interactions are important in the control of stem cell differentiation and maintenance, feedback loops, and regulating oncogenic potential. The aim of this review is to demonstrate the importance of considering pathway cross-talk when predicting functional outcomes of signaling, using nuclear hormone receptor/canonical Wnt pathway cross-talk as an example.

Cross-regulation of signaling pathways: An example of nuclear hormone receptors and the canonical Wnt pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beildeck, Marcy E.; Gelmann, Edward P.; Byers, Stephen W.

2010-01-01

Predicting the potential physiological outcome(s) of any given molecular pathway is complex because of cross-talk with other pathways. This is particularly evident in the case of the nuclear hormone receptor and canonical Wnt pathways, which regulate cell growth and proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and metastatic potential in numerous tissues. These pathways are known to intersect at many levels: in the intracellular space, at the membrane, in the cytoplasm, and within the nucleus. The outcomes of these interactions are important in the control of stem cell differentiation and maintenance, feedback loops, and regulating oncogenic potential. The aim of this review is to demonstrate the importance of considering pathway cross-talk when predicting functional outcomes of signaling, using nuclear hormone receptor/canonical Wnt pathway cross-talk as an example.

Oncogenic Ras-Induced Morphologic Change Is through MEK/ERK Signaling Pathway to Downregulate Stat3 at a Posttranslational Level in NIH3T3 Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsuan-Heng Yeh

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Ras is a key regulator of the MAP kinase-signaling cascade and may cause morphologic change of Ras-transformed cells. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3 can be activated by cytokine stimulation. In this study, we unravel that Ha-rasV12 overexpression can downregulate the expression of Stat3 protein at a posttranslational level in NIH3T3 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Stat3 expression downregulated by Ha-rasV12 overexpression is through proteosome degradation and not through a mTOR/p70S6K-related signaling pathway. The suppression of Stat3 accompanied by the morphologic change induced by Ha-rasV12 was through mitogen extracellular kinase (MEK/extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK signaling pathway. Microtubule disruption is involved in Ha-rasV12-induced morphologic change, which could be reversed by overexpression of Stat3. Taken together, we are the first to demonstrate that Stat3 protein plays a critical role in Ha-rasV12-induced morphologic change. Oncogenic Ras-triggered morphologic change is through the activation of MEK/ERK to posttranslationally downregulate Stat3 expression. Our finding may shed light on developing novel therapeutic strategies against Ras-related tumorigenesis.

Oncogene mutational profile in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang ZC

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Zi-Chen Zhang,1,* Sha Fu,1,* Fang Wang,1 Hai-Yun Wang,1 Yi-Xin Zeng,2 Jian-Yong Shao11Department of Molecular Diagnostics, 2Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC is a common tumor in Southern China, but the oncogene mutational status of NPC patients has not been clarified. Using time-of-flight mass spectrometry, 238 mutation hotspots in 19 oncogenes were examined in 123 NPC patients. The relationships between mutational status and clinical data were assessed with a χ2 or Fisher's exact test. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method with the log-rank test. In 123 patients, 21 (17.1% NPC tumors were positive for mutations in eight oncogenes: six patients had PIK3CA mutations (4.9%, five NRAS mutations (4.1%, four KIT mutations (3.3%, two PDGFRA mutations (1.6%, two ABL mutations (1.6%, and one with simultaneous mutations in HRAS, EGFR, and BRAF (1%. Patients with mutations were more likely to relapse or develop metastasis than those with wild-type alleles (P=0.019. No differences or correlations were found in other clinical characteristics or in patient survival. No mutations were detected in oncogenes AKT1, AKT2, CDK, ERBB2, FGFR1, FGFR3, FLT3, JAK2, KRAS, MET, and RET. These results demonstrate an association between NPC and mutations in NRAS, KIT, PIK3CA, PDGFRA, and ABL, which are associated with patient relapse and metastasis. Keywords: NPC, oncogene, mutation

USP22 regulates oncogenic signaling pathways to drive lethal cancer progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Schrecengost, Randy S; Dean, Jeffry L; Goodwin, Jonathan F; Schiewer, Matthew J; Urban, Mark W; Stanek, Timothy J; Sussman, Robyn T; Hicks, Jessica L; Birbe, Ruth C; Draganova-Tacheva, Rossitza A; Visakorpi, Tapio; DeMarzo, Angelo M; McMahon, Steven B; Knudsen, Karen E

2014-01-01

Increasing evidence links deregulation of the ubiquitin-specific proteases 22 (USP22) deubitiquitylase to cancer development and progression in a select group of tumor types, but its specificity and underlying mechanisms of action are not well defined. Here we show that USP22 is a critical promoter of lethal tumor phenotypes that acts by modulating nuclear receptor and oncogenic signaling. In multiple xenograft models of human cancer, modeling of tumor-associated USP22 deregulation demonstrated that USP22 controls androgen receptor accumulation and signaling, and that it enhances expression of critical target genes coregulated by androgen receptor and MYC. USP22 not only reprogrammed androgen receptor function, but was sufficient to induce the transition to therapeutic resistance. Notably, in vivo depletion experiments revealed that USP22 is critical to maintain phenotypes associated with end-stage disease. This was a significant finding given clinical evidence that USP22 is highly deregulated in tumors, which have achieved therapeutic resistance. Taken together, our findings define USP22 as a critical effector of tumor progression, which drives lethal phenotypes, rationalizing this enzyme as an appealing therapeutic target to treat advanced disease.

Inhibition of the H3K9 methyltransferase G9A attenuates oncogenicity and activates the hypoxia signaling pathway.

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Jolene Caifeng Ho

Full Text Available Epigenetic mechanisms play important roles in the regulation of tumorigenesis, and hypoxia-induced epigenetic changes may be critical for the adaptation of cancer cells to the hypoxic microenvironment of solid tumors. Previously, we showed that loss-of-function of the hypoxia-regulated H3K9 methyltransferase G9A attenuates tumor growth. However, the mechanisms by which blockade of G9A leads to a tumor suppressive effect remain poorly understood. We show that G9A is highly expressed in breast cancer and is associated with poor patient prognosis, where it may function as a potent oncogenic driver. In agreement with this, G9A inhibition by the small molecule inhibitor, BIX-01294, leads to increased cell death and impaired cell migration, cell cycle and anchorage-independent growth. Interestingly, whole transcriptome analysis revealed that genes involved in diverse cancer cell functions become hypoxia-responsive upon G9A inhibition. This was accompanied by the upregulation of the hypoxia inducible factors HIF1α and HIF2α during BIX-01294 treatment even in normoxia that may facilitate the tumor suppressive effects of BIX-01294. HIF inhibition was able to reverse some of the transcriptional changes induced by BIX-01294 in hypoxia, indicating that the HIFs may be important drivers of these derepressed target genes. Therefore, we show that G9A is a key mediator of oncogenic processes in breast cancer cells and G9A inhibition by BIX-01294 can successfully attenuate oncogenicity even in hypoxia.

Inhibition of the H3K9 methyltransferase G9A attenuates oncogenicity and activates the hypoxia signaling pathway

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Jolene Caifeng; Abdullah, Lissa Nurrul; Pang, Qing You; Jha, Sudhakar; Chow, Edward Kai-Hua; Yang, Henry; Kato, Hiroyuki; Ueda, Jun

2017-01-01

Epigenetic mechanisms play important roles in the regulation of tumorigenesis, and hypoxia-induced epigenetic changes may be critical for the adaptation of cancer cells to the hypoxic microenvironment of solid tumors. Previously, we showed that loss-of-function of the hypoxia-regulated H3K9 methyltransferase G9A attenuates tumor growth. However, the mechanisms by which blockade of G9A leads to a tumor suppressive effect remain poorly understood. We show that G9A is highly expressed in breast cancer and is associated with poor patient prognosis, where it may function as a potent oncogenic driver. In agreement with this, G9A inhibition by the small molecule inhibitor, BIX-01294, leads to increased cell death and impaired cell migration, cell cycle and anchorage-independent growth. Interestingly, whole transcriptome analysis revealed that genes involved in diverse cancer cell functions become hypoxia-responsive upon G9A inhibition. This was accompanied by the upregulation of the hypoxia inducible factors HIF1α and HIF2α during BIX-01294 treatment even in normoxia that may facilitate the tumor suppressive effects of BIX-01294. HIF inhibition was able to reverse some of the transcriptional changes induced by BIX-01294 in hypoxia, indicating that the HIFs may be important drivers of these derepressed target genes. Therefore, we show that G9A is a key mediator of oncogenic processes in breast cancer cells and G9A inhibition by BIX-01294 can successfully attenuate oncogenicity even in hypoxia. PMID:29145444

Macrophage colony-stimulating factor, CSF-1, and its proto-oncogene-encoded receptor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sherr, C.J.; Rettenmier, C.W.; Roussel, M.F.

1988-01-01

The macrophage colony-stimulating factor, CSF-1, or M-CSF, is one of a family of hematopoietic growth factors that stimulates the proliferation of monocytes, macrophages, and their committed bone marrow progenitors. Unlike pluripotent hemopoietins such as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-3 (IL-3 or multi-CSF), which affect the growth of myeloid cells of several different hematopoietic lineages, CSF-1 acts only on cells of the mononuclear phagocyte series to stimulate their growth and enhance their survival. Retroviral transduction of the feline c-fms gene in the Susan McDonough and Hardy Zuckerman-5 (HZ-5) strains of feline sarcoma virus (FeSV) led to genetic alterations that endowed the recombined viral oncogene (v-fms) with the ability to transform cells in culture morphologically and to induce firbrosarcomas and hematopoietic neoplasms in susceptible animals. The v-fms oncogene product differs from the normal CSF-1 receptor in certain of its cardinal biochemical properties, most notably in exhibiting constitutively high basal levels of tyrosine kinase activity in the absence of its ligand. Comparative studies of the c-fms and v-fms genes coupled with analyses of engineered mutants and receptor chimeras have begun to pinpoint pertinent genetic alterations in the normal receptor gene that unmask its latent oncogenic potential. In addition, the availability of biologically active c-fms, v-fms, and CSF-1 cDNAs has allowed these genes to be mobilized and expressed in naive cells, thereby facilitating assays for receptor coupling with downstream components of the mitogenic pathway in diverse cell types

A Screen Identifies the Oncogenic Micro-RNA miR-378a-5p as a Negative Regulator of Oncogene-Induced Senescence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kooistra, Susanne Marije; Rudkjær, Lise Christine; Lees, Michael James

2014-01-01

Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) can occur in response to hyperactive oncogenic signals and is believed to be a fail-safe mechanism protecting against tumorigenesis. To identify new factors involved in OIS, we performed a screen for microRNAs that can overcome or inhibit OIS in human diploid fib...

DNA damage and repair in oncogenic transformation by heavy ion radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, T. C.; Mei, M.; George, K. A.; Craise, L. M.

1996-01-01

Energetic heavy ions are present in galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events. One of the most important late effects in risk assessment is carcinogenesis. We have studied the carcinogenic effects of heavy ions at the cellular and molecular levels and have obtained quantitative data on dose-response curves and on the repair of oncogenic lesions for heavy particles with various charges and energies. Studies with repair inhibitors and restriction endonucleases indicated that for oncogenic transformation DNA is the primary target. Results from heavy ion experiments showed that the cross section increased with LET and reached a maximum value of about 0.02 micrometer2 at about 500 keV/micrometer. This limited size of cross section suggests that only a fraction of cellular genomic DNA is important in radiogenic transformation. Free radical scavengers, such as DMSO, do not give any effect on induction of oncogenic transformation by 600 MeV/u iron particles, suggesting most oncogenic damage induced by high-LET heavy ions is through direct action. Repair studies with stationary phase cells showed that the amount of reparable oncogenic lesions decreased with an increase of LET and that heavy ions with LET greater than 200 keV/micrometer produced only irreparable oncogenic damage. An enhancement effect for oncogenic transformation was observed in cells irradiated by low-dose-rate argon ions (400 MeV/u; 120 keV/micrometer). Chromosomal aberrations, such as translocation and deletion, but not sister chromatid exchange, are essential for heavy-ion-induced oncogenic transformation. The basic mechanism(s) of misrepair of DNA damage, which form oncogenic lesions, is unknown.

Viral Interactions with PDZ Domain-Containing Proteins-An Oncogenic Trait?

Science.gov (United States)

James, Claire D; Roberts, Sally

2016-01-18

Many of the human viruses with oncogenic capabilities, either in their natural host or in experimental systems (hepatitis B and C, human T cell leukaemia virus type 1, Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus, human immunodeficiency virus, high-risk human papillomaviruses and adenovirus type 9), encode in their limited genome the ability to target cellular proteins containing PSD95/ DLG/ZO-1 (PDZ) interaction modules. In many cases (but not always), the viruses have evolved to bind the PDZ domains using the same short linear peptide motifs found in host protein-PDZ interactions, and in some cases regulate the interactions in a similar fashion by phosphorylation. What is striking is that the diverse viruses target a common subset of PDZ proteins that are intimately involved in controlling cell polarity and the structure and function of intercellular junctions, including tight junctions. Cell polarity is fundamental to the control of cell proliferation and cell survival and disruption of polarity and the signal transduction pathways involved is a key event in tumourigenesis. This review focuses on the oncogenic viruses and the role of targeting PDZ proteins in the virus life cycle and the contribution of virus-PDZ protein interactions to virus-mediated oncogenesis. We highlight how many of the viral associations with PDZ proteins lead to deregulation of PI3K/AKT signalling, benefitting virus replication but as a consequence also contributing to oncogenesis.

Viral Interactions with PDZ Domain-Containing Proteins—An Oncogenic Trait?

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Claire D. James

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Many of the human viruses with oncogenic capabilities, either in their natural host or in experimental systems (hepatitis B and C, human T cell leukaemia virus type 1, Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus, human immunodeficiency virus, high-risk human papillomaviruses and adenovirus type 9, encode in their limited genome the ability to target cellular proteins containing PSD95/ DLG/ZO-1 (PDZ interaction modules. In many cases (but not always, the viruses have evolved to bind the PDZ domains using the same short linear peptide motifs found in host protein-PDZ interactions, and in some cases regulate the interactions in a similar fashion by phosphorylation. What is striking is that the diverse viruses target a common subset of PDZ proteins that are intimately involved in controlling cell polarity and the structure and function of intercellular junctions, including tight junctions. Cell polarity is fundamental to the control of cell proliferation and cell survival and disruption of polarity and the signal transduction pathways involved is a key event in tumourigenesis. This review focuses on the oncogenic viruses and the role of targeting PDZ proteins in the virus life cycle and the contribution of virus-PDZ protein interactions to virus-mediated oncogenesis. We highlight how many of the viral associations with PDZ proteins lead to deregulation of PI3K/AKT signalling, benefitting virus replication but as a consequence also contributing to oncogenesis.

Characterization of Two Novel Oncogenic Pathways Collaborating With Loss of P53 or Activated Neu in Mouse Models of Breast Cancer

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lu, Jianrong; Leder, Philip

2005-01-01

Cancer develops through accumulation of multiple genetic mutations. Loss of tumor suppressor gene p53 and activation of oncogene Neu/ErbB2 are among the most frequent genetic alterations in human breast cancer...

MSH3-deficiency initiates EMAST without oncogenic transformation of human colon epithelial cells.

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Christoph Campregher

Full Text Available BACKGROUND/AIM: Elevated microsatellite instability at selected tetranucleotide repeats (EMAST is a genetic signature in certain cases of sporadic colorectal cancer and has been linked to MSH3-deficiency. It is currently controversial whether EMAST is associated with oncogenic properties in humans, specifically as cancer development in Msh3-deficient mice is not enhanced. However, a mutator phenotype is different between species as the genetic positions of repetitive sequences are not conserved. Here we studied the molecular effects of human MSH3-deficiency. METHODS: HCT116 and HCT116+chr3 (both MSH3-deficient and primary human colon epithelial cells (HCEC, MSH3-wildtype were stably transfected with an EGFP-based reporter plasmid for the detection of frameshift mutations within an [AAAG]17 repeat. MSH3 was silenced by shRNA and changes in protein expression were analyzed by shotgun proteomics. Colony forming assay was used to determine oncogenic transformation and double strand breaks (DSBs were assessed by Comet assay. RESULTS: Despite differential MLH1 expression, both HCT116 and HCT116+chr3 cells displayed comparable high mutation rates (about 4×10(-4 at [AAAG]17 repeats. Silencing of MSH3 in HCECs leads to a remarkable increased frameshift mutations in [AAAG]17 repeats whereas [CA]13 repeats were less affected. Upon MSH3-silencing, significant changes in the expression of 202 proteins were detected. Pathway analysis revealed overexpression of proteins involved in double strand break repair (MRE11 and RAD50, apoptosis, L1 recycling, and repression of proteins involved in metabolism, tRNA aminoacylation, and gene expression. MSH3-silencing did not induce oncogenic transformation and DSBs increased 2-fold. CONCLUSIONS: MSH3-deficiency in human colon epithelial cells results in EMAST, formation of DSBs and significant changes of the proteome but lacks oncogenic transformation. Thus, MSH3-deficiency alone is unlikely to drive human colon

The role of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha in bypassing oncogene-induced senescence.

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Mehtap Kilic Eren

Full Text Available Oncogene induced senescence (OIS is a sustained anti-proliferative response acutely induced in primary cells via activation of mitogenic oncogenes such as Ras/BRAF. This mechanism acts as an initial barrier preventing normal cells transformation into malignant cell. Besides oncogenic activation and DNA damage response (DDR, senescence is modulated by a plethora of other factors, and one of the most important one is oxygen tension of the tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of hypoxia on RasV12-induced senescence in human diploid fibroblasts (HDFs. We showed here that hypoxia prevents execution of oncogene induced senescence (OIS, through a strong down-regulation of senescence hallmarks, such as SA- β-galactosidase, H3K9me3, HP1γ, p53, p21CIP1 and p16INK4a in association with induction of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α. In addition, hypoxia also decreased marks of H-RasV12-induced DDR in both cell lines through down-regulation of ATM/ATR, Chk1 and Chk2 phosphorylation as well as decreased γ-H2AX positivity. Utilizing shRNA system targeting HIF-1α we show that HIF-1α is directly involved in down regulation of p53 and its target p21CIP1 but not p16INK4a. In line with this finding we found that knock down of HIF-1α leads to a strong induction of apoptotic response, but not restoration of senescence in Ras expressing HDFs in hypoxia. This indicates that HIF-1α is an important player in early steps of tumorigenesis, leading to suppression of senescence through its negative regulation of p53 and p21CIP1. In our work we describe a mechanism through which hypoxia and specifically HIF-1α preclude cells from maintaining senescence-driven anti proliferative response. These findings indicate the possible mechanism through which hypoxic environment helps premalignant cells to evade impingement of cellular failsafe pathways.

Reversal of oncogene transformation and suppression of tumor growth by the novel IGF1R kinase inhibitor A-928605

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pappano, William N; Sheppard, George S; Donawho, Cherrie; Buchanan, Fritz G; Davidsen, Steven K; Bell, Randy L; Wang, Jieyi; Jung, Paul M; Meulbroek, Jonathan A; Wang, Yi-Chun; Hubbard, Robert D; Zhang, Qian; Grudzien, Meagan M; Soni, Niru B; Johnson, Eric F

2009-01-01

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis is an important signaling pathway in the growth and survival of many cell and tissue types. This pathway has also been implicated in many aspects of cancer progression from tumorigenesis to metastasis. The multiple roles of IGF signaling in cancer suggest that inhibition of the pathway might yield clinically effective therapeutics. We describe A-928605, a novel pyrazolo [3,4-d]pyrimidine small molecule inhibitor of the receptor tyrosine kinases (IGF1R and IR) responsible for IGF signal transduction. This compound was first tested for its activity and selectivity via conventional in vitro kinome profiling and cellular IGF1R autophosphorylation. Additionally, cellular selectivity and efficacy of A-928605 were analyzed in an IGF1R oncogene-addicted cell line by proliferation, signaling and microarray studies. Finally, in vivo efficacy of A-928605 was assessed in the oncogene-addicted cell line and in a neuroblastoma model as a single agent as well as in combination with clinically approved therapeutics targeting EGFR in models of pancreatic and non-small cell lung cancers. A-928605 is a selective IGF1R inhibitor that is able to abrogate activation of the pathway both in vitro and in vivo. This novel compound dosed as a single agent is able to produce significant growth inhibition of neuroblastoma xenografts in vivo. A-928605 is also able to provide additive effects when used in combination with clinically approved agents directed against EGFR in non-small cell lung and human pancreatic tumor models. These results suggest that a selective IGF1R inhibitor such as A-928605 may provide a useful clinical therapeutic for IGF pathway affected tumors and warrants further investigation

The oncogenic action of ionizing radiation on rat skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, F.J.

1991-01-01

Progress has occurred in several areas corresponding to the specific aims of the proposal: (1) Progression and multiple events in radiation carcinogenesis of rat skin as a function of LET; (2) cell cycle kinetics of irradiated rat epidermis as determined by double labeling and double emulsion autoradiography; (3) oncogene activation detected by in situ hybridization in radiation-induced rat skin tumors; (4) amplification of the c-myc oncogene in radiation-induced rat skin tumors as a function of LET; and (5) transformation of rat skin keratinocytes by ionizing radiation in combination with c-Ki-ras and c-myc oncogenes. 111 refs., 13 figs., 12 tabs

A Tox21 Approach to Altered Epigenetic Landscapes: Assessing Epigenetic Toxicity Pathways Leading to Altered Gene Expression and Oncogenic Transformation In Vitro

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Craig L. Parfett

2017-06-01

Full Text Available An emerging vision for toxicity testing in the 21st century foresees in vitro assays assuming the leading role in testing for chemical hazards, including testing for carcinogenicity. Toxicity will be determined by monitoring key steps in functionally validated molecular pathways, using tests designed to reveal chemically-induced perturbations that lead to adverse phenotypic endpoints in cultured human cells. Risk assessments would subsequently be derived from the causal in vitro endpoints and concentration vs. effect data extrapolated to human in vivo concentrations. Much direct experimental evidence now shows that disruption of epigenetic processes by chemicals is a carcinogenic mode of action that leads to altered gene functions playing causal roles in cancer initiation and progression. In assessing chemical safety, it would therefore be advantageous to consider an emerging class of carcinogens, the epigenotoxicants, with the ability to change chromatin and/or DNA marks by direct or indirect effects on the activities of enzymes (writers, erasers/editors, remodelers and readers that convey the epigenetic information. Evidence is reviewed supporting a strategy for in vitro hazard identification of carcinogens that induce toxicity through disturbance of functional epigenetic pathways in human somatic cells, leading to inactivated tumour suppressor genes and carcinogenesis. In the context of human cell transformation models, these in vitro pathway measurements ensure high biological relevance to the apical endpoint of cancer. Four causal mechanisms participating in pathways to persistent epigenetic gene silencing were considered: covalent histone modification, nucleosome remodeling, non-coding RNA interaction and DNA methylation. Within these four interacting mechanisms, 25 epigenetic toxicity pathway components (SET1, MLL1, KDM5, G9A, SUV39H1, SETDB1, EZH2, JMJD3, CBX7, CBX8, BMI, SUZ12, HP1, MPP8, DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, TET1, MeCP2, SETDB2, BAZ2

Oncogenic osteomalacia associated with soft tissue chondromyxoid fibroma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jeong Mi; Woo, Young Kyun; Kang, Moo Il; Kang, Chang Suk; Hahn, Seong Tae

2001-01-01

Oncogenic osteomalacia is a rarely described clinical entity characterized by hypophosphatemia, phosphaturia, and a low concentration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 . It is most often associated with benign mesenchymal tumor and can be cured with surgical removal of the tumor. In this paper, we present a case of oncogenic osteomalacia caused by chondromyxoid fibroma in the soft tissue of the sole of the foot in a 56-year-old woman

Targeting MET Amplification as a New Oncogenic Driver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawakami, Hisato; Okamoto, Isamu; Okamoto, Wataru; Tanizaki, Junko; Nakagawa, Kazuhiko; Nishio, Kazuto

2014-01-01

Certain genetically defined cancers are dependent on a single overactive oncogene for their proliferation and survival, a phenomenon known as “oncogene addiction”. A new generation of drugs that selectively target such “driver oncogenes” manifests a clinical efficacy greater than that of conventional chemotherapy in appropriate genetically defined patients. MET is a proto-oncogene that encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase, and aberrant activation of MET signaling occurs in a subset of advanced cancers as result of various genetic alterations including gene amplification, polysomy, and gene mutation. Our preclinical studies have shown that inhibition of MET signaling either with the small-molecule MET inhibitor crizotinib or by RNA interference targeted to MET mRNA resulted in marked antitumor effects in cancer cell lines with MET amplification both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, patients with non-small cell lung cancer or gastric cancer positive for MET amplification have shown a pronounced clinical response to crizotinib. Accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence thus suggests that MET amplification is an “oncogenic driver” and therefore a valid target for treatment. However, the prevalence of MET amplification has not been fully determined, possibly in part because of the difficulty in evaluating gene amplification. In this review, we provide a rationale for targeting this genetic alteration in cancer therapy

Targeting MET Amplification as a New Oncogenic Driver

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawakami, Hisato [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Okamoto, Isamu, E-mail: okamotoi@kokyu.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashiku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Okamoto, Wataru [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Division of Transrlational Research, Exploratory Oncology Research & Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, 6-5-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577 (Japan); Tanizaki, Junko [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, HIM223, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Nakagawa, Kazuhiko [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Nishio, Kazuto [Department of Genome Biology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan)

2014-07-22

Certain genetically defined cancers are dependent on a single overactive oncogene for their proliferation and survival, a phenomenon known as “oncogene addiction”. A new generation of drugs that selectively target such “driver oncogenes” manifests a clinical efficacy greater than that of conventional chemotherapy in appropriate genetically defined patients. MET is a proto-oncogene that encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase, and aberrant activation of MET signaling occurs in a subset of advanced cancers as result of various genetic alterations including gene amplification, polysomy, and gene mutation. Our preclinical studies have shown that inhibition of MET signaling either with the small-molecule MET inhibitor crizotinib or by RNA interference targeted to MET mRNA resulted in marked antitumor effects in cancer cell lines with MET amplification both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, patients with non-small cell lung cancer or gastric cancer positive for MET amplification have shown a pronounced clinical response to crizotinib. Accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence thus suggests that MET amplification is an “oncogenic driver” and therefore a valid target for treatment. However, the prevalence of MET amplification has not been fully determined, possibly in part because of the difficulty in evaluating gene amplification. In this review, we provide a rationale for targeting this genetic alteration in cancer therapy.

Oncogenic osteomalacia associated with soft tissue chondromyxoid fibroma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jeong Mi E-mail: jmpark@cmc.cuk.ac.kr; Woo, Young Kyun; Kang, Moo Il; Kang, Chang Suk; Hahn, Seong Tae

2001-08-01

Oncogenic osteomalacia is a rarely described clinical entity characterized by hypophosphatemia, phosphaturia, and a low concentration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D{sub 3}. It is most often associated with benign mesenchymal tumor and can be cured with surgical removal of the tumor. In this paper, we present a case of oncogenic osteomalacia caused by chondromyxoid fibroma in the soft tissue of the sole of the foot in a 56-year-old woman.

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is deregulated in cemento-ossifying fibromas.

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, Thaís Dos Santos Fontes; Diniz, Marina Gonçalves; França, Josiane Alves; Moreira, Rennan Garcias; Menezes, Grazielle Helena Ferreira de; Sousa, Sílvia Ferreira de; Castro, Wagner Henriques de; Gomes, Carolina Cavaliéri; Gomez, Ricardo Santiago

2018-02-01

The molecular pathogenesis of cemento ossifying fibroma (COF) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate mutations in 50 oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, including APC and CTNNB1, in which mutations in COF have been previously reported. In addition, we assessed the transcriptional levels of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway genes in COF. We used a quantitative polymerase chain reaction array to evaluate the transcriptional levels of 44 Wnt/β-catenin pathway genes in 6 COF samples, in comparison with 6 samples of healthy jaws. By using next-generation sequencing (NGS) in 7 COF samples, we investigated approximately 2800 mutations in 50 genes. The expression assay revealed 12 differentially expressed Wnt/β-catenin pathway genes in COF, including the upregulation of CTNNB1, TCF7, NKD1, and WNT5 A, and downregulation of CTNNBIP1, FRZB, FZD6, RHOU, SFRP4, WNT10 A, WNT3 A, and WNT4, suggesting activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. NGS revealed 5 single nucleotide variants: TP53 (rs1042522), PIK3 CA (rs2230461), MET (rs33917957), KIT (rs3822214), and APC (rs33974176), but none of them was pathogenic. Although NGS detected no oncogenic mutation, deregulation of key Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway genes appears to be relevant to the molecular pathogenesis of COF. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A New Strategy to Control and Eradicate "Undruggable" Oncogenic K-RAS-Driven Pancreatic Cancer: Molecular Insights and Core Principles Learned from Developmental and Evolutionary Biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Sciver, Robert E; Lee, Michael P; Lee, Caroline Dasom; Lafever, Alex C; Svyatova, Elizaveta; Kanda, Kevin; Colliver, Amber L; Siewertsz van Reesema, Lauren L; Tang-Tan, Angela M; Zheleva, Vasilena; Bwayi, Monicah N; Bian, Minglei; Schmidt, Rebecca L; Matrisian, Lynn M; Petersen, Gloria M; Tang, Amy H

2018-05-14

Oncogenic K-RAS mutations are found in virtually all pancreatic cancers, making K-RAS one of the most targeted oncoproteins for drug development in cancer therapies. Despite intense research efforts over the past three decades, oncogenic K-RAS has remained largely "undruggable". Rather than targeting an upstream component of the RAS signaling pathway (i.e., EGFR/HER2) and/or the midstream effector kinases (i.e., RAF/MEK/ERK/PI3K/mTOR), we propose an alternative strategy to control oncogenic K-RAS signal by targeting its most downstream signaling module, Seven-In-Absentia Homolog (SIAH). SIAH E3 ligase controls the signal output of oncogenic K-RAS hyperactivation that drives unchecked cell proliferation, uncontrolled tumor growth, and rapid cancer cell dissemination in human pancreatic cancer. Therefore, SIAH is an ideal therapeutic target as it is an extraordinarily conserved downstream signaling gatekeeper indispensable for proper RAS signaling. Guided by molecular insights and core principles obtained from developmental and evolutionary biology, we propose an anti-SIAH-centered anti-K-RAS strategy as a logical and alternative anticancer strategy to dampen uncontrolled K-RAS hyperactivation and halt tumor growth and metastasis in pancreatic cancer. The clinical utility of developing SIAH as both a tumor-specific and therapy-responsive biomarker, as well as a viable anti-K-RAS drug target, is logically simple and conceptually innovative. SIAH clearly constitutes a major tumor vulnerability and K-RAS signaling bottleneck in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Given the high degree of evolutionary conservation in the K-RAS/SIAH signaling pathway, an anti-SIAH-based anti-PDAC therapy will synergize with covalent K-RAS inhibitors and direct K-RAS targeted initiatives to control and eradicate pancreatic cancer in the future.

Validation of the prognostic gene portfolio, ClinicoMolecular Triad Classification, using an independent prospective breast cancer cohort and external patient populations

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Introduction Using genome-wide expression profiles of a prospective training cohort of breast cancer patients, ClinicoMolecular Triad Classification (CMTC) was recently developed to classify breast cancers into three clinically relevant groups to aid treatment decisions. CMTC was found to be both prognostic and predictive in a large external breast cancer cohort in that study. This study serves to validate the reproducibility of CMTC and its prognostic value using independent patient cohorts. Methods An independent internal cohort (n = 284) and a new external cohort (n = 2,181) were used to validate the association of CMTC between clinicopathological factors, 12 known gene signatures, two molecular subtype classifiers, and 19 oncogenic signalling pathway activities, and to reproduce the abilities of CMTC to predict clinical outcomes of breast cancer. In addition, we also updated the outcome data of the original training cohort (n = 147). Results The original training cohort reached a statistically significant difference (p risk groups. Conclusions Both prospective internal cohorts and the independent external cohorts reproduced the triad classification of CMTC and its prognostic significance. CMTC is an independent prognostic predictor, and it outperformed 12 other known prognostic gene signatures, molecular subtype classifications, and all other standard prognostic clinicopathological factors. Our results support further development of CMTC portfolio into a guide for personalized breast cancer treatments. PMID:24996446

Overexpression of the human DEK oncogene reprograms cellular metabolism and promotes glycolysis

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Watanabe, Miki; Muraleedharan, Ranjithmenon; Lambert, Paul F.; Lane, Andrew N.; Romick-Rosendale, Lindsey E.; Wells, Susanne I.

2017-01-01

The DEK oncogene is overexpressed in many human malignancies including at early tumor stages. Our reported in vitro and in vivo models of squamous cell carcinoma have demonstrated that DEK contributes functionally to cellular and tumor survival and to proliferation. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Based on recent RNA sequencing experiments, DEK expression was necessary for the transcription of several metabolic enzymes involved in anabolic pathways. This identified a possible mechanism whereby DEK may drive cellular metabolism to enable cell proliferation. Functional metabolic Seahorse analysis demonstrated increased baseline and maximum extracellular acidification rates, a readout of glycolysis, in DEK-overexpressing keratinocytes and squamous cell carcinoma cells. DEK overexpression also increased the maximum rate of oxygen consumption and therefore increased the potential for oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos). To detect small metabolites that participate in glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) that supplies substrate for OxPhos, we carried out NMR-based metabolomics studies. We found that high levels of DEK significantly reprogrammed cellular metabolism and altered the abundances of amino acids, TCA cycle intermediates and the glycolytic end products lactate, alanine and NAD+. Taken together, these data support a scenario whereby overexpression of the human DEK oncogene reprograms keratinocyte metabolism to fulfill energy and macromolecule demands required to enable and sustain cancer cell growth. PMID:28558019

Overexpression of the human DEK oncogene reprograms cellular metabolism and promotes glycolysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie C Matrka

Full Text Available The DEK oncogene is overexpressed in many human malignancies including at early tumor stages. Our reported in vitro and in vivo models of squamous cell carcinoma have demonstrated that DEK contributes functionally to cellular and tumor survival and to proliferation. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Based on recent RNA sequencing experiments, DEK expression was necessary for the transcription of several metabolic enzymes involved in anabolic pathways. This identified a possible mechanism whereby DEK may drive cellular metabolism to enable cell proliferation. Functional metabolic Seahorse analysis demonstrated increased baseline and maximum extracellular acidification rates, a readout of glycolysis, in DEK-overexpressing keratinocytes and squamous cell carcinoma cells. DEK overexpression also increased the maximum rate of oxygen consumption and therefore increased the potential for oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos. To detect small metabolites that participate in glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA that supplies substrate for OxPhos, we carried out NMR-based metabolomics studies. We found that high levels of DEK significantly reprogrammed cellular metabolism and altered the abundances of amino acids, TCA cycle intermediates and the glycolytic end products lactate, alanine and NAD+. Taken together, these data support a scenario whereby overexpression of the human DEK oncogene reprograms keratinocyte metabolism to fulfill energy and macromolecule demands required to enable and sustain cancer cell growth.

Transformation and oncogenicity by Adenoviruses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernards, R.A.; Eb, A.J. van der

1984-01-01

Adenoviruses have attracted considerable attention since it was discovered by TRENTIN et all. and HUEBNER et al. that certain species (formerly called serotypes) are oncogenic when injected into newborn hamsters. Since then, adenoviruses have been used extensively as a model for studies on tumor

Conditional Selection of Genomic Alterations Dictates Cancer Evolution and Oncogenic Dependencies.

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Mina, Marco; Raynaud, Franck; Tavernari, Daniele; Battistello, Elena; Sungalee, Stephanie; Saghafinia, Sadegh; Laessle, Titouan; Sanchez-Vega, Francisco; Schultz, Nikolaus; Oricchio, Elisa; Ciriello, Giovanni

2017-08-14

Cancer evolves through the emergence and selection of molecular alterations. Cancer genome profiling has revealed that specific events are more or less likely to be co-selected, suggesting that the selection of one event depends on the others. However, the nature of these evolutionary dependencies and their impact remain unclear. Here, we designed SELECT, an algorithmic approach to systematically identify evolutionary dependencies from alteration patterns. By analyzing 6,456 genomes from multiple tumor types, we constructed a map of oncogenic dependencies associated with cellular pathways, transcriptional readouts, and therapeutic response. Finally, modeling of cancer evolution shows that alteration dependencies emerge only under conditional selection. These results provide a framework for the design of strategies to predict cancer progression and therapeutic response. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oncogene expression in primary lung tumors in dogs that inhaled 239PuO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, G.; Kerkof, P.R.; Haley, P.J.

1988-01-01

Ten radiation-induced and three spontaneous lung tumors were analyzed for aberrant expression of known oncogenes. In 12 of 13 tumors tested, sequences hybridizing to the c-myc oncogene were expressed at levels 1.5 times higher than sequences hybridizing to β-actin. This level of oncogene expression was also observed in 9 of 13 tumors for 1 or more members of the ras family of oncogenes. Seven of thirteen tumors examined express sequences that hybridize with clones of v-ros or c-met. The ros and met clones both code for oncogenes whose normal homologues are transmembrane proteins related to the insulin receptor. (author)

Targeting oncogenic Myc as a strategy for cancer treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hui; Liu, Hudan; Qing, Guoliang

2018-01-01

The MYC family oncogene is deregulated in >50% of human cancers, and this deregulation is frequently associated with poor prognosis and unfavorable patient survival. Myc has a central role in almost every aspect of the oncogenic process, orchestrating proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and metabolism. Although Myc inhibition would be a powerful approach for the treatment of many types of cancers, direct targeting of Myc has been a challenge for decades owing to its "undruggable" protein structure. Hence, alternatives to Myc blockade have been widely explored to achieve desirable anti-tumor effects, including Myc/Max complex disruption, MYC transcription and/or translation inhibition, and Myc destabilization as well as the synthetic lethality associated with Myc overexpression. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in targeting oncogenic Myc, particularly for cancer therapeutic purposes.

Modulating factors in the expression of radiation-induced oncogenic transformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, E.J.; Hei, T.K.

1990-01-01

Many assays for oncogenic transformation have been developed ranging from those in established rodent cell lines where morphological alteration is scored, to those in human cells growing in nude mice where tumor invasiveness is scored. In general, systems that are most quantitaive are also the least relevant in terms of human carcinogenesis and human risk estimation. The development of cell culture systems has made it possible to assess at the cellular level the oncogenic potential of a variety of chemical, physical and viral agents. Cell culture systems afford the opportunity to identify factors and conditions that may prevent or enhance cellular transformation by radiation and chemicals. Permissive and protective factors in radiation-induced transformation include thyroid hormone and the tumor promoter TPA that increase the transformation incidence for a given dose of radiation, and retinoids, selenium, vitamin E, and 5-aminobenzamide that inhibit the expression of transformation. Densely ionizing α-particles, similar to those emitted by radon daughters, are highly effective in inducing transformations and appear to interact in a supra-additive fashion with asbestos fibers. The activation of a known dominant oncogene has not yet been demonstrated in radiation-induced oncogenic transformation. The most likely mechanism for radiation activation of an oncogene would be via the production of a chromosomal translocation. Radiation also efficiently induces deletions and may thus lead to the loss of a suppressor gene

Oncogenic transformation with radiation and chemicals: review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, E.J.; Hei, T.K.

1985-01-01

Quantitative in vitro assay systems for oncogenic transformation are a powerful research tool. They may be based on short-term cultures of hamster embryo cells, or established cell lines of mouse origin. While X-ray-induced transformation of human cells has been demonstrated, it has proved difficult to develop quantitative assay systems based on cells of human origin. The presently available quantitative assays have two quite distinct basic uses. First, they may be useful to accumulate data which is essentially pragmatic in nature. For example, they may be used to compare and contrast the oncogenic potential of chemotherapeutic agents or hypoxic cell sensitizers used or proposed in the clinic. They may be used to identify compounds that inhibit or suppress the transformation incidence resulting from known oncogenic agents, or they may be used to demonstrate the interaction between two different agents, such as radiation and asbestos. Second, they may prove to be invaluable in the study of the basic mechanisms of carcinogenesis, inasmuch as they represent models of tumourigenesis in which the various steps can be manipulated and modified more readily and in a controlled way. (author)

Oncogenic osteomalacia diagnosed by blood pool scintigraphy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palaniswamy, Shanmuga Sundaram; Subramanyam, Padma; Kumar, Harish

2011-01-01

Oncogenic osteomalacia is a rare metabolic bone disease characterized by phosphaturia and hypophosphatemia. Certain tumors secrete a phosphaturic factor, which results in this metabolic abnormality; this factor called as phosphatonin, is in fact a fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) involved closely in phosphate homeostasis and skeletogenesis. Complete excision of these tumors facilitates reversal of the problem. We have reported here the case of a patient who was crippled with this disease and on thorough investigation revealed an oncogenic osteomalacia with tumor focus in the right tibia. The tumor was identified as a mesenchymal tumor, i.e., hemangiopericytoma. Tumor excision alleviated patient symptoms with rapid symptomatic and biochemical improvement

Expression of Mitochondrial Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) Is Modulated by High Risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Oncogenes*

Science.gov (United States)

Villota, Claudio; Campos, América; Vidaurre, Soledad; Oliveira-Cruz, Luciana; Boccardo, Enrique; Burzio, Verónica A.; Varas, Manuel; Villegas, Jaime; Villa, Luisa L.; Valenzuela, Pablo D. T.; Socías, Miguel; Roberts, Sally; Burzio, Luis O.

2012-01-01

The study of RNA and DNA oncogenic viruses has proved invaluable in the discovery of key cellular pathways that are rendered dysfunctional during cancer progression. An example is high risk human papillomavirus (HPV), the etiological agent of cervical cancer. The role of HPV oncogenes in cellular immortalization and transformation has been extensively investigated. We reported the differential expression of a family of human mitochondrial non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) between normal and cancer cells. Normal cells express a sense mitochondrial ncRNA (SncmtRNA) that seems to be required for cell proliferation and two antisense transcripts (ASncmtRNAs). In contrast, the ASncmtRNAs are down-regulated in cancer cells. To shed some light on the mechanisms that trigger down-regulation of the ASncmtRNAs, we studied human keratinocytes (HFK) immortalized with HPV. Here we show that immortalization of HFK with HPV-16 or 18 causes down-regulation of the ASncmtRNAs and induces the expression of a new sense transcript named SncmtRNA-2. Transduction of HFK with both E6 and E7 is sufficient to induce expression of SncmtRNA-2. Moreover, E2 oncogene is involved in down-regulation of the ASncmtRNAs. Knockdown of E2 in immortalized cells reestablishes in a reversible manner the expression of the ASncmtRNAs, suggesting that endogenous cellular factors(s) could play functions analogous to E2 during non-HPV-induced oncogenesis. PMID:22539350

Expression of mitochondrial non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is modulated by high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) oncogenes.

Science.gov (United States)

Villota, Claudio; Campos, América; Vidaurre, Soledad; Oliveira-Cruz, Luciana; Boccardo, Enrique; Burzio, Verónica A; Varas, Manuel; Villegas, Jaime; Villa, Luisa L; Valenzuela, Pablo D T; Socías, Miguel; Roberts, Sally; Burzio, Luis O

2012-06-15

The study of RNA and DNA oncogenic viruses has proved invaluable in the discovery of key cellular pathways that are rendered dysfunctional during cancer progression. An example is high risk human papillomavirus (HPV), the etiological agent of cervical cancer. The role of HPV oncogenes in cellular immortalization and transformation has been extensively investigated. We reported the differential expression of a family of human mitochondrial non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) between normal and cancer cells. Normal cells express a sense mitochondrial ncRNA (SncmtRNA) that seems to be required for cell proliferation and two antisense transcripts (ASncmtRNAs). In contrast, the ASncmtRNAs are down-regulated in cancer cells. To shed some light on the mechanisms that trigger down-regulation of the ASncmtRNAs, we studied human keratinocytes (HFK) immortalized with HPV. Here we show that immortalization of HFK with HPV-16 or 18 causes down-regulation of the ASncmtRNAs and induces the expression of a new sense transcript named SncmtRNA-2. Transduction of HFK with both E6 and E7 is sufficient to induce expression of SncmtRNA-2. Moreover, E2 oncogene is involved in down-regulation of the ASncmtRNAs. Knockdown of E2 in immortalized cells reestablishes in a reversible manner the expression of the ASncmtRNAs, suggesting that endogenous cellular factors(s) could play functions analogous to E2 during non-HPV-induced oncogenesis.

BRAF and RAS oncogenes regulate Rho GTPase pathways to mediate migration and invasion properties in human colon cancer cells: a comparative study

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Makrodouli, E.; Oikonomou, E.; Koc, Michal; Anděra, Ladislav; Sasazuki, T.; Shirasawa, S.; Pintzas, A.

2011-01-01

Roč. 10, - (2011), e118 ISSN 1476-4598 Grant - others:GSRT(GR) 03ED562; EK(XE) LSHC-CT-2006-037278 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50520514 Keywords : colorectal cancer * invasiveness * oncogenes Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.993, year: 2011

Intragenic origins due to short G1 phases underlie oncogene-induced DNA replication stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Macheret, Morgane; Halazonetis, Thanos D

2018-03-01

Oncogene-induced DNA replication stress contributes critically to the genomic instability that is present in cancer. However, elucidating how oncogenes deregulate DNA replication has been impeded by difficulty in mapping replication initiation sites on the human genome. Here, using a sensitive assay to monitor nascent DNA synthesis in early S phase, we identified thousands of replication initiation sites in cells before and after induction of the oncogenes CCNE1 and MYC. Remarkably, both oncogenes induced firing of a novel set of DNA replication origins that mapped within highly transcribed genes. These ectopic origins were normally suppressed by transcription during G1, but precocious entry into S phase, before all genic regions had been transcribed, allowed firing of origins within genes in cells with activated oncogenes. Forks from oncogene-induced origins were prone to collapse, as a result of conflicts between replication and transcription, and were associated with DNA double-stranded break formation and chromosomal rearrangement breakpoints both in our experimental system and in a large cohort of human cancers. Thus, firing of intragenic origins caused by premature S phase entry represents a mechanism of oncogene-induced DNA replication stress that is relevant for genomic instability in human cancer.

Oncogenic osteomalacia due to FGF23-expressing colon adenocarcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Leaf, David E; Pereira, Renata C; Bazari, Hasan; Jüppner, Harald

2013-03-01

Oncogenic osteomalacia, a paraneoplastic syndrome associated with hypophosphatemia due to increased urinary phosphate excretion, is caused by excessive synthesis and secretion of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), a phosphaturic hormone that is normally produced by osteocytes. Most cases of oncogenic osteomalacia have been associated with benign tumors of bone or soft tissue; however, whether malignant neoplasms can also produce and secrete FGF23 is currently unknown. The aim was to determine whether a malignant neoplasm could cause oncogenic osteomalacia through excessive production and secretion of FGF23. We describe an 80-year-old woman with stage IV colon adenocarcinoma who presented with severe hypophosphatemia (0.4 mg/dL; reference, 2.6-4.5 mg/dL). Fractional excretion of phosphate was 34% (reference, osteomalacia should be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients with a malignant tumor who present with hypophosphatemia.

The APC/C E3 Ligase Complex Activator FZR1 Restricts BRAF Oncogenic Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Lixin; Chen, Ming; Cao, Juxiang; Dai, Xiangpeng; Yin, Qing; Zhang, Jinfang; Song, Su-Jung; Lu, Ying; Liu, Jing; Inuzuka, Hiroyuki; Katon, Jesse M; Berry, Kelsey; Fung, Jacqueline; Ng, Christopher; Liu, Pengda; Song, Min Sup; Xue, Lian; Bronson, Roderick T; Kirschner, Marc W; Cui, Rutao; Pandolfi, Pier Paolo; Wei, Wenyi

2017-04-01

BRAF drives tumorigenesis by coordinating the activation of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK oncogenic signaling cascade. However, upstream pathways governing BRAF kinase activity and protein stability remain undefined. Here, we report that in primary cells with active APC FZR1 , APC FZR1 earmarks BRAF for ubiquitination-mediated proteolysis, whereas in cancer cells with APC-free FZR1, FZR1 suppresses BRAF through disrupting BRAF dimerization. Moreover, we identified FZR1 as a direct target of ERK and CYCLIN D1/CDK4 kinases. Phosphorylation of FZR1 inhibits APC FZR1 , leading to elevation of a cohort of oncogenic APC FZR1 substrates to facilitate melanomagenesis. Importantly, CDK4 and/or BRAF/MEK inhibitors restore APC FZR1 E3 ligase activity, which might be critical for their clinical effects. Furthermore, FZR1 depletion cooperates with AKT hyperactivation to transform primary melanocytes, whereas genetic ablation of Fzr1 synergizes with Pten loss, leading to aberrant coactivation of BRAF/ERK and AKT signaling in mice. Our findings therefore reveal a reciprocal suppression mechanism between FZR1 and BRAF in controlling tumorigenesis. Significance: FZR1 inhibits BRAF oncogenic functions via both APC-dependent proteolysis and APC-independent disruption of BRAF dimers, whereas hyperactivated ERK and CDK4 reciprocally suppress APC FZR1 E3 ligase activity. Aberrancies in this newly defined signaling network might account for BRAF hyperactivation in human cancers, suggesting that targeting CYCLIN D1/CDK4, alone or in combination with BRAF/MEK inhibition, can be an effective anti-melanoma therapy. Cancer Discov; 7(4); 424-41. ©2017 AACR. See related commentary by Zhang and Bollag, p. 356 This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 339 . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

A retroviral oncogene, akt, encoding a serine-threonine kinase containing an SH2-like region.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellacosa, A; Testa, J R; Staal, S P; Tsichlis, P N

1991-10-11

The v-akt oncogene codes for a 105-kilodalton fusion phosphoprotein containing Gag sequences at its amino terminus. Sequence analysis of v-akt and biochemical characterization of its product revealed that it codes for a protein kinase C-related serine-threonine kinase whose cellular homolog is expressed in most tissues, with the highest amount found in thymus. Although Akt is a serine-threonine kinase, part of its regulatory region is similar to the Src homology-2 domain, a structural motif characteristic of cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases that functions in protein-protein interactions. This suggests that Akt may form a functional link between tyrosine and serine-threonine phosphorylation pathways.

Identification of Novel Ovarian Cancer Oncogenes that Function by Regulating Exosome Function

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-01

Novel Ovarian Cancer Oncogenes that Function by Regulating Exosome Function September 2017 x 1Sep2016...31Aug2017 Email: mbirrer@partners.org 6 Identification of Novel Ovarian Cancer Oncogenes that Function by Regulating Exosome Function xx

A pathway-centric survey of somatic mutations in Chinese patients with colorectal carcinomas.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chao Ling

Full Text Available Previous genetic studies on colorectal carcinomas (CRC have identified multiple somatic mutations in four candidate pathways (TGF-β, Wnt, P53 and RTK-RAS pathways on populations of European ancestry. However, it is under-studied whether other populations harbor different sets of hot-spot somatic mutations in these pathways and other oncogenes. In this study, to evaluate the mutational spectrum of novel somatic mutations, we assessed 41 pairs of tumor-stroma tissues from Chinese patients with CRC, including 29 colon carcinomas and 12 rectal carcinomas. We designed Illumina Custom Amplicon panel to target 43 genes, including genes in the four candidate pathways, as well as several known oncogenes for other cancers. Candidate mutations were validated by Sanger sequencing, and we further used SIFT and PolyPhen-2 to assess potentially functional mutations. We discovered 3 new somatic mutations in gene APC, TCF7L2, and PIK3CA that had never been reported in the COSMIC or NCI-60 databases. Additionally, we confirmed 6 known somatic mutations in gene SMAD4, APC, FBXW7, BRAF and PTEN in Chinese CRC patients. While most were previously reported in CRC, one mutation in PTEN was reported only in malignant endometrium cancer. Our study confirmed the existence of known somatic mutations in the four candidate pathways for CRC in Chinese patients. We also discovered a number of novel somatic mutations in these pathways, which may have implications for the pathogenesis of CRC.

The Oncogenic Risks of Diagnostic CT Scam Studies in Children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brent, R.

2004-01-01

Brenner et al (2001) reported that estimates of the exposure to children from CT scans indicates that the exposures are both higher than from conventional radiographic studies and higher than is necessary to obtain quality examinations. utilizing the oncogenic risk data from the RERF study in Japan, Brenner et al estimated that the oncogenic risk in this population of CT exposed children exposed each year would result in an additional 500 cases of cancer. This risk estimate is supported by the RERF epidemiological data obtained from the populations exposed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. the increased risks associated with the increased exposure from CT scans have raised concern and stimulated discussion. Although there is little doubt about the benefits of CT scans in improving the health care of children, there is concern about the estimated oncogenic risk, especially since the frequency of CT studies has been increasing. Applying the oncogenic risks of ionizing radiation from the RERF data may not be appropriate for all types of radiation exposure for accurately predicting the incidence of cancer in exposed children because of the impact of 1) partial versus whole-body irradiation, and 2) the protraction of the exposure. Other population of children who have been exposed to radiation and whose incidence of cancer has been studied will be presented and those studies indicate that the risk of cancer is much lower or not increased at all with exposures in the diagnostic range. finally, the dramatic impact of the use of CT scans in clinical pediatric practice saves lives and improves diagnostic accuracy. Therefore, it is crucial that a scholarly evaluation of the risks and benefits should be initiated. The radiology community and the manufacturers have already initiated programs to decrease the exposure significantly. But it is essential that well-planned, retrospective and prospective epidemiology studies should be initiated to study the oncogenic risks. If you want to

Loss of Dependence on Continued Expression of the Human Papillomavirus 16 E7 Oncogene in Cervical Cancers and Precancerous Lesions Arising in Fanconi Anemia Pathway-Deficient Mice

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Soyeong; Park, Jung Wook; Pitot, Henry C.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT   Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disorder caused by defects in DNA damage repair. FA patients often develop squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at sites where high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are known to cause cancer, including the cervix. However, SCCs found in human FA patients are often HPV negative, even though the majority of female FA patients with anogenital cancers had preexisting HPV-positive dysplasia. We hypothesize that HPVs contribute to the development of SCCs in FA patients but that the continued expression of HPV oncogenes is not required for the maintenance of the cancer state because FA deficiency leads to an accumulation of mutations in cellular genes that render the cancer no longer dependent upon viral oncogenes. We tested this hypothesis, making use of Bi-L E7 transgenic mice in which we temporally controlled expression of HPV16 E7, the dominant viral oncogene in HPV-associated cancers. As seen before, the persistence of cervical neoplastic disease was highly dependent upon the continued expression of HPV16 E7 in FA-sufficient mice. However, in mice with FA deficiency, cervical cancers persisted in a large fraction of the mice after HPV16 E7 expression was turned off, indicating that these cancers had escaped from their dependency on E7. Furthermore, the severity of precancerous lesions also failed to be reduced significantly in the mice with FA deficiency upon turning off expression of E7. These findings confirm our hypothesis and may explain the fact that, while FA patients have a high frequency of infections by HPVs and HPV-induced precancerous lesions, the cancers are frequently HPV negative. Importance   Fanconi anemia (FA) patients are at high risk for developing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at sites where high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) frequently cause cancer. Yet these SCCs are often HPV negative. FA patients have a genetic defect in their capacity to repair damaged DNA. HPV oncogenes cause an

Gene expression profiling, pathway analysis and subtype classification reveal molecular heterogeneity in hepatocellular carcinoma and suggest subtype specific therapeutic targets.

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Rahul; Narayan, Jitendra; Bhattacharyya, Amitava; Saraswat, Mayank; Tomar, Anil Kumar

2017-10-01

A very low 5-year survival rate among hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is mainly due to lack of early stage diagnosis, distant metastasis and high risk of postoperative recurrence. Hence ascertaining novel biomarkers for early diagnosis and patient specific therapeutics is crucial and urgent. Here, we have performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression data of 423 HCC patients (373 tumors and 50 controls) downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) followed by pathway enrichment by gene ontology annotations, subtype classification and overall survival analysis. The differential gene expression analysis using non-parametric Wilcoxon test revealed a total of 479 up-regulated and 91 down-regulated genes in HCC compared to controls. The list of top differentially expressed genes mainly consists of tumor/cancer associated genes, such as AFP, THBS4, LCN2, GPC3, NUF2, etc. The genes over-expressed in HCC were mainly associated with cell cycle pathways. In total, 59 kinases associated genes were found over-expressed in HCC, including TTK, MELK, BUB1, NEK2, BUB1B, AURKB, PLK1, CDK1, PKMYT1, PBK, etc. Overall four distinct HCC subtypes were predicted using consensus clustering method. Each subtype was unique in terms of gene expression, pathway enrichment and median survival. Conclusively, this study has exposed a number of interesting genes which can be exploited in future as potential markers of HCC, diagnostic as well as prognostic and subtype classification may guide for improved and specific therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association between mutations of critical pathway genes and survival outcomes according to the tumor location in colorectal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Dae-Won; Han, Sae-Won; Cha, Yongjun; Bae, Jeong Mo; Kim, Hwang-Phill; Lyu, Jaemyun; Han, Hyojun; Kim, Hyoki; Jang, Hoon; Bang, Duhee; Huh, Iksoo; Park, Taesung; Won, Jae-Kyung; Jeong, Seung-Yong; Park, Kyu Joo; Kang, Gyeong Hoon; Kim, Tae-You

2017-09-15

Colorectal cancer (CRC) develops through the alteration of several critical pathways. This study was aimed at evaluating the influence of critical pathways on survival outcomes for patients with CRC. Targeted next-generation sequencing of 40 genes included in the 5 critical pathways of CRC (WNT, P53, RTK-RAS, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase [PI3K], and transforming growth factor β [TGF-β]) was performed for 516 patients with stage III or high-risk stage II CRC treated with surgery followed by adjuvant fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin chemotherapy. The associations between critical pathway mutations and relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival were analyzed. The associations were further analyzed according to the tumor location. The mutation rates for the WNT, P53, RTK-RAS, PI3K, and TGF-β pathways were 84.5%, 69.0%, 60.7%, 30.0%, and 28.9%, respectively. A mutation in the PI3K pathway was associated with longer RFS (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.36-0.99), whereas a mutation in the RTK-RAS pathway was associated with shorter RFS (adjusted HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.01-2.52). Proximal tumors showed a higher mutation rate than distal tumors, and the mutation profile was different according to the tumor location. The mutation rates of Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit α (PIK3CA), and B-Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) were higher in proximal tumors, and the mutation rates of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), tumor protein 53 (TP53), and neuroblastoma RAS viral oncogene homolog (NRAS) were higher in distal tumors. The better RFS with the PI3K pathway mutation was significant only for proximal tumors, and the worse RFS with the RTK-RAS pathway mutation was significant only for distal tumors. A PI3K pathway mutation was associated with better RFS for CRC patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, and an RTK

Molecular biology III - Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giaccia, Amato J.

1996-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this course is to introduce to radiation oncologists the basic concepts of tumorigenesis, building on the information that will be presented in the first and second part of this series of lectures. Objective: Our objective is to increase the current understanding of radiation oncologists with the process of tumorigenesis, especially focusing on genes that are altered in many tumor types that are potential candidates for novel molecular strategies. As strategies to treat cancer of cancer are becoming more sophisticated, it will be important for both the practitioner and academician to develop a basic understanding of the function of cancer 'genes'. This will be the third in a series of refresher courses that are meant to address recent advances in Cancer Biology in a way that both clinicians without previous knowledge of molecular biology or experienced researchers will find interesting. The lecture will begin with a basic overview of tumorigenesis; methods of detecting chromosome/DNA alterations, approaches used to isolate oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, and their role in cell killing by apoptosis. Special attention will be given to oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes that are modulated by ionizing radiation and the tumor microenvironment. We will relate the biology of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes to basic aspects of radiation biology that would be important in clinical practice. Finally, we will review recent studies on the prognostic significance of p53 mutations and apoptosis in tumor specimens. The main point of this lecture is to relate both researcher and clinician what are the therapeutic ramifications of oncogene and tumor suppressor gene mutations found in human neoptasia

miR-339-5p regulates the p53 tumor-suppressor pathway by targeting MDM2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jansson, M D; Djodji Damas, Nkerorema; Lees, M

2014-01-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many key cancer-relevant pathways and may themselves possess oncogenic or tumor-suppressor functions. Consequently, miRNA dysregulation has been shown to be a prominent feature in many human cancers. The p53 tumor suppressor acts as a negative regulator of cell prolife...... tumor cells. Furthermore, we show that a negative correlation between miR-339-5p and MDM2 expression exists in human cancer, implying that the interaction is important for cancer development.Oncogene advance online publication, 2 June 2014; doi:10.1038/onc.2014.130....

Silencing Agrobacterium oncogenes in transgenic grapevine results in strain-specific crown gall resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Galambos, A; Zok, A; Kuczmog, A; Oláh, R; Putnoky, P; Ream, W; Szegedi, E

2013-11-01

Grapevine rootstock transformed with an Agrobacterium oncogene-silencing transgene was resistant to certain Agrobacterium strains but sensitive to others. Thus, genetic diversity of Agrobacterium oncogenes may limit engineering crown gall resistance. Crown gall disease of grapevine induced by Agrobacterium vitis or Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes serious economic losses in viticulture. To establish crown gall-resistant lines, somatic proembryos of Vitis berlandieri × V. rupestris cv. 'Richter 110' rootstock were transformed with an oncogene-silencing transgene based on iaaM and ipt oncogene sequences from octopine-type, tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid pTiA6. Twenty-one transgenic lines were selected, and their transgenic nature was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These lines were inoculated with two A. tumefaciens and three A. vitis strains. Eight lines showed resistance to octopine-type A. tumefaciens A348. Resistance correlated with the expression of the silencing genes. However, oncogene silencing was mostly sequence specific because these lines did not abolish tumorigenesis by A. vitis strains or nopaline-type A. tumefaciens C58.

HECTD3 Mediates an HSP90-Dependent Degradation Pathway for Protein Kinase Clients

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Zhaobo Li

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Inhibition of the ATPase cycle of the HSP90 chaperone promotes ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation of its client proteins, which include many oncogenic protein kinases. This provides the rationale for HSP90 inhibitors as cancer therapeutics. However, the mechanism by which HSP90 ATPase inhibition triggers ubiquitylation is not understood, and the E3 ubiquitin ligases involved are largely unknown. Using a siRNA screen, we have identified components of two independent degradation pathways for the HSP90 client kinase CRAF. The first requires CUL5, Elongin B, and Elongin C, while the second requires the E3 ligase HECTD3, which is also involved in the degradation of MASTL and LKB1. HECTD3 associates with HSP90 and CRAF in cells via its N-terminal DOC domain, which is mutationally disrupted in tumor cells with activated MAP kinase signaling. Our data implicate HECTD3 as a tumor suppressor modulating the activity of this important oncogenic signaling pathway.

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

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Joshua D. Campbell

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Summary: This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs from five sites associated with smoking and/or human papillomavirus (HPV. SCCs harbor 3q, 5p, and other recurrent chromosomal copy-number alterations (CNAs, DNA mutations, and/or aberrant methylation of genes and microRNAs, which are correlated with the expression of multi-gene programs linked to squamous cell stemness, epithelial-to-mesenchymal differentiation, growth, genomic integrity, oxidative damage, death, and inflammation. Low-CNA SCCs tended to be HPV(+ and display hypermethylation with repression of TET1 demethylase and FANCF, previously linked to predisposition to SCC, or harbor mutations affecting CASP8, RAS-MAPK pathways, chromatin modifiers, and immunoregulatory molecules. We uncovered hypomethylation of the alternative promoter that drives expression of the ΔNp63 oncogene and embedded miR944. Co-expression of immune checkpoint, T-regulatory, and Myeloid suppressor cells signatures may explain reduced efficacy of immune therapy. These findings support possibilities for molecular classification and therapeutic approaches. : Campbell et al. reveal that squamous cell cancers from different tissue sites may be distinguished from other cancers and subclassified molecularly by recurrent alterations in chromosomes, DNA methylation, messenger and microRNA expression, or by mutations. These affect squamous cell pathways and programs that provide candidates for therapy. Keywords: genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, cervical squamous cell carcinoma, bladder carcinoma with squamous differentiation, human papillomavirus

Retroviruses Hijack Chromatin Loops to Drive Oncogene Expression and Highlight the Chromatin Architecture around Proto-Oncogenic Loci

Science.gov (United States)

Pattison, Jillian M.; Wright, Jason B.; Cole, Michael D.

2015-01-01

The majority of the genome consists of intergenic and non-coding DNA sequences shown to play a major role in different gene regulatory networks. However, the specific potency of these distal elements as well as how these regions exert function across large genomic distances remains unclear. To address these unresolved issues, we closely examined the chromatin architecture around proto-oncogenic loci in the mouse and human genomes to demonstrate a functional role for chromatin looping in distal gene regulation. Using cell culture models, we show that tumorigenic retroviral integration sites within the mouse genome occur near existing large chromatin loops and that this chromatin architecture is maintained within the human genome as well. Significantly, as mutagenesis screens are not feasible in humans, we demonstrate a way to leverage existing screens in mice to identify disease relevant human enhancers and expose novel disease mechanisms. For instance, we characterize the epigenetic landscape upstream of the human Cyclin D1 locus to find multiple distal interactions that contribute to the complex cis-regulation of this cell cycle gene. Furthermore, we characterize a novel distal interaction upstream of the Cyclin D1 gene which provides mechanistic evidence for the abundant overexpression of Cyclin D1 occurring in multiple myeloma cells harboring a pathogenic translocation event. Through use of mapped retroviral integrations and translocation breakpoints, our studies highlight the importance of chromatin looping in oncogene expression, elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms crucial for distal cis-regulation, and in one particular instance, explain how a translocation event drives tumorigenesis through upregulation of a proto-oncogene. PMID:25799187

bcr-abl oncogene activation in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hermans, A.; Gow, J.; Selleri, L.; von Lindern, M.; Hagemeijer, A.; Wiedemann, L. M.; Grosveld, G.

1988-01-01

Tumor-specific alterations in oncogenes are thought to play a central role in the development of cancer. An example is the consistent fusion of the bcr gene to the c-abl oncogene on the Ph chromosome in CML. The Ph chromosome can also be observed in ALL. About 50% of Ph+ ALL cases, in contrast to

Morphological classification of plant cell deaths

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van Doorn, W.G.; Beers, E.P.; Dangl, J.L.

2011-01-01

, which can express features of both necrosis and vacuolar cell death, PCD in starchy cereal endosperm and during self-incompatibility. The present classification is not static, but will be subject to further revision, especially when specific biochemical pathways are better defined....... the classification of PCD in plants. Here we suggest a classification based on morphological criteria. According to this classification, the use of the term 'apoptosis' is not justified in plants, but at least two classes of PCD can be distinguished: vacuolar cell death and necrosis. During vacuolar cell death...

Glioma-Associated Oncogene Homolog Inhibitors Have the Potential of Suppressing Cancer Stem Cells of Breast Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeng, Kuo-Shyang; Jeng, Chi-Juei; Sheen, I-Shyan; Wu, Szu-Hua; Lu, Ssu-Jung; Wang, Chih-Hsuan; Chang, Chiung-Fang

2018-05-05

Overexpression of Sonic Hedgehog signaling (Shh) pathway molecules is associated with invasiveness and recurrence in breast carcinoma. Therefore, inhibition of the Shh pathway downstream molecule Glioma-associated Oncogene Homolog (Gli) was investigated for its ability to reduce progression and invasiveness of patient-derived breast cancer cells and cell lines. Human primary breast cancer T2 cells with high expression of Shh signaling pathway molecules were compared with breast cancer line MDA-MB-231 cells. The therapeutic effects of Gli inhibitors were examined in terms of the cell proliferation, apoptosis, cancer stem cells, cell migration and gene expression. Blockade of the Shh signaling pathway could reduce cell proliferation and migration only in MDA-MB-231 cells. Hh pathway inhibitor-1 (HPI-1) increased the percentages of late apoptotic cells in MDA-MB-231 cells and early apoptotic cells in T2 cells. It reduced Bcl2 expression for cell proliferation and increased Bim expression for apoptosis. In addition, Gli inhibitor HPI-1 decreased significantly the percentages of cancer stem cells in T2 cells. HPI-1 worked more effectively than GANT-58 against breast carcinoma cells. In conclusion, HPI-1 could inhibit cell proliferation, reduce cell invasion and decrease cancer stem cell population in breast cancer cells. To target Gli-1 could be a potential strategy to suppress breast cancer stem cells.

The fps/fes proto-oncogene regulates hematopoietic lineage output.

Science.gov (United States)

Sangrar, Waheed; Gao, Yan; Zirngibl, Ralph A; Scott, Michelle L; Greer, Peter A

2003-12-01

The fps/fes proto-oncogene is abundantly expressed in myeloid cells, and the Fps/Fes cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine kinase is implicated in signaling downstream from hematopoietic cytokines, including interleukin-3 (IL-3), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and erythropoietin (EPO). Studies using leukemic cell lines have previously suggested that Fps/Fes contributes to granulomonocytic differentiation, and that it might play a more selective role in promoting survival and differentiation along the monocytic pathway. In this study we have used a genetic approach to explore the role of Fps/Fes in hematopoiesis. We used transgenic mice that tissue-specifically express a mutant human fps/fes transgene (fps(MF)) that was engineered to encode Fps/Fes kinase that is activated through N-terminal myristoylation (MFps). Hematopoietic function was assessed using lineage analysis, hematopoietic progenitor cell colony-forming assays, and biochemical approaches. fps(MF) transgenic mice displayed a skewed hematopoietic output reflected by increased numbers of circulating granulocytic and monocytic cells and a corresponding decrease in lymphoid cells. Bone marrow colony assays of progenitor cells revealed a significant increase in the number of both granulomonocytic and multi-lineage progenitors. A molecular analysis of signaling in mature monocytic cells showed that MFps promoted GM-CSF-induced STAT3, STAT5, and ERK1/2 activation. These observations support a role for Fps/Fes in signaling pathways that contribute to lineage determination at the level of multi-lineage hematopoietic progenitors as well as the more committed granulomonocytic progenitors.

Change of mitotic cycle and DNA repair in embryonic cells of rat, immortalized by E1 A oncogene and transformated by E1 A and c-Ha-Ras oncogenes under ionizing radiation action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirillova, T.V.

1997-01-01

Comparison investigation into the repair of mitotic cycle and the reunion of DN single- and double-strand breaks in gamma-ray irradiated initial E1 A oncogene immortalized and E1 A and c-Ha-Ras oncogene transformed (mutant form) lines of rat embryonic fibroblasts was carried out. Possible involvement of Ras gene product in DNA repair speed governing and absence of tumor suppression function of p 53 protein in the embryonic and E1 A oncogene immortalized cells of rat fibroblast, as well as, presence of the mentioned function of p 53 protein in E1 A and c-Ha-Ras oncogene transformed cells were studied [ru

Oncogene expression in primary lung tumors in dogs that inhaled {sup 239}PuO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelly, G; Kerkof, P R; Haley, P J

1988-12-01

Ten radiation-induced and three spontaneous lung tumors were analyzed for aberrant expression of known oncogenes. In 12 of 13 tumors tested, sequences hybridizing to the c-myc oncogene were expressed at levels 1.5 times higher than sequences hybridizing to {beta}-actin. This level of oncogene expression was also observed in 9 of 13 tumors for 1 or more members of the ras family of oncogenes. Seven of thirteen tumors examined express sequences that hybridize with clones of v-ros or c-met. The ros and met clones both code for oncogenes whose normal homologues are transmembrane proteins related to the insulin receptor. (author)

Early bichemical markers of effects: Enzyme induction, oncogene activation and markers of oxidative damage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Henrik E.; Loft, Steffen

1995-01-01

Early bichemical marker, enzyme induction, oncogene activation, oxidative damage, low-density lipoprotein......Early bichemical marker, enzyme induction, oncogene activation, oxidative damage, low-density lipoprotein...

The DNA damage checkpoint precedes activation of ARF in response to escalating oncogenic stress during tumorigenesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Evangelou, K.; Bartkova, J.; Kotsinas, A.

2013-01-01

oncogenes showed that the delayed upregulation of ARF reflected a requirement for a higher, transcriptionally based threshold of oncogenic stress, elicited by at least two oncogenic 'hits', compared with lower activation threshold for DDR. We propose that relative to DDR activation, ARF provides...

Combined drug action of 2-phenylimidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazole derivatives on cancer cells according to their oncogenic molecular signatures.

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Alessandro Furlan

Full Text Available The development of targeted molecular therapies has provided remarkable advances into the treatment of human cancers. However, in most tumors the selective pressure triggered by anticancer agents encourages cancer cells to acquire resistance mechanisms. The generation of new rationally designed targeting agents acting on the oncogenic path(s at multiple levels is a promising approach for molecular therapies. 2-phenylimidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazole derivatives have been highlighted for their properties of targeting oncogenic Met receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK signaling. In this study, we evaluated the mechanism of action of one of the most active imidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazol-2-ylphenyl moiety-based agents, Triflorcas, on a panel of cancer cells with distinct features. We show that Triflorcas impairs in vitro and in vivo tumorigenesis of cancer cells carrying Met mutations. Moreover, Triflorcas hampers survival and anchorage-independent growth of cancer cells characterized by "RTK swapping" by interfering with PDGFRβ phosphorylation. A restrained effect of Triflorcas on metabolic genes correlates with the absence of major side effects in vivo. Mechanistically, in addition to targeting Met, Triflorcas alters phosphorylation levels of the PI3K-Akt pathway, mediating oncogenic dependency to Met, in addition to Retinoblastoma and nucleophosmin/B23, resulting in altered cell cycle progression and mitotic failure. Our findings show how the unusual binding plasticity of the Met active site towards structurally different inhibitors can be exploited to generate drugs able to target Met oncogenic dependency at distinct levels. Moreover, the disease-oriented NCI Anticancer Drug Screen revealed that Triflorcas elicits a unique profile of growth inhibitory-responses on cancer cell lines, indicating a novel mechanism of drug action. The anti-tumor activity elicited by 2-phenylimidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazole derivatives through combined inhibition of distinct effectors in

Characterization of TRPS1 and ERAS as oncogenes implicated in breast cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez Gonzalez, L.

2015-07-01

New high throughput technologies have made possible to identify putative oncogenes in breast cancer. In this project we aim to relate and characterise two novel putative oncogenes, ERAS and TRPS1, in their role in human breast cancer. TRPS1, an atypical GATA factor, modulates cell proliferation and controls cell cycle progression through repression of GATA-regulated genes, therefore acting as a tumour suppressor gene. Conversely, TRPS1 expression has been shown to be significantly elevated in luminal and in a lesser extent in basal breast cancer cells, presenting roles both as an oncogene and as a tumour suppressor gene in breast cancer development. The aim of this project is therefore to determine the characteristics of TRPS1 either as a putative novel human oncogene or as a tumour suppressor gene in breast cancer cells. To this aim, we have cloned a novel isoform of TRPS1 and introduced it into several breast cancer cell lines. Our results show that overexpression of this isoform of TRPS1 results in variations in motility in non-carcinogenic cell lines, as well as in a series of EMT-like changes such as the down-regulation of the EMT marker E-cadherin, both of which can be associated to an increase in malignancy, suggesting an oncogenic behaviour for TRPS1. Furthermore, our results suggest that constitutively active members of the RAS protein family induce the expression of TRPS1, establishing a relationship between both genes. We can conclude that the effects of TRPS1 overexpression are moderate, inducing some changes but not fully transforming the cells. Therefore we cannot confirm that TRPS1 is a putative oncogene in breast cancer. (Author)

mTORC1 is a critical mediator of oncogenic Semaphorin3A signaling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamada, Daisuke; Kawahara, Kohichi; Maeda, Takehiko, E-mail: maeda@nupals.ac.jp

2016-08-05

Aberration of signaling pathways by genetic mutations or alterations in the surrounding tissue environments can result in tumor development or metastasis. However, signaling molecules responsible for these processes have not been completely elucidated. Here, we used mouse Lewis lung carcinoma cells (LLC) to explore the mechanism by which the oncogenic activity of Semaphorin3A (Sema3A) signaling is regulated. Sema3A knockdown by shRNA did not affect apoptosis, but decreased cell proliferation in LLCs; both the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) level and glycolytic activity were also decreased. In addition, Sema3A knockdown sensitized cells to inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation by oligomycin, but conferred resistance to decreased cell viability induced by glucose starvation. Furthermore, recombinant SEMA3A rescued the attenuation of cell proliferation and glycolytic activity in LLCs after Sema3A knockdown, whereas mTORC1 inhibition by rapamycin completely counteracted this effect. These results demonstrate that Sema3A signaling exerts its oncogenic effect by promoting an mTORC1-mediated metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis. -- Highlights: •Sema3A knockdown decreased proliferation of Lewis lung carcinoma cells (LLCs). •Sema3A knockdown decreased mTORC1 levels and glycolytic activity in LLCs. •Sema3A knockdown sensitized cells to inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation. •Sema3A promotes shift from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis via mTORC1.

Data on quantification of signaling pathways activated by KIT and PDGFRA mutants

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Christelle Bahlawane

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The present data are related to the article entitled “Insights into ligand stimulation effects on gastro-intestinal stromal tumors signaling” (C. Bahlawane, M. Schmitz, E. Letellier, K. Arumugam, N. Nicot, P.V. Nazarov, S. Haan, 2016 [1]. Constitutive and ligand-derived signaling pathways mediated by KIT and PDGFRA mutated proteins found in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST were compared. Expression of mutant proteins was induced by doxycycline in an isogenic background (Hek293 cells. Kit was identified by FACS at the cell surface and found to be quickly degraded or internalized upon SCF stimulation for both Kit Wild type and Kit mutant counterparts. Investigation of the main activated pathways in GIST unraveled a new feature specific for oncogenic KIT mutants, namely their ability to be further activated by Kit ligand, the stem cell factor (scf. We were also able to identify the MAPK pathway as the most prominent target for a common inhibition of PDGFRA and KIT oncogenic signaling. Western blotting and micro-array analysis were applied to analyze the capacities of the mutant to induce an effective STATs response. Among all Kit mutants, only Kit Ex11 deletion mutant was able to elicit an effective STATs response whereas all PDGFRA were able to do so.

Prox1-Heterozygosis Sensitizes the Pancreas to Oncogenic Kras-Induced Neoplastic Transformation

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Yiannis Drosos

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The current paradigm of pancreatic neoplastic transformation proposes an initial step whereby acinar cells convert into acinar-to-ductal metaplasias, followed by progression of these lesions into neoplasias under sustained oncogenic activity and inflammation. Understanding the molecular mechanisms driving these processes is crucial to the early diagnostic and prevention of pancreatic cancer. Emerging evidence indicates that transcription factors that control exocrine pancreatic development could have either, protective or facilitating roles in the formation of preneoplasias and neoplasias in the pancreas. We previously identified that the homeodomain transcription factor Prox1 is a novel regulator of mouse exocrine pancreas development. Here we investigated whether Prox1 function participates in early neoplastic transformation using in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches. We found that Prox1 expression is transiently re-activated in acinar cells undergoing dedifferentiation and acinar-to-ductal metaplastic conversion. In contrast, Prox1 expression is largely absent in neoplasias and tumors in the pancreas of mice and humans. We also uncovered that Prox1-heterozygosis markedly increases the formation of acinar-to-ductal-metaplasias and early neoplasias, and enhances features associated with inflammation, in mouse pancreatic tissues expressing oncogenic Kras. Furthermore, we discovered that Prox1-heterozygosis increases tissue damage and delays recovery from inflammation in pancreata of mice injected with caerulein. These results are the first demonstration that Prox1 activity protects pancreatic cells from acute tissue damage and early neoplastic transformation. Additional data in our study indicate that this novel role of Prox1 involves suppression of pathways associated with inflammatory responses and cell invasiveness.

Oncogenic HPV among HIV infected female population in West Bengal, India

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Sengupta Sharmila

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Prevalence of both cervical cancer and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV infection are very high in India. Natural history of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV infection is known to be altered in HIV positive women and there is an increased possibility of persistence of HPV infections in this population. Therefore, this study was conducted to understand the epidemiology and circulating genotypes of oncogenic HPV among HIV positive and negative female population in West Bengal, India. Methods In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, 93 known HIV positive females attending a pre-ART registration clinic and 1106 HIV negative females attending a Reproductive and Child Health Care Clinic were subjected to study. Cervical cell samples collected from the study population were tested for the presence of HPV 16, 18 using specific primers. Roche PCR assay was used to detect other specific HPV genotypes in the cervical cells specimens of HIV positive cases only. Results Prevalence of HPV 16, 18 among HIV positive females (32.2%; n = 30 was higher than HIV negative females (9.1%; n = 101. About 53% (23/43 of cases with oncogenic HPV were infected with genotypes other than 16, 18 either as single/multiple infections. HPV 18 and HPV 16 were the predominant genotypes among HIV positive and HIV negative subjects respectively. Oncogenic HPV was not found to be associated with age and duration of sexual exposure. But the presence of HIV was found to a statistically significant predictor oncogenic HPV. Conclusion The currently available HPV vaccines offer protection only against HPV 16 and 18 and some cross- protection to few associated genotypes. These vaccines are therefore less likely to offer protection against cervical cancer in HIV positive women a high percentage of who were infected with non-16 and non-18 oncogenic HPV genotypes. Additionally, there is a lack of sufficient evidence of immunogenicity in HIV infected individuals. Therefore

Characterization of the human oncogene SCL/TAL1 interrupting locus (Stil) mediated Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling transduction in proliferating mammalian dopaminergic neurons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Lei [Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Department of Physiology, Nankai University School of Medicine, Tianjin 300071 (China); Carr, Aprell L. [Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Center for Zebrafish Research, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Li, Ping; Lee, Jessica; McGregor, Mary [Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Li, Lei, E-mail: Li.78@nd.edu [Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Center for Zebrafish Research, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States)

2014-07-11

Highlights: • Stil is a human oncogene that is conserved in vertebrate species. • Stil functions in the Shh pathway in mammalian cells. • The expression of Stil is required for mammalian dopaminergic cell proliferation. - Abstract: The human oncogene SCL/TAL1 interrupting locus (Stil) is highly conserved in all vertebrate species. In humans, the expression of Stil is involved in cancer cell survival, apoptosis and proliferation. In this research, we investigated the roles of Stil expression in cell proliferation of mammalian dopaminergic (DA) PC12 cells. Stil functions through the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signal transduction pathway. Co-immunoprecipitation tests revealed that STIL interacts with Shh downstream components, which include SUFU and GLI1. By examining the expression of Stil, Gli1, CyclinD2 (cell-cycle marker) and PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen), we found that up-regulation of Stil expression (transfection with overexpression plasmids) increased Shh signaling transduction and PC12 cell proliferation, whereas down-regulation of Stil expression (by shRNA) inhibited Shh signaling transduction, and thereby decreased PC12 cell proliferation. Transient transfection of PC12 cells with Stil knockdown or overexpression plasmids did not affect PC12 cell neural differentiation, further indicating the specific roles of Stil in cell proliferation. The results from this research suggest that Stil may serve as a bio-marker for neurological diseases involved in DA neurons, such as Parkinson’s disease.

Using 18F FDG PET/CT to Detect an occult Mesenchymal Tumor Causing Oncogenic Osteomalacia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Hyo Jung; Choi, Yun Jung; Kim, Hyun Jeong; Jeong, Yong Hyu; Cho, Arthur; Lee, Jae Hoon; Yun, Mijin; Lee, Jong Doo; Kang, Won Jun

2011-01-01

Oncogenic osteomalacia is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by renal phosphate excretion, hypophosphatemia, and osteomalacia. This syndrome is often caused by tumors of mesenchymal origin. Patients with oncogenic osteomalacia have abnormal bone mineralization, resulting in a high frequency of fractures. Tumor resection is the treatment of choice, as it will often correct the metabolic imbalance. Although oncogenic osteomalacia is a potentially curable disease, diagnosis is difficult and often delayed because of the small size and sporadic location of the tumor. Bone scintigraphy and radiography best characterize osteoma lacia; magnetic resonance imaging findings are nonspecific. Here, we report a case of oncogenic osteomalacia secondary to a phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor that was successfully detected by 18F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( 18F FDG PET/CT). This case illustrates the advantages of 18F FDG PET/CT in detecting the occult mesenchymal tumor that causes oncogenic osteomalacia.

Exosomes facilitate therapeutic targeting of oncogenic KRAS in pancreatic cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamerkar, Sushrut; LeBleu, Valerie S; Sugimoto, Hikaru; Yang, Sujuan; Ruivo, Carolina F; Melo, Sonia A; Lee, J Jack; Kalluri, Raghu

2017-06-22

The mutant form of the GTPase KRAS is a key driver of pancreatic cancer but remains a challenging therapeutic target. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles generated by all cells, and are naturally present in the blood. Here we show that enhanced retention of exosomes, compared to liposomes, in the circulation of mice is likely due to CD47-mediated protection of exosomes from phagocytosis by monocytes and macrophages. Exosomes derived from normal fibroblast-like mesenchymal cells were engineered to carry short interfering RNA or short hairpin RNA specific to oncogenic Kras G12D , a common mutation in pancreatic cancer. Compared to liposomes, the engineered exosomes (known as iExosomes) target oncogenic KRAS with an enhanced efficacy that is dependent on CD47, and is facilitated by macropinocytosis. Treatment with iExosomes suppressed cancer in multiple mouse models of pancreatic cancer and significantly increased overall survival. Our results demonstrate an approach for direct and specific targeting of oncogenic KRAS in tumours using iExosomes.

Cellular oncogene expression following exposure of mice to γ-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, A.; Woloschak, G.E.

1991-01-01

We examined the effects of total body exposure of BCF1 mice to γ-rays (300 cGy) in modulating expression of cellular oncogenes in both gut and liver tissues. We selected specific cellular oncogenes (c-fos, c-myc, c-src, and c-H-ras), based on their normal expression in liver and gut tissues from untreated mice. As early as 5 min. following whole body exposure of BCF1 mice to γ-rays we detected induction of mRNA specific for c-src and c-H-ras in both liver and gut tissues. c-fos RNA was slightly decreased in accumulation in gut but was unaffected in liver tissue from irradiated mice relative to untreated controls. c-myc mRNA accumulation was unaffected in all tissues examined. These experiments document that modulation of cellular oncogene expression can occur as an early event in tissues following irradiation and suggest that this modulation may play a role in radiation-induced carcinogenesis

C/EBPβ represses p53 to promote cell survival downstream of DNA damage independent of oncogenic Ras and p19Arf

Science.gov (United States)

Ewing, SJ; Zhu, S; Zhu, F; House, JS; Smart, RC

2013-01-01

CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-β (C/EBPβ) is a mediator of cell survival and tumorigenesis. When C/EBPβ−/− mice are treated with carcinogens that produce oncogenic Ras mutations in keratinocytes, they respond with abnormally elevated keratinocyte apoptosis and a block in skin tumorigenesis. Although this aberrant carcinogen-induced apoptosis results from abnormal upregulation of p53, it is not known whether upregulated p53 results from oncogenic Ras and its ability to induce p19Arf and/or activate DNA-damage response pathways or from direct carcinogen-induced DNA damage. We report that p19Arf is dramatically elevated in C/EBPβ−/− epidermis and that C/EBPβ represses a p19Arf promoter reporter. To determine whether p19Arf is responsible for the proapoptotic phenotype in C/EBPβ−/− mice, C/EBPβ−/−;p19Arf−/− mice were generated. C/EBPβ−/−;p19Arf−/− mice responded to carcinogen treatment with increased p53 and apoptosis, indicating p19Arf is not essential. To ascertain whether oncogenic Ras activation induces aberrant p53 and apoptosis in C/EBPβ−/− epidermis, we generated K14-ER:Ras; C/EBPβ−/− mice. Oncogenic Ras activation induced by 4-hydroxytamoxifen did not produce increased p53 or apoptosis. Finally, when C/EBPβ−/− mice were treated with differing types of DNA-damaging agents, including alkylating chemotherapeutic agents, they displayed aberrant levels of p53 and apoptosis. These results indicate that C/EBPβ represses p53 to promote cell survival downstream of DNA damage and suggest that inhibition of C/EBPβ may be a target for cancer cotherapy to increase the efficacy of alkylating chemotherapeutic agents. PMID:18636078

The oncogenic properties of EWS/WT1 of desmoplastic small round cell tumors are unmasked by loss of p53 in murine embryonic fibroblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandopadhayay, Pratiti; Thomas, David M; Algar, Elizabeth; Ekert, Paul G; Jabbour, Anissa M; Riffkin, Christopher; Salmanidis, Marika; Gordon, Lavinia; Popovski, Dean; Rigby, Lin; Ashley, David M; Watkins, David N

2013-01-01

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is characterized by the presence of a fusion protein EWS/WT1, arising from the t (11;22) (p13;q12) translocation. Here we examine the oncogenic properties of two splice variants of EWS/WT1, EWS/WT1-KTS and EWS/WT1 + KTS. We over-expressed both EWS/WT1 variants in murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) of wild-type, p53 +/- and p53 -/- backgrounds and measured effects on cell-proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, clonogenicity after serum withdrawal, and sensitivity to cytotoxic drugs and gamma irradiation in comparison to control cells. We examined gene expression profiles in cells expressing EWS/WT1. Finally we validated our key findings in a small series of DSRCT. Neither isoform of EWS/WT1 was sufficient to transform wild-type MEFs however the oncogenic potential of both was unmasked by p53 loss. Expression of EWS/WT1 in MEFs lacking at least one allele of p53 enhanced cell-proliferation, clonogenic survival and anchorage-independent growth. EWS/WT1 expression in wild-type MEFs conferred resistance to cell-cycle arrest after irradiation and daunorubicin induced apoptosis. We show DSRCT commonly have nuclear localization of p53, and copy-number amplification of MDM2/MDMX. Expression of either isoform of EWS/WT1 induced characteristic mRNA expression profiles. Gene-set enrichment analysis demonstrated enrichment of WNT pathway signatures in MEFs expressing EWS/WT1 + KTS. Wnt-activation was validated in cell lines with over-expression of EWS/WT1 and in DSRCT. In conclusion, we show both isoforms of EWS/WT1 have oncogenic potential in MEFs with loss of p53. In addition we provide the first link between EWS/WT1 and Wnt-pathway signaling. These data provide novel insights into the function of the EWS/WT1 fusion protein which characterize DSRCT

Intracortical osteoblastic osteosarcoma with oncogenic rickets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasegawa, T.; Hirohashi, Setsuo; Shimoda, Tadakazu; Yokoyama, Ryohei; Beppu, Yasuo; Maeda, Shotaro

1999-01-01

Intracortical osteosarcoma is the rarest variant of osteosarcoma, occurring within, and usually confined to, the cortical bone. Oncogenic osteomalacia, or rickets, is an unusual clinicopathologic entity in which vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia, or rickets, occurs in association with some tumors of soft tissue or bone. We present a case of oncogenic rickets associated with intracortical osteosarcoma of the tibia in a 9-year-old boy, whose roentgenographic abnormalities of rickets disappeared and pertinent laboratory data except for serum alkaline phosphatase became normal after surgical resection of the tumor. Histologically, the tumor was an osteosarcoma with a prominent osteoblastic pattern. An unusual microscopic feature was the presence of matrix mineralization showing rounded calcified structures (calcified spherules). Benign osteoblastic tumors, such as osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma, must be considered in the differential diagnosis because of the relatively low cellular atypia and mitotic activity of this tumor. The infiltrating pattern with destruction or engulfment of normal bone is a major clue to the correct diagnosis of intracortical osteosarcoma. The co-existing radiographic changes of rickets were due to the intracortical osteosarcoma. (orig.)

Novel Combinatorial Chemistry-Derived Inhibitors of Oncogenic Phosphatases

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lazo, John

1999-01-01

Our overall goal of this US Army Breast Cancer Grant entitled "Novel Combinatorial Chemistry-Derived Inhibitors of Oncogenic Phosphatases" is to identity and develop novel therapeutic agents for human breast cancer...

Hippo-independent activation of YAP by the GNAQ uveal melanoma oncogene through a trio-regulated rho GTPase signaling circuitry.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Xiaodong; Degese, Maria Sol; Iglesias-Bartolome, Ramiro; Vaque, Jose P; Molinolo, Alfredo A; Rodrigues, Murilo; Zaidi, M Raza; Ksander, Bruce R; Merlino, Glenn; Sodhi, Akrit; Chen, Qianming; Gutkind, J Silvio

2014-06-16

Mutually exclusive activating mutations in the GNAQ and GNA11 oncogenes, encoding heterotrimeric Gαq family members, have been identified in ∼ 83% and ∼ 6% of uveal and skin melanomas, respectively. However, the molecular events underlying these GNAQ-driven malignancies are not yet defined, thus limiting the ability to develop cancer-targeted therapies. Here, we focused on the transcriptional coactivator YAP, a critical component of the Hippo signaling pathway that controls organ size. We found that Gαq stimulates YAP through a Trio-Rho/Rac signaling circuitry promoting actin polymerization, independently of phospholipase Cβ and the canonical Hippo pathway. Furthermore, we show that Gαq promotes the YAP-dependent growth of uveal melanoma cells, thereby identifying YAP as a suitable therapeutic target in uveal melanoma, a GNAQ/GNA11-initiated human malignancy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Activation of oncogenes by radon progeny and x-rays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ling, C.C.

1990-01-01

The overall goal of this proposal is to study the carcinogenic effect of both high and low LET radiation at the molecular level, utilizing techniques developed in molecular biology, cancer cell biology and radiation biology. The underlying assumption is that malignant transformation of normal cells is a multistep process requiring two or more molecular events in the genomic DNA. We hypothesize that radiation may induce such events in one or more steps of the multistep process. We will use in vitro models of transformation that reproduce the stepwise progression of normal cells toward the transformed phenotype and ask whether radiation can provide the necessary activating function at discrete steps along this path. Our strategy involves transfecting into normal primary cells a variety of cloned oncogenes that are known to supply only some of the functions necessary for full transformation. These partially transformed'' cells will be the targets for irradiation by x-rays and alpha particles. The results will provide the basis for assessing the ability of ionizing radiation to activate oncogenic functions that complement'' the oncogene already present in the transfected cells and produce the fully transformed phenotype. Progress is described. 121 refs.

Activation of oncogenes by radon progeny and x-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ling, C.C.

1990-01-01

The overall goal of this proposal is to study the carcinogenic effect of both high and low LET radiation at the molecular level, utilizing techniques developed in molecular biology, cancer cell biology and radiation biology. The underlying assumption is that malignant transformation of normal cells is a multistep process requiring two or more molecular events in the genomic DNA. We hypothesize that radiation may induce such events in one or more steps of the multistep process. We will use in vitro models of transformation that reproduce the stepwise progression of normal cells toward the transformed phenotype and ask whether radiation can provide the necessary activating function at discrete steps along this path. Our strategy involves transfecting into normal primary cells a variety of cloned oncogenes that are known to supply only some of the functions necessary for full transformation. These ''partially transformed'' cells will be the targets for irradiation by x-rays and alpha particles. The results will provide the basis for assessing the ability of ionizing radiation to activate oncogenic functions that ''complement'' the oncogene already present in the transfected cells and produce the fully transformed phenotype. Progress is described. 121 refs

Identification of a Novel Proto-oncogenic Network in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Georgy, Smitha R; Cangkrama, Michael; Srivastava, Seema; Partridge, Darren; Auden, Alana; Dworkin, Sebastian; McLean, Catriona A; Jane, Stephen M; Darido, Charbel

2015-09-01

The developmental transcription factor Grainyhead-like 3 (GRHL3) plays a critical tumor suppressor role in the mammalian epidermis through direct regulation of PTEN and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. GRHL3 is highly expressed in all tissues derived from the surface ectoderm, including the oral cavity, raising a question about its potential role in suppression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We explored the tumor suppressor role of Grhl3 in HNSCC using a conditional knockout (Grhl3 (∆/-) /K14Cre (+) ) mouse line (n = 26) exposed to an oral chemical carcinogen. We defined the proto-oncogenic pathway activated in the HNSCC derived from these mice and assessed it in primary human HNSCC samples, normal oral epithelial cell lines carrying shRNA to GRHL3, and human HNSCC cell lines. Data were analyzed with two-sided chi square and Student's t tests. Deletion of Grhl3 in oral epithelium in mice did not perturb PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, but instead evoked loss of GSK3B expression, resulting in stabilization and accumulation of c-MYC and aggressive HNSCC. This molecular signature was also evident in a subset of primary human HNSCC and HNSCC cell lines. Loss of Gsk3b in mice, independent of Grhl3, predisposed to chemical-induced HNSCC. Restoration of GSK3B expression blocked proliferation of normal oral epithelial cell lines carrying shRNA to GRHL3 (cell no., Day 8: Scramble ctl, 616±21.8 x 10(3) vs GRHL3-kd, 1194±44 X 10(3), P < .001; GRHL3-kd vs GRHL3-kd + GSK3B, 800±98.84 X 10(3), P = .003) and human HNSCC cells. We defined a novel molecular signature in mammalian HNSCC, suggesting new treatment strategies targeting the GRHL3/GSK3B/c-MYC proto-oncogenic network. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Human microRNA oncogenes and tumor suppressors show significantly different biological patterns: from functions to targets.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong Wang

Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs which play essential roles in many important biological processes. Therefore, their dysfunction is associated with a variety of human diseases, including cancer. Increasing evidence shows that miRNAs can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, and although there is great interest in research into these cancer-associated miRNAs, little is known about them. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of putative human miRNA oncogenes and tumor suppressors. We found that miRNA oncogenes and tumor suppressors clearly show different patterns in function, evolutionary rate, expression, chromosome distribution, molecule size, free energy, transcription factors, and targets. For example, miRNA oncogenes are located mainly in the amplified regions in human cancers, whereas miRNA tumor suppressors are located mainly in the deleted regions. miRNA oncogenes tend to cleave target mRNAs more frequently than miRNA tumor suppressors. These results indicate that these two types of cancer-associated miRNAs play different roles in cancer formation and development. Moreover, the patterns identified here can discriminate novel miRNA oncogenes and tumor suppressors with a high degree of accuracy. This study represents the first large-scale bioinformatic analysis of human miRNA oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Our findings provide help for not only understanding of miRNAs in cancer but also for the specific identification of novel miRNAs as miRNA oncogenes and tumor suppressors. In addition, the data presented in this study will be valuable for the study of both miRNAs and cancer.

Repression of transcription mediated at a thyroid hormone response element by the v-erb-A oncogene product

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sap, J; Muñoz, A; Schmitt, J

1989-01-01

Several recent observations, such as the identification of the cellular homologue of the v-erb-A oncogene as a thyroid-hormone receptor, have strongly implicated nuclear oncogenes in transcriptional control mechanisms. The v-erb-A oncogene blocks the differentiation of erythroid cells, and changes...

S.E. Mitchell Vascular Anomalies Flow Chart (SEMVAFC): A visual pathway combining clinical and imaging findings for classification of soft-tissue vascular anomalies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tekes, A.; Koshy, J.; Kalayci, T.O.; Puttgen, K.; Cohen, B.; Redett, R.; Mitchell, S.E.

2014-01-01

Classification of vascular anomalies (VAs) is challenging due to overlapping clinical symptoms, confusing terminology in the literature and unfamiliarity with this complex entity. It is important to recognize that VAs include two distinct entities, vascular tumours (VTs) and vascular malformations (VaMs). In this article, we describe SE Mitchell Vascular Anomalies Flow Chart (SEMVAFC), which arises from a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates clinical symptoms, physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings to establish International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA)-based classification of the VAs. SEMVAFC provides a clear visual pathway for physicians to accurately diagnose Vas, which is important as treatment, management, and prognosis differ between VTs and VaMs

Tc-99m-HYNIC-TOC SPECT/CT in Oncogenic Osteomalacia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pusuwan, Pawana; Sriwijitkamol, Apiradee; Muangsomboon, Kobkun; Jantanayingyong, Jantanaras; Muangsomboon, Soranart; Poramatikul, Nipavan

2009-07-01

Full text: Oncogenic osteomalacia is a rare condition characterized by progressive bone pain, muscle weakness and multiple biochemical abnormalities such as hypophosphataemia, hyper phosphaturia and elevated serum alkaline phosphatase. The cause of this syndrome is most commonly from a benign mesenchymal tumor. The tumor is usually small and difficult to localize. We report two patients with oncogenic osteomalacia diagnosed and localized of the tumors by Tc-99m HYNIC-TOC SPECT/CT imaging. The tumors were localized at right thigh and right inguinal region. Tumor removal was successfully done

NF-κB in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Oncogenic Functions in Leukemic and in Microenvironmental Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Nuno R. dos; Ghezzo, Marinella N.; Silva, Ricardo C. da; Fernandes, Mónica T.

2010-01-01

Two main NF-κB signaling pathways, canonical and noncanonical, performing distinct functions in organisms have been characterized. Identification of mutations in genes encoding components of these NF-κB signaling pathways in lymphoid malignancies confirmed their key role in leukemogenesis. T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive malignancy of thymocytes that despite significant therapeutic advances can still be fatal. Although mutations in NF-κB genes have not been reported in T-ALL, NF-κB constitutive activation in human T-ALL and in acute T-cell leukemia mouse models has been observed. Although these studies revealed activation of members of both canonical and noncanonical NF-κB pathways in acute T-cell leukemia, only inhibition of canonical NF-κB signaling was shown to impair leukemic T cell growth. Besides playing an important pro-oncogenic role in leukemic T cells, NF-κB signaling also appears to modulate T-cell leukemogenesis through its action in microenvironmental stromal cells. This article reviews recent data on the role of these transcription factors in T-ALL and pinpoints further research crucial to determine the value of NF-κB inhibition as a means to treat T-ALL

NF-κB in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Oncogenic Functions in Leukemic and in Microenvironmental Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Nuno R. dos, E-mail: nrsantos@ualg.pt; Ghezzo, Marinella N.; Silva, Ricardo C. da; Fernandes, Mónica T. [IBB-Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centre for Molecular and Structural Biomedicine (CBME), University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro (Portugal)

2010-11-05

Two main NF-κB signaling pathways, canonical and noncanonical, performing distinct functions in organisms have been characterized. Identification of mutations in genes encoding components of these NF-κB signaling pathways in lymphoid malignancies confirmed their key role in leukemogenesis. T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive malignancy of thymocytes that despite significant therapeutic advances can still be fatal. Although mutations in NF-κB genes have not been reported in T-ALL, NF-κB constitutive activation in human T-ALL and in acute T-cell leukemia mouse models has been observed. Although these studies revealed activation of members of both canonical and noncanonical NF-κB pathways in acute T-cell leukemia, only inhibition of canonical NF-κB signaling was shown to impair leukemic T cell growth. Besides playing an important pro-oncogenic role in leukemic T cells, NF-κB signaling also appears to modulate T-cell leukemogenesis through its action in microenvironmental stromal cells. This article reviews recent data on the role of these transcription factors in T-ALL and pinpoints further research crucial to determine the value of NF-κB inhibition as a means to treat T-ALL.

Antagonism between Hedgehog and Wnt signaling pathways regulates tumorigenicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Mei; Wang, Xin

2017-12-01

The crosstalk of multiple cellular signaling pathways is crucial in animal development and tissue homeostasis, and its dysregulation may result in tumor formation and metastasis. The Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnt signaling pathways are both considered to be essential regulators of cell proliferation, differentiation and oncogenesis. Recent studies have indicated that the Hh and Wnt signaling pathways are closely associated and involved in regulating embryogenesis and cellular differentiation. Hh signaling acts upstream of the Wnt signaling pathway, and negative regulates Wnt activity via secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1), and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway downregulates Hh activity through glioma-associated oncogene homolog 3 transcriptional regulation. This evidence suggests that the imbalance of Hh and Wnt regulation serves a crucial role in cancer-associated processes. The activation of SFRP1, which inhibits Wnt, has been demonstrated to be an important cross-point between the two signaling pathways. The present study reviews the complex interaction between the Hh and Wnt signaling pathways in embryogenesis and tumorigenicity, and the role of SFRP1 as an important mediator associated with the dysregulation of the Hh and Wnt signaling pathways.

The Leukemic Stem Cell Niche: Adaptation to “Hypoxia” versus Oncogene Addiction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giulia Cheloni

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Previous studies based on low oxygen concentrations in the incubation atmosphere revealed that metabolic factors govern the maintenance of normal hematopoietic or leukemic stem cells (HSC and LSC. The physiological oxygen concentration in tissues ranges between 0.1 and 5.0%. Stem cell niches (SCN are placed in tissue areas at the lower end of this range (“hypoxic” SCN, to which stem cells are metabolically adapted and where they are selectively hosted. The data reported here indicated that driver oncogenic proteins of several leukemias are suppressed following cell incubation at oxygen concentration compatible with SCN physiology. This suppression is likely to represent a key positive regulator of LSC survival and maintenance (self-renewal within the SCN. On the other hand, LSC committed to differentiation, unable to stand suppression because of addiction to oncogenic signalling, would be unfit to home in SCN. The loss of oncogene addiction in SCN-adapted LSC has a consequence of crucial practical relevance: the refractoriness to inhibitors of the biological activity of oncogenic protein due to the lack of their molecular target. Thus, LSC hosted in SCN are suited to sustain the long-term maintenance of therapy-resistant minimal residual disease.

A Novel Role for Keratin 17 in Coordinating Oncogenic Transformation and Cellular Adhesion in Ewing Sarcoma

Science.gov (United States)

Sankar, Savita; Tanner, Jason M.; Bell, Russell; Chaturvedi, Aashi; Randall, R. Lor; Beckerle, Mary C.

2013-01-01

Oncogenic transformation in Ewing sarcoma is caused by EWS/FLI, an aberrant transcription factor fusion oncogene. Glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (GLI1) is a critical target gene activated by EWS/FLI, but the mechanism by which GLI1 contributes to the transformed phenotype of Ewing sarcoma was unknown. In this work, we identify keratin 17 (KRT17) as a direct downstream target gene upregulated by GLI1. We demonstrate that KRT17 regulates cellular adhesion by activating AKT/PKB (protein kinase B) signaling. In addition, KRT17 is necessary for oncogenic transformation in Ewing sarcoma and accounts for much of the GLI1-mediated transformation function but via a mechanism independent of AKT signaling. Taken together, our data reveal previously unknown molecular functions for a cytoplasmic intermediate filament protein, KRT17, in coordinating EWS/FLI- and GLI1-mediated oncogenic transformation and cellular adhesion in Ewing sarcoma. PMID:24043308

Using {sup 18F} FDG PET/CT to Detect an occult Mesenchymal Tumor Causing Oncogenic Osteomalacia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seo, Hyo Jung; Choi, Yun Jung; Kim, Hyun Jeong; Jeong, Yong Hyu; Cho, Arthur; Lee, Jae Hoon; Yun, Mijin; Lee, Jong Doo; Kang, Won Jun [Yonsei Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-09-15

Oncogenic osteomalacia is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by renal phosphate excretion, hypophosphatemia, and osteomalacia. This syndrome is often caused by tumors of mesenchymal origin. Patients with oncogenic osteomalacia have abnormal bone mineralization, resulting in a high frequency of fractures. Tumor resection is the treatment of choice, as it will often correct the metabolic imbalance. Although oncogenic osteomalacia is a potentially curable disease, diagnosis is difficult and often delayed because of the small size and sporadic location of the tumor. Bone scintigraphy and radiography best characterize osteoma lacia; magnetic resonance imaging findings are nonspecific. Here, we report a case of oncogenic osteomalacia secondary to a phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor that was successfully detected by {sup 18F} fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ({sup 18F} FDG PET/CT). This case illustrates the advantages of {sup 18F} FDG PET/CT in detecting the occult mesenchymal tumor that causes oncogenic osteomalacia.

Transcriptional patterns, biomarkers and pathways characterizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma of Southern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Zuguo

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC is a complicated process involving genetic predisposition, Epstein-Bar Virus infection, and genetic alterations. Although some oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have been previously reported in NPC, a complete understanding of the pathogenesis of NPC in the context of global gene expression, transcriptional pathways and biomarker assessment remains to be elucidated. Methods Total RNA from 32 pathologically-confirmed cases of poorly-differentiated NPC was divided into pools inclusive of four consecutive specimens and each pool (T1 to T8 was co-hybridized with pooled RNA from 24 normal non-cancerous nasopharyngeal tissues (NP to a human 8K cDNA array platform. The reliability of microarray data was validated for selected genes by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results Stringent statistical filtering parameters identified 435 genes to be up-regulated and 257 genes to be down-regulated in NPC compared to NP. Seven up-regulated genes including CYC1, MIF, LAMB3, TUBB2, UBE2C and TRAP1 had been previously proposed as candidate common cancer biomarkers based on a previous extensive comparison among various cancers and normal tissues which did not, however, include NPC or NP. In addition, nine known oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, MIF, BIRC5, PTTG1, ATM, FOXO1A, TGFBR2, PRKAR1A, KLF5 and PDCD4 were identified through the microarray literature-based annotation search engine MILANO, suggesting these genes may be specifically involved in the promotion of the malignant conversion of nasopharyngeal epithelium. Finally, we found that these differentially expressed genes were involved in apoptosis, MAPK, VEGF and B cell receptor signaling pathways and other functions associated with cell growth, signal transduction and immune system activation. Conclusion This study identified potential candidate biomarkers, oncogenes/tumor suppressor genes involved in several

Identification of ALV-J associated acutely transforming virus Fu-J carrying complete v-fps oncogene.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yixin; Li, Jianliang; Li, Yang; Fang, Lichun; Sun, Xiaolong; Chang, Shuang; Zhao, Peng; Cui, Zhizhong

2016-06-01

Transduction of oncogenes by ALVs and generation of acute transforming viruses is common in natural viral infections. In order to understand the molecular basis for the rapid oncogenicity of Fu-J, an acutely transforming avian leukosis virus isolated from fibrosarcomas in crossbreed broilers infected with subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) in China, complete genomic structure of Fu-J virus was determined by PCR amplification and compared with those of Fu-J1, Fu-J2, Fu-J3, Fu-J4, and Fu-J5 reported previously. The results showed that the genome of Fu-J was defective, with parts of gag gene replaced by the complete v-fps oncogene and encoded a 137 kDa Gag-fps fusion protein. Sequence analysis revealed that Fu-J and Fu-J1 to Fu-J5 were related quasi-species variants carrying different lengths of v-fps oncogenes generated from recombination between helper virus and c-fps gene. Comparison of virus carrying v-fps oncogene also gave us a glimpse of the molecular characterization and evolution process of the acutely transforming ALV.

Intracortical osteoblastic osteosarcoma with oncogenic rickets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hasegawa, T.; Hirohashi, Setsuo [Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo (Japan); Shimoda, Tadakazu [Clinical Laboratory Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo (Japan); Yokoyama, Ryohei; Beppu, Yasuo [Orthopedic Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo (Japan); Maeda, Shotaro [Department of Pathology, Nippon Medical School Hospital, Tokyo (Japan)

1999-01-01

Intracortical osteosarcoma is the rarest variant of osteosarcoma, occurring within, and usually confined to, the cortical bone. Oncogenic osteomalacia, or rickets, is an unusual clinicopathologic entity in which vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia, or rickets, occurs in association with some tumors of soft tissue or bone. We present a case of oncogenic rickets associated with intracortical osteosarcoma of the tibia in a 9-year-old boy, whose roentgenographic abnormalities of rickets disappeared and pertinent laboratory data except for serum alkaline phosphatase became normal after surgical resection of the tumor. Histologically, the tumor was an osteosarcoma with a prominent osteoblastic pattern. An unusual microscopic feature was the presence of matrix mineralization showing rounded calcified structures (calcified spherules). Benign osteoblastic tumors, such as osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma, must be considered in the differential diagnosis because of the relatively low cellular atypia and mitotic activity of this tumor. The infiltrating pattern with destruction or engulfment of normal bone is a major clue to the correct diagnosis of intracortical osteosarcoma. The co-existing radiographic changes of rickets were due to the intracortical osteosarcoma. (orig.) With 8 figs., 25 refs.

In Silico Characterization of Hras Pathway for Therapeutic Implications Against Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amjad, S.; Naz, A.; Malik, M. F. A.

2015-01-01

Hras (v-Ha-ras Harvey rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog) plays a pivotal role in breast tumorigenesis. Expressional aberrations in Hras has significantly been correlated with patient's poor overall survival. In the present study, in silico characterization of Hras to trigger downstream effectors including raf, mek, erk has been explored. Three mutational hotspots for Hras (condons12, 13, 61) have been retrieved from the literature. Promoter modelling using Proscan software revealed a promoter region lacking TATA sequence. To study the epigenetic modifications, methylation analysis of promoter lacking TATA box was done using Methylator software. Methylation is directly correlated with tumor targeting therapies as it represses expression of certain oncogenes. Five candidate sites for hypermethylation of Hras were predicted. Analysis of protein residues involved in interlocking with its downstream effector proteins was also uncovered. In addition to this, a diagnostic and therapeutic relevance of micro RNAs (miRNAs/miRs) specifically acting either as oncogene or tumor suppressors on Hras mediated pathway have been identified. Seven micro RNAs (Let-7, miR-195, miR-497, miR-184, miR-34a, miR-34c, miR-155) found to be responsible for down regulating expression of proteins involved in ressignalling cascade while miR-372 and miR373, miR-212, miR206/21 and miR-17-92 cluster are known to elevate rassignalling pathway. Interestingly, dysregulated expression of Let-7, miR-195, miR-497, miR-184, miR-34, miR-155 co-related with poor prognosis in different cancers has also supported these in silico findings. (author)

Scintigraphic imaging of oncogenes with antisense probes: does it make sense?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urbain, J.L.C.; Shore, S.K.; Vekemans, M.C.; Cosenza, S.C.; DeRiel, K.; Patel, G.V.; Charkes, N.D.; Malmud, L.S.; Reddy, E.P.

1995-01-01

The aim of this study was to demonstrate that cells which are expressing a particular mRNA transcript do preferentially and specifically retain the antisense probe targeting that mRNA. Using a mouse plasmacytoma cell line (MOPC315) which produces high levels of IgA heavy chain mRNA, a control mouse pre B cell line (7OZ/3B), a human mammary cell line (MCF7) which expresses the erbB2 or neu oncogene, MOPC315 cells as neu-negative controls, and antisense DNA oligonucleotides complementary to the 5' region of the mRNAs and the sense sequence, we have shown that there is a preferential, specific retention of the IgA and neu antisense sequence in MOPC315 and MCF7 cells, respectively. We have further demonstrated that this retention is time and concentration dependent with a maximum at 24 h. We conclude that cancer cells which express a particular oncogene are suitable targets for radiolabeled antisense deoxyoligonucleotides directed toward the oncogene transcript. (orig.)

[Inheritable phenotypic normalization of rodent cells transformed by simian adenovirus SA7 E1 oncogenes by singled-stranded oligonucleotides complementary to a long region of integrated oncogenes].

Science.gov (United States)

Grineva, N I; Borovkova, T V; Sats, N V; Kurabekova, R M; Rozhitskaia, O S; Solov'ev, G Ia; Pantin, V I

1995-08-01

G11 mouse cells and SH2 rat cells transformed with simian adenovirus SA7 DNA showed inheritable oncogen-specific phenotypic normalization when treated with sense and antisense oligonucleotides complementary to long RNA sequences, plus or minus strands of the integrated adenovirus oncogenes E1A and E1B. Transitory treatment of the cells with the oligonucleotides in the absence of serum was shown to cause the appearance of normalized cell lines with fibroblastlike morphology, slower cell proliferation, and lack of ability to form colonies in soft agar. Proliferative activity and adhesion of the normalized cells that established cell lines were found to depend on the concentration of growth factors in the cultural medium. In some of the cell lines, an inhibition of transcription of the E1 oncogenes was observed. The normalization also produced cells that divided 2 - 5 times and died and cells that reverted to a transformed phenotype in 2 - 10 days. The latter appeared predominantly upon the action of the antisense oligonucleotides.

Long Intergenic Noncoding RNA 00511 Acts as an Oncogene in Non–small-cell Lung Cancer by Binding to EZH2 and Suppressing p57

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng-Cao Sun

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs play crucial roles in carcinogenesis. However, the function and mechanism of lncRNAs in human non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC are still remaining largely unknown. Long intergenic noncoding RNA 00511 (LINC00511 has been found to be upregulated and acts as an oncogene in breast cancer, but little is known about its expression pattern, biological function and underlying mechanism in NSCLC. Herein, we identified LINC00511 as an oncogenic lncRNA by driving tumorigenesis in NSCLC. We found LINC00511 was upregulated and associated with oncogenesis, tumor size, metastasis, and poor prognosis in NSCLC. Moreover, LINC00511 affected cell proliferation, invasiveness, metastasis, and apoptosis in multiple NSCLC cell lines. Mechanistically, LINC00511 bound histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 ((EZH2, the catalytic subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2, a highly conserved protein complex that regulates gene expression by methylating lysine 27 on histone H3, and acted as a modular scaffold of EZH2/PRC2 complexes, coordinated their localization, and specified the histone modification pattern on the target genes, including p57, and consequently altered NSCLC cell biology. Thus, LINC00511 is mechanistically, functionally, and clinically oncogenic in NSCLC. Targeting LINC00511 and its pathway may be meaningful for treating patients with NSCLC.

c-Myc oncogene expression in selected odontogenic cysts and tumors: An immunohistochemical study

Science.gov (United States)

Moosvi, Zama; Rekha, K

2013-01-01

Aim: To investigate the role of c-Myc oncogene in selected odontogenic cysts and tumors. Materials and Methods: Ten cases each of ameloblastoma, adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT), odontogenic keratocyst (OKC), dentigerous cyst, and radicular cyst were selected and primary monoclonal mouse anti-human c-Myc antibody was used in a dilution of 1: 50. Statistical Analysis was performed using Mann Whitney U test. Results: 80% positivity was observed in ameloblastoma, AOT and OKC; 50% positivity in radicular cyst and 20% positivity in dentigerous cyst. Comparison of c-Myc expression between ameloblastoma and AOT did not reveal significant results. Similarly, no statistical significance was observed when results of OKC were compared with ameloblastoma and AOT. In contrast, significant differences were seen on comparison of dentigerous cyst with ameloblastoma and AOT and radicular cyst with AOT. Conclusion: From the above data we conclude that (1) Ameloblastoma and AOT have similar proliferative potential and their biologic behavior cannot possibly be attributed to it. (2) OKC has an intrinsic growth potential which is absent in other cysts and reinforces its classification as keratocystic odontogenic tumor. PMID:23798830

IQGAP1 is an oncogenic target in canine melanoma.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Becky H Lee

Full Text Available Canine oral mucosal melanoma is an aggressive malignant neoplasm and is characterized by local infiltration and a high metastatic potential. The disease progression is similar to that of human oral melanomas. Whereas human cutaneous melanoma is primarily driven by activating mutations in Braf (60% or Nras (20%, human mucosal melanoma harbors these mutations much less frequently. This makes therapeutic targeting and research modeling of the oral form potentially different from that of the cutaneous form in humans. Similarly, research has found only rare Nras mutations and no activating Braf mutations in canine oral melanomas, but they are still reliant on MAPK signaling. IQGAP1 is a signaling scaffold that regulates oncogenic ERK1/2 MAPK signaling in human Ras- and Raf- driven cancers, including melanomas. To investigate whether IQGAP1 is a potential target in canine melanoma, we examined the expression and localization of IQGAP1 in primary canine melanomas and canine oral melanoma cell lines obtained from the University of California-Davis. Using CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of IQGAP1, we examined effects on downstream ERK1/2 pathway activity and assayed proliferation of cell lines when treated with a peptide that blocks the interaction between IQGAP1 and ERK1/2. We observed that canine IQGAP1 is expressed and localizes to a similar extent in both human and canine melanoma by qPCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence. Deletion of IQGAP1 reduces MAPK pathway activation in cell lines, similar to effects seen in human BrafV600E cell lines. Additionally, we demonstrated reduced proliferation when these cells are treated with a blocking peptide in vitro.

Retinoblastoma pathway defects show differential ability to activate the constitutive DNA damage response in human tumorigenesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tort, F.; Bartkova, J.; Sehested, M.

2006-01-01

culture models with differential defects of retinoblastoma pathway components, as overexpression of cyclin D1 or lack of p16(Ink4a), either alone or combined, did not elicit detectable DDR. In contrast, inactivation of pRb, the key component of the pathway, activated the DDR in cultured human or mouse...... with their hierarchical positions along the retinoblastoma pathway. Our data provide new insights into oncogene-evoked DDR in human tumorigenesis, with potential implications for individualized management of tumors with elevated cyclin D1 versus cyclin E, due to their distinct clinical variables and biological behavior....

The Expression, Purification, and Characterization of a Ras Oncogene (Bras2) in Silkworm (Bombyx mori)

OpenAIRE

Lv, Zhengbing; Wang, Tao; Zhuang, Wenhua; Wang, Dan; Chen, Jian; Nie, Zuoming; Liu, Lili; Zhang, Wenping; Wang, Lisha; Wang, Deming; Wu, Xiangfu; Li, Jun; Qian, Lian; Zhang, Yaozhou

2013-01-01

The Ras oncogene of silkworm pupae (Bras2) may belong to the Ras superfamily. It shares 77% of its amino acid identity with teratocarcinoma oncogene 21 (TC21) related ras viral oncogene homolog-2 (R-Ras2) and possesses an identical core effector region. The mRNA of Bombyx mori Bras2 has 1412 bp. The open reading frame contains 603 bp, which encodes 200 amino acid residues. This recombinant BmBras2 protein was subsequently used as an antigen to raise a rabbit polyclonal antibody. Western blott...

Tumor-adjacent tissue co-expression profile analysis reveals pro-oncogenic ribosomal gene signature for prognosis of resectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Grinchuk, Oleg V; Yenamandra, Surya P; Iyer, Ramakrishnan; Singh, Malay; Lee, Hwee Kuan; Lim, Kiat Hon; Chow, Pierce Kah-Hoe; Kuznetsov, Vladamir A

2018-01-01

Currently, molecular markers are not used when determining the prognosis and treatment strategy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we proposed that the identification of common pro-oncogenic pathways in primary tumors (PT) and adjacent non-malignant tissues (AT) typically used to predict HCC patient risks may result in HCC biomarker discovery. We examined the genome-wide mRNA expression profiles of paired PT and AT samples from 321 HCC patients. The workflow integrated differentially expressed gene selection, gene ontology enrichment, computational classification, survival predictions, image analysis and experimental validation methods. We developed a 24-ribosomal gene-based HCC classifier (RGC), which is prognostically significant in both PT and AT. The RGC gene overexpression in PT was associated with a poor prognosis in the training (hazard ratio = 8.2, P = 9.4 × 10 -6 ) and cross-cohort validation (hazard ratio = 2.63, P = 0.004) datasets. The multivariate survival analysis demonstrated the significant and independent prognostic value of the RGC. The RGC displayed a significant prognostic value in AT of the training (hazard ratio = 5.0, P = 0.03) and cross-validation (hazard ratio = 1.9, P = 0.03) HCC groups, confirming the accuracy and robustness of the RGC. Our experimental and bioinformatics analyses suggested a key role for c-MYC in the pro-oncogenic pattern of ribosomal biogenesis co-regulation in PT and AT. Microarray, quantitative RT-PCR and quantitative immunohistochemical studies of the PT showed that DKK1 in PT is the perspective biomarker for poor HCC outcomes. The common co-transcriptional pattern of ribosome biogenesis genes in PT and AT from HCC patients suggests a new scalable prognostic system, as supported by the model of tumor-like metabolic redirection/assimilation in non-malignant AT. The RGC, comprising 24 ribosomal genes, is introduced as a robust and reproducible prognostic model for

Oncogenic osteomalacia secondary to a hemangiopericytoma of the hip: case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baronofsky, S.I.; Kalbhen, C.L.; Demos, T.C.; Sizemore, G.W.

1999-01-01

Osteomalacia is characterized by abnormally increased unmineralized osteoid within the bone matrix. This metabolic bone disease is usually the result of decreased uptake or abnormal metabolism of vitamin D or of renal tubular phosphate loss. Dietary deficiency, malabsorption, cirrhosis, renal tubular acidosis and certain drugs can cause osteomalacia., Oncogenic osteomalacia - osteomalacia secondary to tumours - is rare, and the exact mechanisms by which neoplasms induce osteomalacia are not known. We describe a patient with chronic osteomalacia of unknown origin who was subsequently found to have oncogenic osteomalacia secondary to a hemangiopericytoma of the hip. (author)

Oncogenic osteomalacia secondary to a hemangiopericytoma of the hip: case report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baronofsky, S.I.; Kalbhen, C.L.; Demos, T.C.; Sizemore, G.W. [Loyola Univ. Medical Center, Dept. of Medicine, Maywood, IL (United States)

1999-02-01

Osteomalacia is characterized by abnormally increased unmineralized osteoid within the bone matrix. This metabolic bone disease is usually the result of decreased uptake or abnormal metabolism of vitamin D or of renal tubular phosphate loss. Dietary deficiency, malabsorption, cirrhosis, renal tubular acidosis and certain drugs can cause osteomalacia., Oncogenic osteomalacia - osteomalacia secondary to tumours - is rare, and the exact mechanisms by which neoplasms induce osteomalacia are not known. We describe a patient with chronic osteomalacia of unknown origin who was subsequently found to have oncogenic osteomalacia secondary to a hemangiopericytoma of the hip. (author)

CD147 reinforces [Ca2+]i oscillations and promotes oncogenic progression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Juan; Guo, Yun-Shan; Yu, Xiao-Ling; Huang, Wan; Zheng, Ming; Zhou, Ying-Hui; Nan, Gang; Wang, Jian-Chao; Yang, Hai-Jiao; Yu, Jing-Min; Jiang, Jian-Li; Chen, Zhi-Nan

2015-10-27

Oscillations in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) mediate various cellular function. Although it is known that [Ca2+]i oscillations are susceptible to dysregulation in tumors, the tumor-specific regulators of [Ca2+]i oscillations are poorly characterized. We discovered that CD147 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis and proliferation by enhancing the amplitude and frequency of [Ca2+]i oscillations in HCC cells. CD147 activates two distinct signaling pathways to regulate [Ca2+]i oscillations. By activating FAK-Src-IP3R1 signaling pathway, CD147 promotes Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and enhances the amplitude of [Ca2+]i oscillations. Furthermore, CD147 accelerates ER Ca2+refilling and enhances the frequency of [Ca2+]i oscillations through activating CaMKP-PAK1-PP2A-PLB-SERCA signaling pathway. Besides, CD147-promoted ER Ca2+ release and refilling are tightly regulated by changing [Ca2+]i. CD147 may activate IP3R1 channel under low [Ca2+]i conditions and CD147 may activate SERCA pump under high [Ca2+]i conditions. CD147 deletion suppresses HCC tumorigenesis and increases the survival rate of liver-specific CD147 knockout mice by regulating [Ca2+]i oscillations in vivo. Together, these results reveal that CD147 functions as a critical regulator of ER-dependent [Ca2+]i oscillations to promote oncogenic progression in HCC.

Extracting Fitness Relationships and Oncogenic Patterns among Driver Genes in Cancer.

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Zhang, Xindong; Gao, Lin; Jia, Songwei

2017-12-25

Driver mutation provides fitness advantage to cancer cells, the accumulation of which increases the fitness of cancer cells and accelerates cancer progression. This work seeks to extract patterns accumulated by driver genes ("fitness relationships") in tumorigenesis. We introduce a network-based method for extracting the fitness relationships of driver genes by modeling the network properties of the "fitness" of cancer cells. Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and skin cutaneous malignant melanoma (SKCM) are employed as case studies. Consistent results derived from different background networks suggest the reliability of the identified fitness relationships. Additionally co-occurrence analysis and pathway analysis reveal the functional significance of the fitness relationships with signaling transduction. In addition, a subset of driver genes called the "fitness core" is recognized for each case. Further analyses indicate the functional importance of the fitness core in carcinogenesis, and provide potential therapeutic opportunities in medicinal intervention. Fitness relationships characterize the functional continuity among driver genes in carcinogenesis, and suggest new insights in understanding the oncogenic mechanisms of cancers, as well as providing guiding information for medicinal intervention.

Transformation by Oncogenic Ras Expands the Early Genomic Response to Transforming Growth Factor β in Intestinal Epithelial Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carl E. Allen

2008-10-01

Full Text Available A substantial body of evidence implicates TGFβ as a tumor promoter in epithelial cells that have become resistant to its tumor suppressor activity. To better understand early, genome-wide TGFβ responses in cells resistant to growth inhibition by TGFβ, we used microarray analysis in a well-defined cell culture system of sensitive and resistant intestinal epithelial cells. TGFβ-regulated gene expression in TGFβ-growth-sensitive, nontransformed rat intestinal epithelial cells (RIE-1 was compared to expression in TGFβ-growth-resistant RIE cells stably transformed by oncogenic Ras(12V. Treatment of RIE-1 cells with 2 ng/ml TGFβ1 for 1 hour increased the expression of eight gene sequences by 2.6-fold or more, whereas eight were down regulated 2.6-fold. In RIE-Ras(12V cells, 42 gene sequences were upregulated and only 3 were down-regulated. Comparison of RIE and RIE-Ras(12V identified 37 gene sequences as unique, Ras-dependent genomic targets of TGFβ1. TGFβ-regulation of connective tissue growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor, two genes up-regulated in RIE-Ras cells and previously implicated in tumor promotion, was independently confirmed and further characterized by Northern analysis. Our data indicate that overexpression of oncogenic Ras in intestinal epithelial cells confers a significantly expanded repertoire of robust, early transcriptional responses to TGFβ via signaling pathways yet to be fully elucidated but including the canonical Raf-1/MAPK/Erk pathway. Loss of sensitivity to growth inhibition by TGFβ does not abrogate TGFβ signaling and actually expands the early transcriptional response to TGFβ1. Expression of some of these genes may confer to Ras-transformed cells characteristics favorable for tumor promotion.

p53-independent upregulation of miR-34a during oncogene-induced senescence represses MYC

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christoffersen, N R; Shalgi, R; Frankel, L B

2010-01-01

Aberrant oncogene activation induces cellular senescence, an irreversible growth arrest that acts as a barrier against tumorigenesis. To identify microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in oncogene-induced senescence, we examined the expression of miRNAs in primary human TIG3 fibroblasts after constitutive...

Human cancers converge at the HIF-2alpha oncogenic axis.

Science.gov (United States)

Franovic, Aleksandra; Holterman, Chet E; Payette, Josianne; Lee, Stephen

2009-12-15

, silencing these receptors phenocopies the loss of HIF-2alpha oncogenic activity, abrogating the serum-independent growth of human cancer cells in culture. Based on these data, we propose an alternative to the predominant view that cancers exploit independent autonomous growth pathways and reveal HIF-2alpha as a potentially universal culprit in promoting the persistent proliferation of neoplastic cells.

Development of Novel Therapeutic Agents by Inhibition of Oncogenic MicroRNAs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dinh-Duc Nguyen

2017-12-01

Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRs, miRNAs are regulatory small noncoding RNAs, with their roles already confirmed to be important for post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression affecting cell physiology and disease development. Upregulation of a cancer-causing miRNA, known as oncogenic miRNA, has been found in many types of cancers and, therefore, represents a potential new class of targets for therapeutic inhibition. Several strategies have been developed in recent years to inhibit oncogenic miRNAs. Among them is a direct approach that targets mature oncogenic miRNA with an antisense sequence known as antimiR, which could be an oligonucleotide or miRNA sponge. In contrast, an indirect approach is to block the biogenesis of miRNA by genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system or a small molecule inhibitor. The development of these inhibitors is straightforward but involves significant scientific and therapeutic challenges that need to be resolved. In this review, we summarize recent relevant studies on the development of miRNA inhibitors against cancer.

An Anti-Oncogenic Role for Decorin in Mammary Carcinoma

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Iozzo, Renato V

2004-01-01

.... In the preliminary data that support the basis of this proposal, we discovered that decorin causes a functional inactivation of the oncogenic ErbB2 protein in mammary carcinoma cells overexpressing ErbB2...

The Ecohydrological Context of Drought and Classification of Plant Responses

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, X.; Ackerly, D.; Dawson, T. E.; Manzoni, S.; Skelton, R. P.; Vico, G.; Thompson, S. E.

2017-12-01

Many recent studies on drought-induced vegetation mortality have explored how plant functional traits, and classifications of such traits along axes of, e.g., isohydry - anisohydry, might contribute to predicting drought survival and recovery. As these studies proliferate, concerns are growing about the consistency and predictive value of such classifications. Here, we outline the basis for a systematic classification of drought strategies that accounts for both environmental conditions and functional traits. We (1) identify drawbacks of exiting isohydricity and trait-based metrics, (2) identify major axes of trait and environmental variation that determine drought mortality pathways (hydraulic failure and carbon starvation) using non-dimensional trait groups, and (3) demonstrate that these trait groupings predict physiological drought outcomes using both measured and synthetic data. In doing so we untangle some confounding effects of environment and trait variations that undermine current classification schemes, outline a pathway to progress towards a general classification of drought vulnerability, and advocate for more careful treatment of the environmental conditions within which plant drought responses occur.

Blueberry inhibits invasion and angiogenesis in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced oral squamous cell carcinogenesis in hamsters via suppression of TGF-β and NF-κB signaling pathways.

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Baba, Abdul Basit; Kowshik, Jaganathan; Krishnaraj, Jayaraman; Sophia, Josephraj; Dixit, Madhulika; Nagini, Siddavaram

2016-09-01

Aberrant activation of oncogenic signaling pathways plays a pivotal role in tumor initiation and progression. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the chemopreventive and therapeutic efficacy of blueberry in the hamster buccal pouch (HBP) carcinogenesis model based on its ability to target TGF-β, PI3K/Akt, MAPK and NF-κB signaling and its impact on invasion and angiogenesis. Squamous cell carcinomas were induced in the HBP by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA). The effect of blueberry on the oncogenic signaling pathways and downstream events was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and immunoblotting. Experiments with the ECV304 cell line were performed to explore the mechanism by which blueberry regulates angiogenesis. Blueberry supplementation inhibited the development and progression of HBP carcinomas by abrogating TGF-β and PI3K/Akt pathways. Although blueberry failed to influence MAPK, it suppressed NF-κB activation by preventing nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Blueberry also modulated the expression of the oncomiR miR-21 and the tumor suppressor let-7. Collectively, these changes induced a shift to an anti-invasive and anti-angiogenic phenotype as evidenced by downregulating matrix metalloproteinases and vascular endothelial growth factor. Blueberry also inhibited angiogenesis in ECV304 cells by suppressing migration and tube formation. The results of the present study suggest that targeting oncogenic signaling pathways that influence acquisition of cancer hallmarks is an effective strategy for chemointervention. Identification of modulatory effects on phosphorylation, intracellular localization of oncogenic transcription factors and microRNAs unraveled by the present study as key mechanisms of action of blueberry is critical from a therapeutic perspective. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Induction of non-apoptotic programmed cell death by oncogenic RAS in human epithelial cells and its suppression by MYC overexpression.

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Dendo, Kasumi; Yugawa, Takashi; Nakahara, Tomomi; Ohno, Shin-Ichi; Goshima, Naoki; Arakawa, Hirofumi; Kiyono, Tohru

2018-02-09

Oncogenic mutations of RAS genes, found in about 30% of human cancers, are considered to play important roles in cancer development. However, oncogenic RAS can also induce senescence in mouse and human normal fibroblasts. In some cell lines, oncogenic RAS has been reported to induce non-apoptotic programed cell death (PCD). Here, we investigated effects of oncogenic RAS expression in several types of normal human epithelial cells. Oncogenic RAS but not wild-type RAS stimulated macropinocytosis with accumulation of large-phase lucent vacuoles in the cytoplasm, subsequently leading to cell death which was indistinguishable from a recently proposed new type of PCD, methuosis. A RAC1 inhibitor suppressed accumulation of macropinosomes and overexpression of MYC attenuated oncogenic RAS-induced such accumulation, cell cycle arrest and cell death. MYC suppression or rapamycin treatment in some cancer cell lines harbouring oncogenic mutations in RAS genes induced cell death with accumulation of macropinosomes. These results suggest that this type of non-apoptotic PCD is a tumour-suppressing mechanism acting against oncogenic RAS mutations in normal human epithelial cells, which can be overcome by MYC overexpression, raising the possibility that its induction might be a novel approach to treatment of RAS-mutated human cancers. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

An Interaction with Ewing's Sarcoma Breakpoint Protein EWS Defines a Specific Oncogenic Mechanism of ETS Factors Rearranged in Prostate Cancer.

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Kedage, Vivekananda; Selvaraj, Nagarathinam; Nicholas, Taylor R; Budka, Justin A; Plotnik, Joshua P; Jerde, Travis J; Hollenhorst, Peter C

2016-10-25

More than 50% of prostate tumors have a chromosomal rearrangement resulting in aberrant expression of an oncogenic ETS family transcription factor. However, mechanisms that differentiate the function of oncogenic ETS factors expressed in prostate tumors from non-oncogenic ETS factors expressed in normal prostate are unknown. Here, we find that four oncogenic ETS (ERG, ETV1, ETV4, and ETV5), and no other ETS, interact with the Ewing's sarcoma breakpoint protein, EWS. This EWS interaction was necessary and sufficient for oncogenic ETS functions including gene activation, cell migration, clonogenic survival, and transformation. Significantly, the EWS interacting region of ERG has no homology with that of ETV1, ETV4, and ETV5. Therefore, this finding may explain how divergent ETS factors have a common oncogenic function. Strikingly, EWS is fused to various ETS factors by the chromosome translocations that cause Ewing's sarcoma. Therefore, these findings link oncogenic ETS function in both prostate cancer and Ewing's sarcoma. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bioinformatics of non small cell lung cancer and the ras proto-oncogene

CERN Document Server

Kashyap, Amita; Babu M, Naresh

2015-01-01

Cancer is initiated by activation of oncogenes or inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Mutations in the K-ras proto-oncogene are responsible for 10–30% of adenocarcinomas. Clinical Findings point to a wide variety of other cancers contributing to lung cancer incidence. Such a scenario makes identification of lung cancer difficult and thus identifying its mechanisms can contribute to the society. Identifying unique conserved patterns common to contributing proto-oncogenes may further be a boon to Pharmacogenomics and pharmacoinformatics. This calls for ab initio/de novo drug discovery that in turn will require a comprehensive in silico approach of Sequence, Domain, Phylogenetic and Structural analysis of the receptors, ligand screening and optimization and detailed Docking studies. This brief involves extensive role of the RAS subfamily that includes a set of proteins, which cause an over expression of cancer-causing genes like M-ras and initiate tumour formation in lungs. SNP Studies and Structure based ...

Characterization of a human MSX-2 cDNA and its fragment isolated as a transformation suppressor gene against v-Ki-ras oncogene.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, C; Akiyama, N; Matsuzaki, T; Takai, S; Kitayama, H; Noda, M

1996-05-16

A cDNA (termed CT124) encoding a carboxyl-terminal fragment of the human homeobox protein MSX-2 was found to induce flat reversion when expressed in v-Ki-ras-transformed NIH3T3 cells. Although the expression of endogenous MSX-2 gene is low in most of the normal adult tissues examined, it is frequently activated in carcinoma-derived cell lines. Likewise, the gene is inactive in NIH3T3 cells but is transcriptionally activated after transformation by v-Ki-ras oncogene, suggesting that the intact MSX-2 may play a positive, rather than suppressive, role in cell transformation. To test this possibility, we isolated a near full-length human MSX-2 cDNA and tested its activities in two cell systems, i.e. fibroblast and myoblast. In NIH3T3 fibroblasts, although the gene by itself failed to confer a transformed phenotype, antisense MSX-2 cDNA as well as truncated CT124 cDNA interfered with the transforming activities of v-Ki-ras oncogene. In C2C12 myoblasts, MSX-2 was found to suppress MyoD gene expression, as do activated ras oncogenes, under certain culture conditions, and CT124 was found to inhibit the activities of both MSX-2 and ras in this system as well. Our findings not only suggest that CT124 may act as a dominant suppressor of MSX-2 but also raise the possibility that MSX-2 gene may be an important downstream target for the Ras signaling pathways.

A high level of liver-specific expression of oncogenic KrasV12 drives robust liver tumorigenesis in transgenic zebrafish

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Anh Tuan Nguyen

2011-11-01

Human liver cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC being the most common type. Aberrant Ras signaling has been implicated in the development and progression of human HCC, but a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms of this protein in hepatocarcinogenesis remains elusive. In this study, a stable in vivo liver cancer model using transgenic zebrafish was generated to elucidate Ras-driven tumorigenesis in HCC. Using the liver-specific fabp10 (fatty acid binding protein 10 promoter, we overexpressed oncogenic krasV12 specifically in the transgenic zebrafish liver. Only a high level of krasV12 expression initiated liver tumorigenesis, which progressed from hyperplasia to benign and malignant tumors with activation of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK and Wnt–β-catenin pathways. Histological diagnosis of zebrafish tumors identified HCC as the main lesion. The tumors were invasive and transplantable, indicating malignancy of these HCC cells. Oncogenic krasV12 was also found to trigger p53-dependent senescence as a tumor suppressive barrier in the pre-neoplastic stage. Microarray analysis of zebrafish liver hyperplasia and HCC uncovered the deregulation of several stage-specific and common biological processes and signaling pathways responsible for krasV12-driven liver tumorigenesis that recapitulated the molecular hallmarks of human liver cancer. Cross-species comparisons of cancer transcriptomes further defined a HCC-specific gene signature as well as a liver cancer progression gene signature that are evolutionarily conserved between human and zebrafish. Collectively, our study presents a comprehensive portrait of molecular mechanisms during progressive Ras-induced HCC. These observations indicate the validity of our transgenic zebrafish to model human liver cancer, and this model might act as a useful platform for drug screening and identifying new therapeutic targets.

Upregulation of MAPK/Erk and PI3K/Akt pathways in ulcerative colitis-associated colon cancer.

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Setia, Shruti; Nehru, Bimla; Sanyal, Sankar Nath

2014-10-01

An extracellular signal like a cytokine or chemokine, secreted in the inflammatory microenvironment can activate the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway by binding to a cytokine receptor tyrosine kinase, which further activates tyrosine kinases such as Janus Kinase-3 (Jak-3). This signal is transferred from Jak-3 to the DNA in the nucleus of the cell by a chain of kinases, ultimately activating extracellular receptor kinase (Erk/MAPK). The latter phosphorylates c-myc, an oncogene, which alters the levels and activities of many transcription factors leading to cell survival, proliferation and invasion. The oncogenic PI3K pathway plays a similar role by activating c-myc, leading to cell survival and proliferation. The present study explores the role of ulcerative colitis in colon cancer by investigating the activities of tyrosine kinase activated MAPK pathway and various components of the PI3K pathway including PI3K, PTEN, PDK1, GSK3β, Akt, mTOR, Wnt and β-catenin. This was done by western blot and fluorescent immunohistochemical analysis of the above-mentioned proteins. Also, the morphological and histological investigation of the colonic samples from various animal groups revealed significant alterations as compared to the control in both inflammatory as well as carcinogenic conditions. These effects were reduced to a large extent by the co-administration of celecoxib, a second-generation non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Immunodetection of rasP21 and c-myc oncogenes in oral mucosal swab preparation from clove cigarette smokers

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Silvi Kintawati

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Smoking is the biggest factor for oral cavity malignancy. Some carcinogens found in cigar will stimulate epithel cell in oral cavity and cause mechanism disturbance on tissue resistance and produce abnormal genes (oncogenes. Oncogenes ras and myc are found on malignant tumor in oral cavity which are associated with smoking. Purpose: This research is to find the expression of oncogenes rasP21 and c-myc in oral mucosa epithelial of smoker with immunocytochemistry reaction. Methods: An oral mucosal swab was performed to 30 smokers categorized as light, moderate, and chain, and 10 non smokers which was followed by immunocytochemistry reaction using antibody towards oncogene rasP21 and c-myc is reacted to identify the influence of smoking towards malignant tumor in oral cavity. The result is statistically analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test. Result: Based on the observation result of oncogene rasP21reaction, it shows that there is significant difference between non smoker group and light smoker, compared to moderate and chain smoker group (p < 0.01. On the other side, the observation result of oncogene c-myc indicates that there is no significant difference between the group of non smokers and the group of light, moderate, and chain smokers (p > 0.05. Conclusion: The higher the possibility of oral cavity malignancy and that the antibody for rasP21 oncogene can be used as a marker for early detection of oral cavity malignancy caused by smoking.

Oncogenic and incidental HPV types associated with histologically ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. In Africa, data on the relationship between oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) types, immune status and cervical preinvasive lesions are lacking. Methods. We investigated low-risk (lrHPV) and high-risk (hrHPV) HPV types in a cohort of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) II/III confirmed on ...

Understanding personal risk of oropharyngeal cancer: risk-groups for oncogenic oral HPV infection and oropharyngeal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Souza, G; McNeel, T S; Fakhry, C

2017-12-01

Incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer is increasing. There is interest in identifying healthy individuals most at risk for development of oropharyngeal cancer to inform screening strategies. All data are from 2009 to 2014, including 13 089 people ages 20-69 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), oropharyngeal cancer cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER 18) registries (representing ∼28% of the US population), and oropharyngeal cancer mortality from National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Primary study outcomes are (i) prevalence of oncogenic HPV DNA in an oral rinse and gargle sample, and (ii) incident oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer. Oncogenic oral HPV DNA is detected in 3.5% of all adults age 20-69 years; however, the lifetime risk of oropharyngeal cancer is low (37 per 10 000). Among men 50-59 years old, 8.1% have an oncogenic oral HPV infection, 2.1% have an oral HPV16 infection, yet only 0.7% will 'ever' develop oropharyngeal cancer in their lifetime. Oncogenic oral HPV prevalence was higher in men than women, and increased with number of lifetime oral sexual partners and tobacco use. Men who currently smoked and had ≥5 lifetime oral sexual partners had 'elevated risk' (prevalence = 14.9%). Men with only one of these risk factors (i.e. either smoked and had 2-4 partners or did not smoke and had ≥5 partners) had 'medium risk' (7.3%). Regardless of what other risk factors participants had, oncogenic oral HPV prevalence was 'low' among those with only ≤1 lifetime oral sexual partner (women = 0.7% and men = 1.7%). Screening based upon oncogenic oral HPV detection would be challenging. Most groups have low oncogenic oral HPV prevalence. In addition to the large numbers of individuals who would need to be screened to identify prevalent oncogenic oral HPV, the lifetime risk of developing oropharyngeal caner among those with infection remains

The mutator pathway is a feature of immunodeficiency-related lymphomas

Science.gov (United States)

Duval, Alex; Raphael, Martine; Brennetot, Caroline; Poirel, Helene; Buhard, Olivier; Aubry, Alban; Martin, Antoine; Krimi, Amor; Leblond, Veronique; Gabarre, Jean; Davi, Frederic; Charlotte, Frederic; Berger, Francoise; Gaidano, Gianluca; Capello, Daniela; Canioni, Danielle; Bordessoule, Dominique; Feuillard, Jean; Gaulard, Philippe; Delfau, Marie Helene; Ferlicot, Sophie; Eclache, Virginie; Prevot, Sophie; Guettier, Catherine; Lefevre, Pascale Cornillet; Adotti, Francoise; Hamelin, Richard

2004-01-01

The mutator phenotype caused by defects in the mismatch repair system is observed in a subset of solid neoplasms characterized by widespread microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H). It is known to be very rare in non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), whereas mutator NHL is the most frequent tumor subtype in mismatch repair-deficient mice. By screening a series of 603 human NHL with specific markers of the mutator phenotype, we found here 12 MSI-H cases (12/603, 2%). Of interest, we demonstrated that this phenotype was specifically associated with immunodeficiency-related lymphomas (ID-RL), because it was observed in both posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (9/111, 8.1%) and HIV infection-related lymphomas (3/128, 2.3%) but not in a large series of NHL arising in the general population (0/364) (P < 0.0001). The MSI pathway is known to lead to the production of hundreds of abnormal protein neoantigens that are generated in MSI-H neoplasms by frameshift mutations of a number of genes containing coding microsatellite sequences. As expected, MSI-H ID-RL were found to harbor such genetic alterations in 12 target genes with a putative role in lymphomagenesis. The observation that the MSI-H phenotype was restricted to HIV infection-related lymphomas and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders suggests the existence of the highly immunogenic mutator pathway as a novel oncogenic process in lymphomagenesis whose role is favored when host immunosurveillance is reduced. Because MSI-H-positive cases were found to be either Epstein-Barr virus-positive or -negative, the mutator pathway should act synergistically or not with this other oncogenic factor, playing an important role in ID-RL. PMID:15047891

[Oncogenic action of ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

An extensive experiment involving approximately 400 rats exposed to the neon ion beam at the Bevalac in Berkeley, CA and to electrons is nearing completion. The carcinogenicity of energetic electrons was determined for comparison with the neon ion results. As in past reports we will describe progress in three areas corresponding to the specific aims of the proposal: (1) carcinogenesis and DNA strand breaks in rat skin following exposure by the neon ions or electrons; (2) DNA strand breaks in the epidermis as a function of radiation penetration; (3) oncogene activation in radiation-induced rat skin cancers. 72 refs., 6 tabs

Machine Learning Identifies Stemness Features Associated with Oncogenic Dedifferentiation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Malta, Tathiane M.; Sokolov, Artem; Gentles, Andrew J.; Burzykowski, Tomasz; Poisson, Laila; Weinstein, John N.; Kamińska, Bożena; Huelsken, Joerg; Omberg, Larsson; Gevaert, Olivier; Colaprico, Antonio; Czerwińska, Patrycja; Mazurek, Sylwia; Mishra, Lopa; Heyn, Holger; Krasnitz, Alex; Godwin, Andrew K.; Lazar, Alexander J.; Caesar-Johnson, Samantha J.; Demchok, John A.; Felau, Ina; Kasapi, Melpomeni; Ferguson, Martin L.; Hutter, Carolyn M.; Sofia, Heidi J.; Tarnuzzer, Roy; Wang, Zhining; Yang, Liming; Zenklusen, Jean C.; Zhang, Jiashan (Julia); Chudamani, Sudha; Liu, Jia; Lolla, Laxmi; Naresh, Rashi; Pihl, Todd; Sun, Qiang; Wan, Yunhu; Wu, Ye; Cho, Juok; DeFreitas, Timothy; Frazer, Scott; Gehlenborg, Nils; Getz, Gad; Heiman, David I.; Kim, Jaegil; Lawrence, Michael S.; Lin, Pei; Meier, Sam; Noble, Michael S.; Saksena, Gordon; Voet, Doug; Zhang, Hailei; Bernard, Brady; Chambwe, Nyasha; Dhankani, Varsha; Knijnenburg, Theo; Kramer, Roger; Leinonen, Kalle; Liu, Yuexin; Miller, Michael; Reynolds, Sheila; Shmulevich, Ilya; Thorsson, Vesteinn; Zhang, Wei; Akbani, Rehan; Broom, Bradley M.; Hegde, Apurva M.; Ju, Zhenlin; Kanchi, Rupa S.; Korkut, Anil; Li, Jun; Liang, Han; Ling, Shiyun; Liu, Wenbin; Lu, Yiling; Mills, Gordon B.; Ng, Kwok Shing; Rao, Arvind; Ryan, Michael; Wang, Jing; Weinstein, John N.; Zhang, Jiexin; Abeshouse, Adam; Armenia, Joshua; Chakravarty, Debyani; Chatila, Walid K.; de Bruijn, Ino; Gao, Jianjiong; Gross, Benjamin E.; Heins, Zachary J.; Kundra, Ritika; La, Konnor; Ladanyi, Marc; Luna, Augustin; Nissan, Moriah G.; Ochoa, Angelica; Phillips, Sarah M.; Reznik, Ed; Sanchez-Vega, Francisco; Sander, Chris; Schultz, Nikolaus; Sheridan, Robert; Sumer, S. Onur; Sun, Yichao; Taylor, Barry S.; Wang, Jioajiao; Zhang, Hongxin; Anur, Pavana; Peto, Myron; Spellman, Paul; Benz, Christopher; Stuart, Joshua M.; Wong, Christopher K.; Yau, Christina; Hayes, D. Neil; Parker, Joel S.; Wilkerson, Matthew D.; Ally, Adrian; Balasundaram, Miruna; Bowlby, Reanne; Brooks, Denise; Carlsen, Rebecca; Chuah, Eric; Dhalla, Noreen; Holt, Robert; Jones, Steven J.M.; Kasaian, Katayoon; Lee, Darlene; Ma, Yussanne; Marra, Marco A.; Mayo, Michael; Moore, Richard A.; Mungall, Andrew J.; Mungall, Karen; Robertson, A. Gordon; Sadeghi, Sara; Schein, Jacqueline E.; Sipahimalani, Payal; Tam, Angela; Thiessen, Nina; Tse, Kane; Wong, Tina; Berger, Ashton C.; Beroukhim, Rameen; Cherniack, Andrew D.; Cibulskis, Carrie; Gabriel, Stacey B.; Gao, Galen F.; Ha, Gavin; Meyerson, Matthew; Schumacher, Steven E.; Shih, Juliann; Kucherlapati, Melanie H.; Kucherlapati, Raju S.; Baylin, Stephen; Cope, Leslie; Danilova, Ludmila; Bootwalla, Moiz S.; Lai, Phillip H.; Maglinte, Dennis T.; Van Den Berg, David J.; Weisenberger, Daniel J.; Auman, J. Todd; Balu, Saianand; Bodenheimer, Tom; Fan, Cheng; Hoadley, Katherine A.; Hoyle, Alan P.; Jefferys, Stuart R.; Jones, Corbin D.; Meng, Shaowu; Mieczkowski, Piotr A.; Mose, Lisle E.; Perou, Amy H.; Perou, Charles M.; Roach, Jeffrey; Shi, Yan; Simons, Janae V.; Skelly, Tara; Soloway, Matthew G.; Tan, Donghui; Veluvolu, Umadevi; Fan, Huihui; Hinoue, Toshinori; Laird, Peter W.; Shen, Hui; Zhou, Wanding; Bellair, Michelle; Chang, Kyle; Covington, Kyle; Creighton, Chad J.; Dinh, Huyen; Doddapaneni, Harsha Vardhan; Donehower, Lawrence A.; Drummond, Jennifer; Gibbs, Richard A.; Glenn, Robert; Hale, Walker; Han, Yi; Hu, Jianhong; Korchina, Viktoriya; Lee, Sandra; Lewis, Lora; Li, Wei; Liu, Xiuping; Morgan, Margaret; Morton, Donna; Muzny, Donna; Santibanez, Jireh; Sheth, Margi; Shinbrot, Eve; Wang, Linghua; Wang, Min; Wheeler, David A.; Xi, Liu; Zhao, Fengmei; Hess, Julian; Appelbaum, Elizabeth L.; Bailey, Matthew; Cordes, Matthew G.; Ding, Li; Fronick, Catrina C.; Fulton, Lucinda A.; Fulton, Robert S.; Kandoth, Cyriac; Mardis, Elaine R.; McLellan, Michael D.; Miller, Christopher A.; Schmidt, Heather K.; Wilson, Richard K.; Crain, Daniel; Curley, Erin; Gardner, Johanna; Lau, Kevin; Mallery, David; Morris, Scott; Paulauskis, Joseph; Penny, Robert; Shelton, Candace; Shelton, Troy; Sherman, Mark; Thompson, Eric; Yena, Peggy; Bowen, Jay; Gastier-Foster, Julie M.; Gerken, Mark; Leraas, Kristen M.; Lichtenberg, Tara M.; Ramirez, Nilsa C.; Wise, Lisa; Zmuda, Erik; Corcoran, Niall; Costello, Tony; Hovens, Christopher; Carvalho, Andre L.; de Carvalho, Ana C.; Fregnani, José H.; Longatto-Filho, Adhemar; Reis, Rui M.; Scapulatempo-Neto, Cristovam; Silveira, Henrique C.S.; Vidal, Daniel O.; Burnette, Andrew; Eschbacher, Jennifer; Hermes, Beth; Noss, Ardene; Singh, Rosy; Anderson, Matthew L.; Castro, Patricia D.; Ittmann, Michael; Huntsman, David; Kohl, Bernard; Le, Xuan; Thorp, Richard; Andry, Chris; Duffy, Elizabeth R.; Lyadov, Vladimir; Paklina, Oxana; Setdikova, Galiya; Shabunin, Alexey; Tavobilov, Mikhail; McPherson, Christopher; Warnick, Ronald; Berkowitz, Ross; Cramer, Daniel; Feltmate, Colleen; Horowitz, Neil; Kibel, Adam; Muto, Michael; Raut, Chandrajit P.; Malykh, Andrei; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill S.; Barrett, Wendi; Devine, Karen; Fulop, Jordonna; Ostrom, Quinn T.; Shimmel, Kristen; Wolinsky, Yingli; Sloan, Andrew E.; De Rose, Agostino; Giuliante, Felice; Goodman, Marc; Karlan, Beth Y.; Hagedorn, Curt H.; Eckman, John; Harr, Jodi; Myers, Jerome; Tucker, Kelinda; Zach, Leigh Anne; Deyarmin, Brenda; Hu, Hai; Kvecher, Leonid; Larson, Caroline; Mural, Richard J.; Somiari, Stella; Vicha, Ales; Zelinka, Tomas; Bennett, Joseph; Iacocca, Mary; Rabeno, Brenda; Swanson, Patricia; Latour, Mathieu; Lacombe, Louis; Têtu, Bernard; Bergeron, Alain; McGraw, Mary; Staugaitis, Susan M.; Chabot, John; Hibshoosh, Hanina; Sepulveda, Antonia; Su, Tao; Wang, Timothy; Potapova, Olga; Voronina, Olga; Desjardins, Laurence; Mariani, Odette; Roman-Roman, Sergio; Sastre, Xavier; Stern, Marc Henri; Cheng, Feixiong; Signoretti, Sabina; Berchuck, Andrew; Bigner, Darell; Lipp, Eric; Marks, Jeffrey; McCall, Shannon; McLendon, Roger; Secord, Angeles; Sharp, Alexis; Behera, Madhusmita; Brat, Daniel J.; Chen, Amy; Delman, Keith; Force, Seth; Khuri, Fadlo; Magliocca, Kelly; Maithel, Shishir; Olson, Jeffrey J.; Owonikoko, Taofeek; Pickens, Alan; Ramalingam, Suresh; Shin, Dong M.; Sica, Gabriel; Van Meir, Erwin G.; Zhang, Hongzheng; Eijckenboom, Wil; Gillis, Ad; Korpershoek, Esther; Looijenga, Leendert; Oosterhuis, Wolter; Stoop, Hans; van Kessel, Kim E.; Zwarthoff, Ellen C.; Calatozzolo, Chiara; Cuppini, Lucia; Cuzzubbo, Stefania; DiMeco, Francesco; Finocchiaro, Gaetano; Mattei, Luca; Perin, Alessandro; Pollo, Bianca; Chen, Chu; Houck, John; Lohavanichbutr, Pawadee; Hartmann, Arndt; Stoehr, Christine; Stoehr, Robert; Taubert, Helge; Wach, Sven; Wullich, Bernd; Kycler, Witold; Murawa, Dawid; Wiznerowicz, Maciej; Chung, Ki; Edenfield, W. Jeffrey; Martin, Julie; Baudin, Eric; Bubley, Glenn; Bueno, Raphael; De Rienzo, Assunta; Richards, William G.; Kalkanis, Steven; Mikkelsen, Tom; Noushmehr, Houtan; Scarpace, Lisa; Girard, Nicolas; Aymerich, Marta; Campo, Elias; Giné, Eva; Guillermo, Armando López; Van Bang, Nguyen; Hanh, Phan Thi; Phu, Bui Duc; Tang, Yufang; Colman, Howard; Evason, Kimberley; Dottino, Peter R.; Martignetti, John A.; Gabra, Hani; Juhl, Hartmut; Akeredolu, Teniola; Stepa, Serghei; Hoon, Dave; Ahn, Keunsoo; Kang, Koo Jeong; Beuschlein, Felix; Breggia, Anne; Birrer, Michael; Bell, Debra; Borad, Mitesh; Bryce, Alan H.; Castle, Erik; Chandan, Vishal; Cheville, John; Copland, John A.; Farnell, Michael; Flotte, Thomas; Giama, Nasra; Ho, Thai; Kendrick, Michael; Kocher, Jean Pierre; Kopp, Karla; Moser, Catherine; Nagorney, David; O'Brien, Daniel; O'Neill, Brian Patrick; Patel, Tushar; Petersen, Gloria; Que, Florencia; Rivera, Michael; Roberts, Lewis; Smallridge, Robert; Smyrk, Thomas; Stanton, Melissa; Thompson, R. Houston; Torbenson, Michael; Yang, Ju Dong; Zhang, Lizhi; Brimo, Fadi; Ajani, Jaffer A.; Gonzalez, Ana Maria Angulo; Behrens, Carmen; Bondaruk, Jolanta; Broaddus, Russell; Czerniak, Bogdan; Esmaeli, Bita; Fujimoto, Junya; Gershenwald, Jeffrey; Guo, Charles; Lazar, Alexander J.; Logothetis, Christopher; Meric-Bernstam, Funda; Moran, Cesar; Ramondetta, Lois; Rice, David; Sood, Anil; Tamboli, Pheroze; Thompson, Timothy; Troncoso, Patricia; Tsao, Anne; Wistuba, Ignacio; Carter, Candace; Haydu, Lauren; Hersey, Peter; Jakrot, Valerie; Kakavand, Hojabr; Kefford, Richard; Lee, Kenneth; Long, Georgina; Mann, Graham; Quinn, Michael; Saw, Robyn; Scolyer, Richard; Shannon, Kerwin; Spillane, Andrew; Stretch, Jonathan; Synott, Maria; Thompson, John; Wilmott, James; Al-Ahmadie, Hikmat; Chan, Timothy A.; Ghossein, Ronald; Gopalan, Anuradha; Levine, Douglas A.; Reuter, Victor; Singer, Samuel; Singh, Bhuvanesh; Tien, Nguyen Viet; Broudy, Thomas; Mirsaidi, Cyrus; Nair, Praveen; Drwiega, Paul; Miller, Judy; Smith, Jennifer; Zaren, Howard; Park, Joong Won; Hung, Nguyen Phi; Kebebew, Electron; Linehan, W. Marston; Metwalli, Adam R.; Pacak, Karel; Pinto, Peter A.; Schiffman, Mark; Schmidt, Laura S.; Vocke, Cathy D.; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Worrell, Robert; Yang, Hannah; Moncrieff, Marc; Goparaju, Chandra; Melamed, Jonathan; Pass, Harvey; Botnariuc, Natalia; Caraman, Irina; Cernat, Mircea; Chemencedji, Inga; Clipca, Adrian; Doruc, Serghei; Gorincioi, Ghenadie; Mura, Sergiu; Pirtac, Maria; Stancul, Irina; Tcaciuc, Diana; Albert, Monique; Alexopoulou, Iakovina; Arnaout, Angel; Bartlett, John; Engel, Jay; Gilbert, Sebastien; Parfitt, Jeremy; Sekhon, Harman; Thomas, George; Rassl, Doris M.; Rintoul, Robert C.; Bifulco, Carlo; Tamakawa, Raina; Urba, Walter; Hayward, Nicholas; Timmers, Henri; Antenucci, Anna; Facciolo, Francesco; Grazi, Gianluca; Marino, Mirella; Merola, Roberta; de Krijger, Ronald; Gimenez-Roqueplo, Anne Paule; Piché, Alain; Chevalier, Simone; McKercher, Ginette; Birsoy, Kivanc; Barnett, Gene; Brewer, Cathy; Farver, Carol; Naska, Theresa; Pennell, Nathan A.; Raymond, Daniel; Schilero, Cathy; Smolenski, Kathy; Williams, Felicia; Morrison, Carl; Borgia, Jeffrey A.; Liptay, Michael J.; Pool, Mark; Seder, Christopher W.; Junker, Kerstin; Omberg, Larsson; Dinkin, Mikhail; Manikhas, George; Alvaro, Domenico; Bragazzi, Maria Consiglia; Cardinale, Vincenzo; Carpino, Guido; Gaudio, Eugenio; Chesla, David; Cottingham, Sandra; Dubina, Michael; Moiseenko, Fedor; Dhanasekaran, Renumathy; Becker, Karl Friedrich; Janssen, Klaus Peter; Slotta-Huspenina, Julia; Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed H.; Aziz, Dina; Bell, Sue; Cebulla, Colleen M.; Davis, Amy; Duell, Rebecca; Elder, J. 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Kimryn; Fantacone-Campbell, J. Leigh; Hooke, Jeffrey A.; Kovatich, Albert J.; Shriver, Craig D.; DiPersio, John; Drake, Bettina; Govindan, Ramaswamy; Heath, Sharon; Ley, Timothy; Van Tine, Brian; Westervelt, Peter; Rubin, Mark A.; Lee, Jung Il; Aredes, Natália D.; Mariamidze, Armaz; Stuart, Joshua M.; Hoadley, Katherine A.; Laird, Peter W.; Noushmehr, Houtan; Wiznerowicz, Maciej

2018-01-01

Cancer progression involves the gradual loss of a differentiated phenotype and acquisition of progenitor and stem-cell-like features. Here, we provide novel stemness indices for assessing the degree of oncogenic dedifferentiation. We used an innovative one-class logistic regression (OCLR)

Loss of Dependence on Continued Expression of the Human Papillomavirus 16 E7 Oncogene in Cervical Cancers and Precancerous Lesions Arising in Fanconi Anemia Pathway-Deficient Mice

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Soyeong Park

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Fanconi anemia (FA is a rare genetic disorder caused by defects in DNA damage repair. FA patients often develop squamous cell carcinoma (SCC at sites where high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs are known to cause cancer, including the cervix. However, SCCs found in human FA patients are often HPV negative, even though the majority of female FA patients with anogenital cancers had preexisting HPV-positive dysplasia. We hypothesize that HPVs contribute to the development of SCCs in FA patients but that the continued expression of HPV oncogenes is not required for the maintenance of the cancer state because FA deficiency leads to an accumulation of mutations in cellular genes that render the cancer no longer dependent upon viral oncogenes. We tested this hypothesis, making use of Bi-L E7 transgenic mice in which we temporally controlled expression of HPV16 E7, the dominant viral oncogene in HPV-associated cancers. As seen before, the persistence of cervical neoplastic disease was highly dependent upon the continued expression of HPV16 E7 in FA-sufficient mice. However, in mice with FA deficiency, cervical cancers persisted in a large fraction of the mice after HPV16 E7 expression was turned off, indicating that these cancers had escaped from their dependency on E7. Furthermore, the severity of precancerous lesions also failed to be reduced significantly in the mice with FA deficiency upon turning off expression of E7. These findings confirm our hypothesis and may explain the fact that, while FA patients have a high frequency of infections by HPVs and HPV-induced precancerous lesions, the cancers are frequently HPV negative.

[Genotyping of oncogenic human papilloma viruses in women with HG SIL diagnosis].

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Kedzia, Witold; Pruski, Dominik; Józefiak, Agata; Rokita, Wojciech; Spaczyński, Marek

2010-10-01

Development of primary prevention of cervical cancer in other words a vaccination against selected, oncogenic HPV types, entails an increasing importance of epidemiological studies and prevalence of various types of human papilloma virus. The incidence of HPV varies depending on the geographic location of the population. The effectiveness of primary prevention against HPV 16, 18, in the context of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer will depend, among others, on the prevalence of these types in the population and virus-like antigens, which are partially cross-resistant. Identification of the most frequent, oncogenic HPV types in women with HG SIL diagnosis from Central and Western Poland to assess the merits of the development of primary prevention. For the purpose of molecular tests identifying the presence of 13 DNA oncogenic virus types, swabs were taken with the cyto-brush from 76 women diagnosed with CIN 2 or CIN 3 (HG SIL). Patients eligible for the study were diagnosed at the Laboratory of Pathophysiology of Uterine Cervix, Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinical Hospital of Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences. Patients came from Central and Western parts of Poland. Cell material in which the method of Amplicor HPV (Roche Diagnostics) identified the presence of DNA of oncogenic HPV types was in each case subsequently subjected to genotyping using the molecular test - Linear Array HPV Genotyping (Roche Diagnostics). Five most common oncogenic HPV types in order of detection included: 16, 33, 18, 31, 56. Together these five types of virus comprised 75.86% (88/116) of all detected HPV types. 1. In women from Central and Western Poland, diagnosed with HG SIL, the most common HPV genotypes were HPV 16, HPV33, HPV 18, HPV31, HPV56. 2. Two HPV types 16 and 18, against which vaccinations are directed, belong to the group of three genotypes of HPV most commonly identified in the evolution of CIN 2, CIN 3 diagnosed in women from Central and Western

V-cbl, an oncogene from a dual-recombinant murine retrovirus that induces early B-lineage lymphomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langdon, W.Y.; Klinken, S.P.; Hartley, J.W.; Morse, H.C. III; Ruscetti, S.K.

1989-01-01

Cas NS-1 is an acutely transforming murine retrovirus that induces pre-B and pro-B cell lymphomas. Molecular cloning showed it was generated from the ecotropic Cas-Br-M virus by sequential recombinations with endogenous retroviral sequences and a cellular oncogene. The oncogene sequence shows no homology with known oncogenes but some similarity to the yeast transcriptional activator GCN4. A 100-kDa gag-cbl fusion protein, with no detectable kinase activity, is responsible for the cellular transformation. The cellular homologue of v-cbl, present in mouse and human DNA, is expressed in a range of hemopoietic lineages

Characterization of a human cell line stably over-expressing the candidate oncogene, dual specificity phosphatase 12.

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Erica L Cain

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Analysis of chromosomal rearrangements within primary tumors has been influential in the identification of novel oncogenes. Identification of the "driver" gene(s within cancer-derived amplicons is, however, hampered by the fact that most amplicons contain many gene products. Amplification of 1q21-1q23 is strongly associated with liposarcomas and microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization narrowed down the likely candidate oncogenes to two: the activating transcription factor 6 (atf6 and the dual specificity phosphatase 12 (dusp12. While atf6 is an established transcriptional regulator of the unfolded protein response, the potential role of dusp12 in cancer remains uncharacterized.To evaluate the oncogenic potential of dusp12, we established stable cell lines that ectopically over-express dusp12 in isolation and determined whether this cell line acquired properties frequently associated with transformed cells. Here, we demonstrate that cells over-expressing dusp12 display increased cell motility and resistance to apoptosis. Additionally, over-expression of dusp12 promoted increased expression of the c-met proto-oncogene and the collagen and laminin receptor intergrin alpha 1 (itga1 which is implicated in metastasis.Collectively, these results suggest that dusp12 is oncologically relevant and exposes a potential association between dusp12 and established oncogenes that could be therapeutically targeted.

Benchmarking pathway interaction network for colorectal cancer to identify dysregulated pathways

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Q. Wang

Full Text Available Different pathways act synergistically to participate in many biological processes. Thus, the purpose of our study was to extract dysregulated pathways to investigate the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC based on the functional dependency among pathways. Protein-protein interaction (PPI information and pathway data were retrieved from STRING and Reactome databases, respectively. After genes were aligned to the pathways, each pathway activity was calculated using the principal component analysis (PCA method, and the seed pathway was discovered. Subsequently, we constructed the pathway interaction network (PIN, where each node represented a biological pathway based on gene expression profile, PPI data, as well as pathways. Dysregulated pathways were then selected from the PIN according to classification performance and seed pathway. A PIN including 11,960 interactions was constructed to identify dysregulated pathways. Interestingly, the interaction of mRNA splicing and mRNA splicing-major pathway had the highest score of 719.8167. Maximum change of the activity score between CRC and normal samples appeared in the pathway of DNA replication, which was selected as the seed pathway. Starting with this seed pathway, a pathway set containing 30 dysregulated pathways was obtained with an area under the curve score of 0.8598. The pathway of mRNA splicing, mRNA splicing-major pathway, and RNA polymerase I had the maximum genes of 107. Moreover, we found that these 30 pathways had crosstalks with each other. The results suggest that these dysregulated pathways might be used as biomarkers to diagnose CRC.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 interacts with oncogenic lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase.

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Venkitachalam, Srividya; Chueh, Fu-Yu; Leong, King-Fu; Pabich, Samantha; Yu, Chao-Lan

2011-03-01

Lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck) plays a key role in T cell signal transduction and is tightly regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Lck can function as an oncoprotein when overexpressed or constantly activated by mutations. Our previous studies showed that Lck-induced cellular transformation could be suppressed by enforced expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1), a SOCS family member involved in the negative feedback control of cytokine signaling. We observed attenuated Lck kinase activity in SOCS1-expressing cells, suggesting an important role of SOCS in regulating Lck functions. It remains largely unknown whether and how SOCS proteins interact with the oncogenic Lck kinase. Here, we report that among four SOCS family proteins, SOCS1, SOCS2, SOCS3 and CIS (cytokine-inducible SH2 domain containing protein), SOCS1 has the highest affinity in binding to the oncogenic Lck kinase. We identified the positive regulatory phosphotyrosine 394 residue in the kinase domain as the key interacting determinant in Lck. Additionally, the Lck kinase domain alone is sufficient to bind SOCS1. While the SH2 domain in SOCS1 is important in its association with the oncogenic Lck kinase, other functional domains may also contribute to overall binding affinity. These findings provide important mechanistic insights into the role of SOCS proteins as tumor suppressors in cells transformed by oncogenic protein tyrosine kinases.

Proto-oncogene expression: a predictive assay for radiation biodosimetry applications

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Miller, A.C.; Luo, L.; Chin, W.K.; Director-Myska, A.E.; Prasanna, P.G.S.; Blakely, W.F

2002-07-01

Using a model system of in vitro human peripheral blood lymphocytes, the effect of low-dose (0.25 to 1.50 Gy) 250-kV{sub p} X ray radiation (1 Gy.min{sup -1}) on the expression of several proto-oncogenes was examined (c-Haras, c-src, c-met, c-jun, c-fos, and c-myc) and {beta}-actin from 0.25 to 17 h post-radiation. RNA was extracted from cells harvested at various times after exposure and examined for levels of particular mRNAs by northern blot hybridisation. A progressive time- and dose-dependent increase in mRNA levels was observed for c-Haras mRNA, while the other proto-oncogenes (c-src, c-met, c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc) examined were variable during the same time period. {beta}-actin levels were initially decreased but at 17 h post-radiation had returned to control levels. A comparison of the rate of c-Haras transcription at 5 and 17 h post-irradiation revealed that c-Haras transcription was higher at 5 h than at 17 h. These findings suggest that the level of specific proto-oncogene expression, particularly c-Haras, may be useful early diagnostic molecular biomarkers for biodosimetry applications. The use of real-time PCR technologies to quantify gene expression changes will also be discussed. (author)

 Oncogenic osteomalacia and its symptoms: hypophosphatemia, bone pain and pathological fractures

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Sonia Kaniuka-Jakubowska

2012-08-01

Full Text Available  Oncogenic osteomalacia (OOM is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome induced by tumor produced phosphaturic factors, i.e. phosphatonins. The disorder is characterized by renal tubular phosphate loss, secondary to this process hypophosphatemia and defective production of active form of vitamin D. The clinical course of oncogenic osteomalacia is characterized by bone pain, pathological fractures, muscle weakness and general fatigue. Osteomalacia-associated tumors are usually located in the upper and lower limbs, with half of the lesions primarily situated in the bones. Most of them are small, slow-growing tumors. Their insignificant size and various location coupled with rare occurrence of the disease and non-specificity of clinical symptoms lead to difficulties in reaching a diagnosis, which is often time-consuming and requires a number of additional tests. The average time between the appearance of the first symptoms and the establishment of an accurate diagnosis and the beginning of treatment is over 2.5 years. The aim of this study is to discuss the pathophysiology of disease symptoms, pathomorphology of tumors, diagnostic methods and treatment of oncogenic osteomalacia.

Comparison of the oncogenic potential of several chemotherapeutic agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.C.; Hall, E.J.; Osmak, R.S.

1981-01-01

Several chemotherapeutic drugs that have been routinely used in cancer treatment were tested for their carcinogenic potential. Two antitumor antibiotics (adriamycin and vincristine), an alkalating agent (melphalan), 5-azacytidine and the bifunctional agent cis-platinum that mimics alkylating agents and/or binds Oxygen-6 or Nitrogen-7 atoms of quanine were tested. Cell killing and cancer induction was assessed using in vitro transformation system. C3H/10T 1/2 cells, while normally exhibiting contact inhibition, can undergo transformation from normal contact inhibited cells to tumorgenic cells when exposed to chemical carcinogens. These cells have been used in the past by this laboratory to study oncogenic transformation of cells exposed to ionizing radiation and electron affinic compounds that sensitize hypoxic cells to x-rays. The endpoints of cell killing and oncogenic transformation presented here give an estimate of the carcinogenic potential of these agents

Suppression of bcr-abl synthesis by siRNAs or tyrosine kinase activity by Glivec alters different oncogenes, apoptotic/antiapoptotic genes and cell proliferation factors (microarray study).

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Zhelev, Zhivko; Bakalova, Rumiana; Ohba, Hideki; Ewis, Ashraf; Ishikawa, Mitsuru; Shinohara, Yasuo; Baba, Yoshinobu

2004-07-16

Short 21-mer double-stranded/small-interfering RNAs (ds/siRNAs) were designed to target bcr-abl mRNA in chronic myelogenous leukemia. The ds/siRNAs were transfected into bcr-abl-positive K-562 (derived from blast crisis chronic myelogenous leukemia), using lipofectamine. Penetrating of ds/siRNAs into the cells was detected by fluorescent confocal microscopy, using fluorescein-labeled ds/siRNAs. The cells were treated with mix of three siRNA sequences (3 x 60 nM) during 6 days with three repetitive transfections. The siRNA-treatment was accompanied with significant reduction of bcr-abl mRNA, p210, protein tyrosine kinase activity and cell proliferation index. Treatment of cells with Glivec (during 8 days with four repetitive doses, 180 nM single dose) resulted in analogous reduction of cell proliferation activity, stronger suppression of protein tyrosine kinase activity, and very low reduction of p210. siRNA-mix and Glivec did not affect significantly the viability of normal lymphocytes. Microarray analysis of siRNA- and Glivec-treated K-562 cells demonstrated that both pathways of bcr-abl suppression were accompanied with overexpression and suppression of many different oncogenes, apoptotic/antiapoptotic and cell proliferation factors. The following genes of interest were found to decrease in relatively equal degree in both siRNA- and Glivec-treated cells: Bcd orf1 and orf2 proto-oncogene, chromatin-specific transcription elongation factor FACT 140-kDa subunit mRNA, gene encoding splicing factor SF1, and mRNA for Tec protein tyrosine kinase. siRNA-mix and Glivec provoked overexpression of the following common genes: c-jun proto-oncogene, protein kinase C-alpha, pvt-1 oncogene homologue (myc activator), interleukin-6, 1-8D gene from interferon-inducible gene family, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (10b), and STAT-induced STAT inhibitor.

Modern classification of neoplasms: reconciling differences between morphologic and molecular approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berman, Jules

2005-01-01

For over 150 years, pathologists have relied on histomorphology to classify and diagnose neoplasms. Their success has been stunning, permitting the accurate diagnosis of thousands of different types of neoplasms using only a microscope and a trained eye. In the past two decades, cancer genomics has challenged the supremacy of histomorphology by identifying genetic alterations shared by morphologically diverse tumors and by finding genetic features that distinguish subgroups of morphologically homogeneous tumors. The Developmental Lineage Classification and Taxonomy of Neoplasms groups neoplasms by their embryologic origin. The putative value of this classification is based on the expectation that tumors of a common developmental lineage will share common metabolic pathways and common responses to drugs that target these pathways. The purpose of this manuscript is to show that grouping tumors according to their developmental lineage can reconcile certain fundamental discrepancies resulting from morphologic and molecular approaches to neoplasm classification. In this study, six issues in tumor classification are described that exemplify the growing rift between morphologic and molecular approaches to tumor classification: 1) the morphologic separation between epithelial and non-epithelial tumors; 2) the grouping of tumors based on shared cellular functions; 3) the distinction between germ cell tumors and pluripotent tumors of non-germ cell origin; 4) the distinction between tumors that have lost their differentiation and tumors that arise from uncommitted stem cells; 5) the molecular properties shared by morphologically disparate tumors that have a common developmental lineage, and 6) the problem of re-classifying morphologically identical but clinically distinct subsets of tumors. The discussion of these issues in the context of describing different methods of tumor classification is intended to underscore the clinical value of a robust tumor classification. A

Oncogenic RAS enables DNA damage- and p53-dependent differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cells in response to chemotherapy.

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Mona Meyer

Full Text Available Acute myeloid leukemia (AML is a clonal disease originating from myeloid progenitor cells with a heterogeneous genetic background. High-dose cytarabine is used as the standard consolidation chemotherapy. Oncogenic RAS mutations are frequently observed in AML, and are associated with beneficial response to cytarabine. Why AML-patients with oncogenic RAS benefit most from high-dose cytarabine post-remission therapy is not well understood. Here we used bone marrow cells expressing a conditional MLL-ENL-ER oncogene to investigate the interaction of oncogenic RAS and chemotherapeutic agents. We show that oncogenic RAS synergizes with cytotoxic agents such as cytarabine in activation of DNA damage checkpoints, resulting in a p53-dependent genetic program that reduces clonogenicity and increases myeloid differentiation. Our data can explain the beneficial effects observed for AML patients with oncogenic RAS treated with higher dosages of cytarabine and suggest that induction of p53-dependent differentiation, e.g. by interfering with Mdm2-mediated degradation, may be a rational approach to increase cure rate in response to chemotherapy. The data also support the notion that the therapeutic success of cytotoxic drugs may depend on their ability to promote the differentiation of tumor-initiating cells.

Oncogenic programmes and Notch activity: an 'organized crime'?

Science.gov (United States)

Dominguez, Maria

2014-04-01

The inappropriate Notch signalling can influence virtually all aspect of cancer, including tumour-cell growth, survival, apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, although it does not do this alone. Hence, elucidating the partners of Notch that are active in cancer is now the focus of much intense research activity. The genetic toolkits available, coupled to the small size and short life of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, makes this an inexpensive and effective animal model, suited to large-scale cancer gene discovery studies. The fly eye is not only a non-vital organ but its stereotyped size and disposition also means it is easy to screen for mutations that cause tumours and metastases and provides ample opportunities to test cancer theories and to unravel unanticipated nexus between Notch and other cancer genes, or to discover unforeseen Notch's partners in cancer. These studies suggest that Notch's oncogenic capacity is brought about not simply by increasing signal strength but through partnerships, whereby oncogenes gain more by cooperating than acting individually, as in a ring 'organized crime'. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Limited role of murine ATM in oncogene-induced senescence and p53-dependent tumor suppression.

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Alejo Efeyan

Full Text Available Recent studies in human fibroblasts have provided a new general paradigm of tumor suppression according to which oncogenic signaling produces DNA damage and this, in turn, results in ATM/p53-dependent cellular senescence. Here, we have tested this model in a variety of murine experimental systems. Overexpression of oncogenic Ras in murine fibroblasts efficiently induced senescence but this occurred in the absence of detectable DNA damage signaling, thus suggesting a fundamental difference between human and murine cells. Moreover, lung adenomas initiated by endogenous levels of oncogenic K-Ras presented abundant senescent cells, but undetectable DNA damage signaling. Accordingly, K-Ras-driven adenomas were also senescent in Atm-null mice, and the tumorigenic progression of these lesions was only modestly accelerated by Atm-deficiency. Finally, we have examined chemically-induced fibrosarcomas, which possess a persistently activated DNA damage response and are highly sensitive to the activity of p53. We found that the absence of Atm favored genomic instability in the resulting tumors, but did not affect the persistent DNA damage response and did not impair p53-dependent tumor suppression. All together, we conclude that oncogene-induced senescence in mice may occur in the absence of a detectable DNA damage response. Regarding murine Atm, our data suggest that it plays a minor role in oncogene-induced senescence or in p53-dependent tumor suppression, being its tumor suppressive activity probably limited to the maintenance of genomic stability.

Malignant transformation of diploid human fibroblasts by transfection of oncogenes

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McCormick, J.J.

1992-01-01

This document consist of brief reports prepared by postdoctoral students supported by the project, each describing his accomplishments under the grant. Topics include (1) Malignant Transformation of MSU-1. 1 Cells by Gamma Radiation, (2) Correlation between Levels of ras Expression and Presence of Transformed Phenotypes Including Tumorigenicity, Using a Modulatable Promoter, (3) Relation between Specific rad Oncogene Expression, (4) Correlation of Genetic Changes in Fibroblastic Tumors with Malignancies, (5)Transformation of MSU-1.1 Cells by sis Oncogene, (6) Malignant Transformation of MSU-1.0 Cells, (7) Correlation of Urokinase Plasminogen Activation (mu-PA) with Malignant Phenotype, (8)Two Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis Studies of the Proteins of the Major Cell Strains of the MSU-1 Family of Cells, and (9) Correlation between Proteinase Activity Levels and Malignancy.

Malignant transformation of diploid human fibroblasts by transfection of oncogenes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCormick, J.J.

1992-01-01

This document consist of brief reports prepared by postdoctoral students supported by the project, each describing his accomplishments under the grant. Topics include (1) Malignant Transformation of MSU-1. 1 Cells by Gamma Radiation, (2) Correlation between Levels of ras Expression and Presence of Transformed Phenotypes Including Tumorigenicity, Using a Modulatable Promoter, (3) Relation between Specific rad Oncogene Expression, (4) Correlation of Genetic Changes in Fibroblastic Tumors with Malignancies, (5)Transformation of MSU-1.1 Cells by sis Oncogene, (6) Malignant Transformation of MSU-1.0 Cells, (7) Correlation of Urokinase Plasminogen Activation (mu-PA) with Malignant Phenotype, (8)Two Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis Studies of the Proteins of the Major Cell Strains of the MSU-1 Family of Cells, and (9) Correlation between Proteinase Activity Levels and Malignancy

Pathway Interaction Network Analysis Identifies Dysregulated Pathways in Human Monocytes Infected by Listeria monocytogenes

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Wufeng Fan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In our study, we aimed to extract dysregulated pathways in human monocytes infected by Listeria monocytogenes (LM based on pathway interaction network (PIN which presented the functional dependency between pathways. After genes were aligned to the pathways, principal component analysis (PCA was used to calculate the pathway activity for each pathway, followed by detecting seed pathway. A PIN was constructed based on gene expression profile, protein-protein interactions (PPIs, and cellular pathways. Identifying dysregulated pathways from the PIN was performed relying on seed pathway and classification accuracy. To evaluate whether the PIN method was feasible or not, we compared the introduced method with standard network centrality measures. The pathway of RNA polymerase II pretranscription events was selected as the seed pathway. Taking this seed pathway as start, one pathway set (9 dysregulated pathways with AUC score of 1.00 was identified. Among the 5 hub pathways obtained using standard network centrality measures, 4 pathways were the common ones between the two methods. RNA polymerase II transcription and DNA replication owned a higher number of pathway genes and DEGs. These dysregulated pathways work together to influence the progression of LM infection, and they will be available as biomarkers to diagnose LM infection.

Novel personalized pathway-based metabolomics models reveal key metabolic pathways for breast cancer diagnosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Sijia; Chong, Nicole; Lewis, Nathan

2016-01-01

diagnosis. We applied this method to predict breast cancer occurrence, in combination with correlation feature selection (CFS) and classification methods. Results: The resulting all-stage and early-stage diagnosis models are highly accurate in two sets of testing blood samples, with average AUCs (Area Under.......993. Moreover, important metabolic pathways, such as taurine and hypotaurine metabolism and the alanine, aspartate, and glutamate pathway, are revealed as critical biological pathways for early diagnosis of breast cancer. Conclusions: We have successfully developed a new type of pathway-based model to study...... metabolomics data for disease diagnosis. Applying this method to blood-based breast cancer metabolomics data, we have discovered crucial metabolic pathway signatures for breast cancer diagnosis, especially early diagnosis. Further, this modeling approach may be generalized to other omics data types for disease...

Y-box Binding Protein-1 Enhances Oncogenic Transforming Growth Factor β Signaling in Breast Cancer Cells via Triggering Phospho-Activation of Smad2.

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Stope, Matthias B; Weiss, Martin; Koensgen, Dominique; Popp, Simone L; Joffroy, Christian; Mustea, Alexander; Buck, Miriam B; Knabbe, Cornelius

2017-12-01

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) plays a role in diverse oncogenic pathways including cell proliferation and cell motility and is regulated by the pleiotropic factor Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1). In breast cancer, Sma/Mad related protein 2 (Smad2) represents the most common downstream transducer in TGFβ signaling. Here, YB-1's impact on Smad2 phospho-activation was characterized by incubation of the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 with or without TGFβ1 in the absence or presence of overexpressed YB-1 protein. The phospho-status of Smad2 was assessed via western blotting. Analysis of MCF-7 cells revealed no induction of total Smad2 neither in the presence of TGFβ1, nor during YB-1 overexpression. In contrast, incubation with TGFβ1 led to an increase of phosphorylated Smad2 forms which was significantly amplified by simultaneously overexpressed YB-1 (2.8±0.2-fold). Oncogenic YB-1 indirectly enhances TGFβ signaling cascades via Smad2 phospho-activation and may represent a promising factor for future diagnosis and therapy of breast cancer. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Effects of c-myc oncogene modulation on differentiation of human small cell lung carcinoma cell lines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Waardenburg, RCAM; Meijer, C; Pinto-Sietsma, SJ; De Vries, EGE; Timens, W; Mulder, NM

1998-01-01

Amplification and over-expression of oncogenes of the myc family are related to the prognosis of certain solid tumors such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC). For SCLC, c-myc is the oncogene most consistently found to correlate with the end stage behaviour of the tumour, in particular with survival

Characterization of new cell line stably expressing CHI3L1 oncogene

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Chekhonin V. P.

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Aim. To characterize the immortalized 293 cell line after stable transfection with human oncogene (CHI3L1. Methods. 293 cells, stably transfected with pcDNA3.1_CHI3L1, and 293 cells, stably transfected with pcDNA3.1 as a negative control, were used throughout all experiments. The clones of CHI3L1-expressing 293 cells and 293 cells, transfected with pcDNA3.1, were analyzed by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Cell proliferation was measured using MTT assay; analyses of ERK1/2 and AKT activation and their cellular localization were performed with anti-phospho-ERK and anti-phospho-AKT antibodies. Specific activation of MAP and PI3 kinases was measured by densitometric analysis of Western-blot signals. Results. The obtained results show quite modest ability of CHI3L1 to stimulate cell growth and reflect rather an improved cellular plating efficiency of the 293 cells stably transfected with pcDNA3.1_CHI3L1 as compared to the 293 cells transfected with an «empty» vector. ERK1/2 and AKT are activated in the 293_CHI3L1 cells. In these cells phosphorylated ERK1/2 were localized in both cell cytoplasm and nuclei while AKT only in cytoplasm. The 293_CHI3L1 cells differed from the 293 cells, transfected with an «empty» vector, in their size and ability to adhere to the culture plates. Conclusions. The overexpression of CHI3L1 is likely to have an important role in tumorigenesis via a mechanism which involves activation of PI3K and ERK1/2 pathways. The tumors which can be induced by orthotopic implantation of the transformed human cells with overexpressed human oncogene CHI3L1 into the rat brain can be used as a target for anticancer drug development.

Retroviral insertions in the VISION database identify molecular pathways in mouse lymphoid leukemia and lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiser, Keith C; Liu, Bin; Hansen, Gwenn M; Skapura, Darlene; Hentges, Kathryn E; Yarlagadda, Sujatha; Morse Iii, Herbert C; Justice, Monica J

2007-10-01

AKXD recombinant inbred (RI) strains develop a variety of leukemias and lymphomas due to somatically acquired insertions of retroviral DNA into the genome of hematopoetic cells that can mutate cellular proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. We generated a new set of tumors from nine AKXD RI strains selected for their propensity to develop B-cell tumors, the most common type of human hematopoietic cancers. We employed a PCR technique called viral insertion site amplification (VISA) to rapidly isolate genomic sequence at the site of provirus insertion. Here we describe 550 VISA sequence tags (VSTs) that identify 74 common insertion sites (CISs), of which 21 have not been identified previously. Several suspected proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes lie near CISs, providing supportive evidence for their roles in cancer. Furthermore, numerous previously uncharacterized genes lie near CISs, providing a pool of candidate disease genes for future research. Pathway analysis of candidate genes identified several signaling pathways as common and powerful routes to blood cancer, including Notch, E-protein, NFkappaB, and Ras signaling. Misregulation of several Notch signaling genes was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. Our data suggest that analyses of insertional mutagenesis on a single genetic background are biased toward the identification of cooperating mutations. This tumor collection represents the most comprehensive study of the genetics of B-cell leukemia and lymphoma development in mice. We have deposited the VST sequences, CISs in a genome viewer, histopathology, and molecular tumor typing data in a public web database called VISION (Viral Insertion Sites Identifying Oncogenes), which is located at http://www.mouse-genome.bcm.tmc.edu/vision .

Induction of human microsomal prostaglandin E synthase 1 by activated oncogene RhoA GTPase in A549 human epithelial cancer cells

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Choi, Hye Jin [Laboratory of Systems Mucosal Biomodulation, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Dong-Hyung [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Park, Seong-Hwan; Kim, Juil; Do, Kee Hun [Laboratory of Systems Mucosal Biomodulation, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan (Korea, Republic of); An, Tae Jin; Ahn, Young Sup; Park, Chung Berm [Department of Herbal Crop Research, NIHHS, RDA, Eumseong (Korea, Republic of); Moon, Yuseok, E-mail: moon@pnu.edu [Laboratory of Systems Mucosal Biomodulation, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan (Korea, Republic of); Medical Research Institute and Research Institute for Basic Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2011-09-30

Highlights: {yields} As a target of oncogene RhoA-linked signal, a prostaglandin metabolism is assessed. {yields} RhoA activation increases PGE{sub 2} levels and its metabolic enzyme mPGES-1. {yields} RhoA-activated NF-{kappa}B and EGR-1 are positively involved in mPGES-1 induction. -- Abstract: Oncogenic RhoA GTPase has been investigated as a mediator of pro-inflammatory responses and aggressive carcinogenesis. Among the various targets of RhoA-linked signals, pro-inflammatory prostaglandin E{sub 2} (PGE{sub 2}), a major prostaglandin metabolite, was assessed in epithelial cancer cells. RhoA activation increased PGE{sub 2} levels and gene expression of the rate-limiting PGE{sub 2} producing enzymes, cyclooxygenase-2 and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase 1 (mPGES-1). In particular, human mPGES-1 was induced by RhoA via transcriptional activation in control and interleukin (IL)-1{beta}-activated cancer cells. To address the involvement of potent signaling pathways in RhoA-activated mPGES-1 induction, various signaling inhibitors were screened for their effects on mPGES-1 promoter activity. RhoA activation enhanced basal and IL-1{beta}-mediated phosphorylated nuclear factor-{kappa}B and extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 proteins, all of which were positively involved in RhoA-induced gene expression of mPGES-1. As one potent down-stream transcription factor of ERK1/2 signals, early growth response gene 1 product also mediated RhoA-induced gene expression of mPGES-1 by enhancing transcriptional activity. Since oncogene-triggered PGE{sub 2} production is a critical modulator of epithelial tumor cells, RhoA-associated mPGES-1 represents a promising chemo-preventive or therapeutic target for epithelial inflammation and its associated cancers.

Oncogenic osteomalacia presenting as bilateral stress fractures of the tibia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohashi, Kenjirou; Ohnishi, Takeshi; Ishikawa, Tohru; Tani, Haruo; Uesugi, Keisuke; Takagi, Masayuki

1999-01-01

We report on a patient with bilateral stress fractures of the tibia who subsequently showed classic biochemical features of oncogenic osteomalacia. Conventional radiographs were normal. MR imaging revealed symmetric, bilateral, band-like low-signal lesions perpendicular to the medial cortex of the tibiae and corresponding to the only lesions subsequently seen on the bone scan. A maxillary sinus lesion was subsequently detected and surgically removed resulting in prompt alleviation of symptoms and normalization of hypophosphatemia and low 1,25-(OH) 2 vitamin D 3 . The lesion was pathologically diagnosed as a hemangiopericytoma-like tumor. Patients with oncogenic osteomalacia may present with stress fractures limited to the tibia, as seen in athletes. The clue to the real diagnosis lies in paying close attention to the serum phosphate levels, especially in patients suffering generalized symptoms of weakness and not given to unusual physical activity. (orig.)

Reverse engineering of TLX oncogenic transcriptional networks identifies RUNX1 as tumor suppressor in T-ALL.

Science.gov (United States)

Della Gatta, Giusy; Palomero, Teresa; Perez-Garcia, Arianne; Ambesi-Impiombato, Alberto; Bansal, Mukesh; Carpenter, Zachary W; De Keersmaecker, Kim; Sole, Xavier; Xu, Luyao; Paietta, Elisabeth; Racevskis, Janis; Wiernik, Peter H; Rowe, Jacob M; Meijerink, Jules P; Califano, Andrea; Ferrando, Adolfo A

2012-02-26

The TLX1 and TLX3 transcription factor oncogenes have a key role in the pathogenesis of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Here we used reverse engineering of global transcriptional networks to decipher the oncogenic regulatory circuit controlled by TLX1 and TLX3. This systems biology analysis defined T cell leukemia homeobox 1 (TLX1) and TLX3 as master regulators of an oncogenic transcriptional circuit governing T-ALL. Notably, a network structure analysis of this hierarchical network identified RUNX1 as a key mediator of the T-ALL induced by TLX1 and TLX3 and predicted a tumor-suppressor role for RUNX1 in T cell transformation. Consistent with these results, we identified recurrent somatic loss-of-function mutations in RUNX1 in human T-ALL. Overall, these results place TLX1 and TLX3 at the top of an oncogenic transcriptional network controlling leukemia development, show the power of network analyses to identify key elements in the regulatory circuits governing human cancer and identify RUNX1 as a tumor-suppressor gene in T-ALL.

Aberrant Signaling Pathways in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Science.gov (United States)

Bongiovanni, Deborah; Saccomani, Valentina

2017-01-01

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive disease caused by the malignant transformation of immature progenitors primed towards T-cell development. Clinically, T-ALL patients present with diffuse infiltration of the bone marrow by immature T-cell blasts high blood cell counts, mediastinal involvement, and diffusion to the central nervous system. In the past decade, the genomic landscape of T-ALL has been the target of intense research. The identification of specific genomic alterations has contributed to identify strong oncogenic drivers and signaling pathways regulating leukemia growth. Notwithstanding, T-ALL patients are still treated with high-dose multiagent chemotherapy, potentially exposing these patients to considerable acute and long-term side effects. This review summarizes recent advances in our understanding of the signaling pathways relevant for the pathogenesis of T-ALL and the opportunities offered for targeted therapy. PMID:28872614

A microRNA-mediated regulatory loop modulates NOTCH and MYC oncogenic signals in B- and T-cell malignancies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega, M; Bhatnagar, H; Lin, A-P; Wang, L; Aster, J C; Sill, H; Aguiar, R C T

2015-04-01

Growing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) facilitate the cross-talk between transcriptional modules and signal transduction pathways. MYC and NOTCH1 contribute to the pathogenesis of lymphoid malignancies. NOTCH induces MYC, connecting two signaling programs that enhance oncogenicity. Here we show that this relationship is bidirectional and that MYC, via a miRNA intermediary, modulates NOTCH. MicroRNA-30a (miR-30a), a member of a family of miRNAs that are transcriptionally suppressed by MYC, directly binds to and inhibits NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 expression. Using a murine model and genetically modified human cell lines, we confirmed that miR-30a influences NOTCH expression in a MYC-dependent fashion. In turn, through genetic modulation, we demonstrated that intracellular NOTCH1 and NOTCH2, by inducing MYC, suppressed miR-30a. Conversely, pharmacological inhibition of NOTCH decreased MYC expression and ultimately de-repressed miR-30a. Examination of genetic models of gain and loss of miR-30a in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells suggested a tumor-suppressive role for this miRNA. Finally, the activity of the miR-30a-NOTCH-MYC loop was validated in primary DLBCL and T-ALL samples. These data define the presence of a miRNA-mediated regulatory circuitry that may modulate the oncogenic signals originating from NOTCH and MYC.

Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus: Application of CRISPR/Cas9 Therapeutic Strategies for Cervical Cancer

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Shuai Zhen

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs cause different types of cancer especially cervical cancer. HPV-associated carcinogenesis provides a classical model system for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9 based cancer therapies since the viral oncogenes E6 and E7 are exclusively expressed in cancerous cells. Sequence-specific gene knockdown/knockout using CRISPR/Cas9 shows promise as a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of a variety of diseases that currently lack effective treatments. However, CRISPR/Cas9-based targeting therapy requires further validation of its efficacy in vitro and in vivo to eliminate the potential off-target effects, necessitates verification of the delivery vehicles and the combinatory use of conventional therapies with CRISPR/Cas9 to ensure the feasibility and safety. In this review we discuss the potential of combining CRISPR/Cas9 with other treatment options as therapies for oncogenic HPVs-associated carcinogenesis. and present our assessment of the promising path to the development of CRISPR/Cas9 therapeutic strategies for clinical settings.

Oncogenic osteomalacia presenting as bilateral stress fractures of the tibia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ohashi, Kenjirou; Ohnishi, Takeshi; Ishikawa, Tohru [Department of Radiology, St. Marianna University Hospital, Kanagawa (Japan); Tani, Haruo [Department of Internal Medicine III, St. Marianna University Hospital, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa (Japan); Uesugi, Keisuke [Department of Otolaryngology, St. Marianna University Hospital, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa (Japan); Takagi, Masayuki [Department of Pathology, St. Marianna University Hospital, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa (Japan)

1999-01-01

We report on a patient with bilateral stress fractures of the tibia who subsequently showed classic biochemical features of oncogenic osteomalacia. Conventional radiographs were normal. MR imaging revealed symmetric, bilateral, band-like low-signal lesions perpendicular to the medial cortex of the tibiae and corresponding to the only lesions subsequently seen on the bone scan. A maxillary sinus lesion was subsequently detected and surgically removed resulting in prompt alleviation of symptoms and normalization of hypophosphatemia and low 1,25-(OH){sub 2} vitamin D{sub 3}. The lesion was pathologically diagnosed as a hemangiopericytoma-like tumor. Patients with oncogenic osteomalacia may present with stress fractures limited to the tibia, as seen in athletes. The clue to the real diagnosis lies in paying close attention to the serum phosphate levels, especially in patients suffering generalized symptoms of weakness and not given to unusual physical activity. (orig.) With 4 figs., 6 refs.

The effect of aquaporin 5 overexpression on the Ras signaling pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woo, Janghee; Lee, Juna; Kim, Myoung Sook; Jang, Se Jin; Sidransky, David; Moon, Chulso

2008-01-01

Human aquaporin 5 (AQP5) has been shown to be overexpressed in multiple cancers, such as pancreatic cancer and colon cancer. Furthermore, it has been reported that ectopic expression of AQP5 leads to many phenotypic changes characteristic of transformation. However, the biochemical mechanism leading to transformation in AQP5-overexpressing cells has not been clearly elucidated. In this report, the overexpression of AQP5 in NIH3T3 cells demonstrated a significant effect on Ras activity and, thus, cell proliferation. Furthermore, this influence was shown to be mediated by phosphorylation of the PKA consensus site of AQP5. This is the first evidence demonstrating an association between AQP5 and a signaling pathway, namely the Ras signal transduction pathway, which may be the basis of the oncogenic properties seen in AQP-overexpressing cells

Central Sensitization-Based Classification for Temporomandibular Disorders: A Pathogenetic Hypothesis

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Annalisa Monaco

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Dysregulation of Autonomic Nervous System (ANS and central pain pathways in temporomandibular disorders (TMD is a growing evidence. Authors include some forms of TMD among central sensitization syndromes (CSS, a group of pathologies characterized by central morphofunctional alterations. Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI is useful for clinical diagnosis. Clinical examination and CSI cannot identify the central site(s affected in these diseases. Ultralow frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (ULFTENS is extensively used in TMD and in dental clinical practice, because of its effects on descending pain modulation pathways. The Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD are the most accurate tool for diagnosis and classification of TMD. However, it includes CSI to investigate central aspects of TMD. Preliminary data on sensory ULFTENS show it is a reliable tool for the study of central and autonomic pathways in TMD. An alternative classification based on the presence of Central Sensitization and on individual response to sensory ULFTENS is proposed. TMD may be classified into 4 groups: (a TMD with Central Sensitization ULFTENS Responders; (b TMD with Central Sensitization ULFTENS Nonresponders; (c TMD without Central Sensitization ULFTENS Responders; (d TMD without Central Sensitization ULFTENS Nonresponders. This pathogenic classification of TMD may help to differentiate therapy and aetiology.

Deletion mutants of region E1 a of AD12 E1 plasmids: Effect on oncogenic transformation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, J.L.; Jochemsen, A.G.; Bernards, R.A.; Schrier, P.I.; Ormondt, H. van; Eb, A.J. van der

1983-01-01

Plasmids containing the El region of Ad12 DNA can transform certain rodent cells into oncogenic cells. To study the role of the Ela subregion in the process of oncogenic transformation, Ad12 region El mutants carrying deletions in the Ela region were constructed. Deletion mutants pR7 and pR8 affect

Bilateral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head and neck in a case of oncogenic osteomalacia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chouhan, V; Agrawal, K; Vinothkumar, T K; Mathesul, A

2010-07-01

We describe a case of oncogenic osteomalacia in an adult male who presented with low back pain and bilateral hip pain. Extensive investigations had failed to find a cause. A plain pelvic radiograph showed Looser's zones in both femoral necks. MRI confirmed the presence of insufficiency fractures bilaterally in the femoral head and neck. Biochemical investigations confirmed osteomalacia which was unresponsive to treatment with vitamin D and calcium. A persistently low serum phosphate level suggested a diagnosis of hypophosphataemic osteomalacia. The level of fibroblast growth factor-23 was highly raised, indicating the cause as oncogenic osteomalacia. This was confirmed on positron-emission tomography, MRI and excision of a benign fibrous histiocytoma following a rapid recovery. The diagnosis of oncogenic osteomalacia may be delayed due to the non-specific presenting symptoms. Subchondral insufficiency fractures of the femoral head may be missed unless specifically looked for.

Can we improve accuracy and reliability of MRI interpretation in children with optic pathway glioma? Proposal for a reproducible imaging classification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lambron, Julien; Frampas, Eric; Toulgoat, Frederique [University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Nantes (France); Rakotonjanahary, Josue [University Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Angers (France); University Paris Diderot, INSERM CIE5 Robert Debre Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris (France); Loisel, Didier [University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Angers (France); Carli, Emilie de; Rialland, Xavier [University Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Angers (France); Delion, Matthieu [University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Angers (France)

2016-02-15

Magnetic resonance (MR) images from children with optic pathway glioma (OPG) are complex. We initiated this study to evaluate the accuracy of MR imaging (MRI) interpretation and to propose a simple and reproducible imaging classification for MRI. We randomly selected 140 MRIs from among 510 MRIs performed on 104 children diagnosed with OPG in France from 1990 to 2004. These images were reviewed independently by three radiologists (F.T., 15 years of experience in neuroradiology; D.L., 25 years of experience in pediatric radiology; and J.L., 3 years of experience in radiology) using a classification derived from the Dodge and modified Dodge classifications. Intra- and interobserver reliabilities were assessed using the Bland-Altman method and the kappa coefficient. These reviews allowed the definition of reliable criteria for MRI interpretation. The reviews showed intraobserver variability and large discrepancies among the three radiologists (kappa coefficient varying from 0.11 to 1). These variabilities were too large for the interpretation to be considered reproducible over time or among observers. A consensual analysis, taking into account all observed variabilities, allowed the development of a definitive interpretation protocol. Using this revised protocol, we observed consistent intra- and interobserver results (kappa coefficient varying from 0.56 to 1). The mean interobserver difference for the solid portion of the tumor with contrast enhancement was 0.8 cm{sup 3} (limits of agreement = -16 to 17). We propose simple and precise rules for improving the accuracy and reliability of MRI interpretation for children with OPG. Further studies will be necessary to investigate the possible prognostic value of this approach. (orig.)

Methamphetamine induces apoptosis in immortalized neural cells: protection by the proto-oncogene, bcl-2.

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Cadet, J L; Ordonez, S V; Ordonez, J V

1997-02-01

Methamphetamine (METH) is an amphetamine analog that produces degeneration of the dopaminergic system in mammals. The neurotoxic effects of the drug are thought to be mediated by oxygen-based free radicals. In the present report, we have used immortalized neural cells obtained from rat mesencephalon in order to further assess the role of oxidative stress in METH-induced neurotoxicity. We thus tested if the anti-death proto-oncogene, bcl-2 could protect against METH-induced cytotoxicity. METH caused dose-dependent loss of cellular viability in control cells while bcl-2-expressing cells were protected against these deleterious effects. Using flow cytometry, immunofluorescent staining, and DNA electrophoresis, we also show that METH exposure can cause DNA strand breaks, chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, and DNA laddering. All these changes were prevented by bcl-2 expression. These observations provide further support for the involvement of oxidative stress in the toxic effects of amphetamine analogs. They also document that METH-induced cytotoxicity is secondary to apoptosis. These findings may be of relevance to the cause(s) of Parkinson's disease which involves degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway.

Oncogenes Activate an Autonomous Transcriptional Regulatory Circuit That Drives Glioblastoma

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Dinesh K. Singh

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Efforts to identify and target glioblastoma (GBM drivers have primarily focused on receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs. Clinical benefits, however, have been elusive. Here, we identify an SRY-related box 2 (SOX2 transcriptional regulatory network that is independent of upstream RTKs and capable of driving glioma-initiating cells. We identified oligodendrocyte lineage transcription factor 2 (OLIG2 and zinc-finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1, which are frequently co-expressed irrespective of driver mutations, as potential SOX2 targets. In murine glioma models, we show that different combinations of tumor suppressor and oncogene mutations can activate Sox2, Olig2, and Zeb1 expression. We demonstrate that ectopic co-expression of the three transcription factors can transform tumor-suppressor-deficient astrocytes into glioma-initiating cells in the absence of an upstream RTK oncogene. Finally, we demonstrate that the transcriptional inhibitor mithramycin downregulates SOX2 and its target genes, resulting in markedly reduced proliferation of GBM cells in vivo.

Pathway-based identification of biomarkers for targeted therapeutics: personalized oncology with PI3K pathway inhibitors.

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Andersen, Jannik N; Sathyanarayanan, Sriram; Di Bacco, Alessandra; Chi, An; Zhang, Theresa; Chen, Albert H; Dolinski, Brian; Kraus, Manfred; Roberts, Brian; Arthur, William; Klinghoffer, Rich A; Gargano, Diana; Li, Lixia; Feldman, Igor; Lynch, Bethany; Rush, John; Hendrickson, Ronald C; Blume-Jensen, Peter; Paweletz, Cloud P

2010-08-04

Although we have made great progress in understanding the complex genetic alterations that underlie human cancer, it has proven difficult to identify which molecularly targeted therapeutics will benefit which patients. Drug-specific modulation of oncogenic signaling pathways in specific patient subpopulations can predict responsiveness to targeted therapy. Here, we report a pathway-based phosphoprofiling approach to identify and quantify clinically relevant, drug-specific biomarkers for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway inhibitors that target AKT, phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1), and PI3K-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). We quantified 375 nonredundant PI3K pathway-relevant phosphopeptides, all containing AKT, PDK1, or mitogen-activated protein kinase substrate recognition motifs. Of these phosphopeptides, 71 were drug-regulated, 11 of them by all three inhibitors. Drug-modulated phosphoproteins were enriched for involvement in cytoskeletal reorganization (filamin, stathmin, dynamin, PAK4, and PTPN14), vesicle transport (LARP1, VPS13D, and SLC20A1), and protein translation (S6RP and PRAS40). We then generated phosphospecific antibodies against selected, drug-regulated phosphorylation sites that would be suitable as biomarker tools for PI3K pathway inhibitors. As proof of concept, we show clinical translation feasibility for an antibody against phospho-PRAS40(Thr246). Evaluation of binding of this antibody in human cancer cell lines, a PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted from chromosome 10)-deficient mouse prostate tumor model, and triple-negative breast tumor tissues showed that phospho-PRAS40(Thr246) positively correlates with PI3K pathway activation and predicts AKT inhibitor sensitivity. In contrast to phosphorylation of AKT(Thr308), the phospho-PRAS40(Thr246) epitope is highly stable in tissue samples and thus is ideal for immunohistochemistry. In summary, our study illustrates a rational approach for discovery of drug

Radiosensitivity and ras oncogene expression in preneoplastic rat tracheal epithelial cells

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Thomassen, D.G.; Wuensch, S.A.; Kelly, G.

1988-01-01

The sensitivity of preneoplastic rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cells to the cytotoxic effects of high- and low-LET radiation, and the modulating effect of the viral ras oncogene on this sensitivity were determined. Two lines of preneoplastic RTE cells have the same responsiveness to high-LET radiation, but differ in their responsiveness to a transfected ras oncogene and in their sensitivities to low-LET radiation. Cells that respond to ras by becoming neoplastic are more resistant to the cytotoxic effects of low-LET radiation than cells that are not transformable by ras. The radiosensitivity of ras-responsive cells was not altered by transfection with ras. However, transfection of ras-non responsive cells with ras decreased their sensitivity to low-LET radiation. These data suggest that the ability of cells to repair radiation damage changes as they progress to neoplasia. (author)

In vitro modeling of human pancreatic duct epithelial cell transformation defines gene expression changes induced by K-ras oncogenic activation in pancreatic carcinogenesis.

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Qian, Jiaying; Niu, Jiangong; Li, Ming; Chiao, Paul J; Tsao, Ming-Sound

2005-06-15

Genetic analysis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas and their putative precursor lesions, pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanIN), has shown a multistep molecular paradigm for duct cell carcinogenesis. Mutational activation or inactivation of the K-ras, p16(INK4A), Smad4, and p53 genes occur at progressive and high frequencies in these lesions. Oncogenic activation of the K-ras gene occurs in >90% of pancreatic ductal carcinoma and is found early in the PanIN-carcinoma sequence, but its functional roles remain poorly understood. We show here that the expression of K-ras(G12V) oncogene in a near diploid HPV16-E6E7 gene immortalized human pancreatic duct epithelial cell line originally derived from normal pancreas induced the formation of carcinoma in 50% of severe combined immunodeficient mice implanted with these cells. A tumor cell line established from one of these tumors formed ductal cancer when implanted orthotopically. These cells also showed increased activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase, AKT, and nuclear factor-kappaB pathways. Microarray expression profiling studies identified 584 genes whose expression seemed specifically up-regulated by the K-ras oncogene expression. Forty-two of these genes have been reported previously as differentially overexpressed in pancreatic cancer cell lines or primary tumors. Real-time PCR confirmed the overexpression of a large number of these genes. Immunohistochemistry done on tissue microarrays constructed from PanIN and pancreatic cancer samples showed laminin beta3 overexpression starting in high-grade PanINs and occurring in >90% of pancreatic ductal carcinoma. The in vitro modeling of human pancreatic duct epithelial cell transformation may provide mechanistic insights on gene expression changes that occur during multistage pancreatic duct cell carcinogenesis.

Characterization of IKBKE as a Breast Cancer Oncogene

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2011-10-01

HMLE -MEKDD cells stably expressing either pWZL or MF-IKKε. Immunoblot analysis by IKKε antibody. (D) IP with an IKK antibody from MCF-7 breast cancer ...summary is presented of research performed during three years of a project to further characterize the breast cancer oncogene IKKε. Two specific aims...constitutive IKKε transgenic mouse model to study the role of IKKε in breast cancer initiation and maintenance. The long term goals of this research

Mutant p53 - heat shock response oncogenic cooperation: a new mechanism of cancer cell survival

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Evguenia eAlexandrova

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The main tumor suppressor function of p53 as a ‘guardian of the genome’ is to respond to cellular stress by transcriptional activation of apoptosis, growth arrest or senescence in damaged cells. Not surprisingly, mutations in the p53 gene are the most frequent genetic alteration in human cancers. Importantly, mutant p53 (mutp53 proteins not only lose their wild-type tumor suppressor activity, but also can actively promote tumor development. Two main mechanisms accounting for mutp53 proto-oncogenic activity are inhibition of the wild-type p53 in a dominant-negative fashion and gain of additional oncogenic activities known as gain-of-function (GOF. Here we discuss a novel mechanism of mutp53 GOF, which relies on its oncogenic cooperation with the heat shock machinery. This coordinated adaptive mechanism renders cancer cells more resistant to proteotoxic stress and provides both, a strong survival advantage to cancer cells and a promising means for therapeutic intervention.

THE MYC FAMILY OF ONCOGENES AND THEIR PRESENCE AND IMPORTANCE IN SMALL-CELL LUNG-CARCINOMA AND OTHER TUMOR TYPES

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DEVRIES, EGE; MULDER, NH

1993-01-01

The myc family of cellular oncogenes, c - myr, N - myc, encodes three highly related, cell cycle specific, nuclear phosphoproteins. All are able to transform primary rat embryo fibroblasts when cotransfected with the c - ras oncogene. Myc family genes am differentially expressed with respect to

Trisomy of the Dscr1 gene suppresses early progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia driven by oncogenic Kras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jang Choon; Shin, Jimin; Baek, Kwan-Hyuck

2013-01-01

Highlights: •A single extra copy of Dscr1 restrains progression of PanIN-1A to PanIN-1B lesions. •Dscr1 trisomy attenuates calcineurin–NFAT pathway in neoplastic ductal epithelium. •Dscr1 trisomy leads to upregulation of p15 INK4b in neoplastic ductal epithelium. •A single extra copy of Dscr1 reduces epithelial proliferation in early PanIN lesions. •Dscr1 trisomy may protect Down syndrome individuals from pancreatic cancer. -- Abstract: Individuals with Down syndrome exhibit remarkably reduced incidence of most solid tumors including pancreatic cancer. Multiple mechanisms arising from the genetic complexity underlying Down syndrome has been suggested to contribute to such a broad cancer protection. In this study, utilizing a genetically engineered mouse model of pancreatic cancer, we demonstrate that trisomy of the Down syndrome critical region-1 (Dscr1), an endogenous calcineurin inhibitor localized on chromosome 21, suppresses the progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia-1A (PanIN-1A) to PanIN-1B lesions without affecting the initiation of PanIN lesions mediated by oncogenic Kras G12D . In addition, we show that Dscr1 trisomy attenuates nuclear localization of nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) accompanied by upregulation of the p15 Ink4b tumor suppressor and reduction of cell proliferation in early PanIN lesions. Our data suggest that attenuation of calcineurin–NFAT signaling in neoplastic pancreatic ductal epithelium by a single extra copy of Dscr1 is sufficient to inhibit the progression of early PanIN lesions driven by oncogenic Kras, and thus may be a potential mechanism underlying reduced incidence of pancreatic cancer in Down syndrome individuals

Differential p53 engagement in response to oxidative and oncogenic stresses in Fanconi anemia mice

OpenAIRE

Rani, Reena; Li, Jie; Pang, Qishen

2008-01-01

Members of the Fanconi anemia (FA) protein family are involved in repair of genetic damage caused by DNA cross-linkers. It is not clear whether the FA proteins function in oxidative DNA damage and oncogenic stress response. Here we report that deficiency in the Fanca gene in mice elicits a p53-dependent growth arrest and DNA damage response to oxidative DNA damage and oncogenic stress. Using a Fanca-/- Trp53-/- double knockout model and a functionally switchable p53 retrovirus, we define the ...

Predicting pathway cross-talks in ankylosing spondylitis through investigating the interactions among pathways.

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Gu, Xiang; Liu, Cong-Jian; Wei, Jian-Jie

2017-11-13

Given that the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) remains unclear, the aim of this study was to detect the potentially functional pathway cross-talk in AS to further reveal the pathogenesis of this disease. Using microarray profile of AS and biological pathways as study objects, Monte Carlo cross-validation method was used to identify the significant pathway cross-talks. In the process of Monte Carlo cross-validation, all steps were iterated 50 times. For each run, detection of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between two groups was conducted. The extraction of the potential disrupted pathways enriched by DEGs was then implemented. Subsequently, we established a discriminating score (DS) for each pathway pair according to the distribution of gene expression levels. After that, we utilized random forest (RF) classification model to screen out the top 10 paired pathways with the highest area under the curve (AUCs), which was computed using 10-fold cross-validation approach. After 50 bootstrap, the best pairs of pathways were identified. According to their AUC values, the pair of pathways, antigen presentation pathway and fMLP signaling in neutrophils, achieved the best AUC value of 1.000, which indicated that this pathway cross-talk could distinguish AS patients from normal subjects. Moreover, the paired pathways of SAPK/JNK signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction were involved in 5 bootstraps. Two paired pathways (antigen presentation pathway and fMLP signaling in neutrophil, as well as SAPK/JNK signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction) can accurately distinguish AS and control samples. These paired pathways may be helpful to identify patients with AS for early intervention.

Orphan receptor GPR110, an oncogene overexpressed in lung and prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lum, Amy M; Wang, Bruce B; Beck-Engeser, Gabriele B; Li, Lauri; Channa, Namitha; Wabl, Matthias

2010-01-01

GPR110 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor--a receptor without a known ligand, a known signaling pathway, or a known function. Despite the lack of information, one can assume that orphan receptors have important biological roles. In a retroviral insertion mutagenesis screen in the mouse, we identified GPR110 as an oncogene. This prompted us to study the potential isoforms that can be gleaned from known GPR110 transcripts, and the expression of these isoforms in normal and transformed human tissues. Various epitope-tagged isoforms of GPR110 were expressed in cell lines and assayed by western blotting to determine cleavage, surface localization, and secretion patterns. GPR110 transcript and protein levels were measured in lung and prostate cancer cell lines and clinical samples, respectively, by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. We found four potential splice variants of GPR110. Of these variants, we confirmed three as being expressed as proteins on the cell surface. Isoform 1 is the canonical form, with a molecular mass of about 100 kD. Isoforms 2 and 3 are truncated products of isoform 1, and are 25 and 23 kD, respectively. These truncated isoforms lack the seven-span transmembrane domain characteristic of GPR proteins and thus are not likely to be membrane anchored; indeed, isoform 2 can be secreted. Compared with the median gene expression of ~200 selected genes, GPR110 expression was low in most tissues. However, it had higher than average gene expression in normal kidney tissue and in prostate tissues originating from older donors. Although identified as an oncogene in murine T lymphomas, GPR110 is greatly overexpressed in human lung and prostate cancers. As detected by immunohistochemistry, GPR110 was overexpressed in 20 of 27 (74%) lung adenocarcinoma tissue cores and in 17 of 29 (59%) prostate adenocarcinoma tissue cores. Additionally, staining with a GPR110 antibody enabled us to differentiate between benign prostate hyperplasia and potential

Engineering and Functional Characterization of Fusion Genes Identifies Novel Oncogenic Drivers of Cancer. | Office of Cancer Genomics

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Oncogenic gene fusions drive many human cancers, but tools to more quickly unravel their functional contributions are needed. Here we describe methodology permitting fusion gene construction for functional evaluation. Using this strategy, we engineered the known fusion oncogenes, BCR-ABL1, EML4-ALK, and ETV6-NTRK3, as well as 20 previously uncharacterized fusion genes identified in TCGA datasets.

Oncogene activation and surface markers in mouse lymphomas induced by radiation and nitrosomethylurea

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Guerrero, I.; Villasante, A.; Diamond, L.; Berman, J.W.; Newcomb, E.W.; Steinberg, J.J.; Lake, R.; Pellicer, A.

1986-01-01

Thymic lymphomas have been induced by ..gamma..-radiation and treatment with the chemical nitrosomethylurea in different mice strains. As indicated by the NIH 3T3 focus forming assay, a significant percentage of the tumors contain activated oncogenes of the ras family (K or N). Cloning and sequencing has enabled us to identify single base mutations as the only significant alteration present in the activated oncogenes. These alterations result in the substitution of amino-acid 12 or 61 of the p21 product of the ras genes. With the use of synthetic oligonucleotides it has been found that the tumors do not all contain the same mutation and in one case so far the normal allele is absent.

LIN28 expression in malignant germ cell tumors down-regulates let-7 and increases oncogene levels

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Murray, Matthew J.; Saini, Harpreet K.; Siegler, Charlotte A.; Hanning, Jennifer E.; Barker, Emily M.; van Dongen, Stijn; Ward, Dawn M.; Raby, Katie L.; Groves, Ian J.; Scarpini, Cinzia G.; Pett, Mark R.; Thornton, Claire M.; Enright, Anton J.; Nicholson, James C.; Coleman, Nicholas

2013-01-01

Despite their clinico-pathologic heterogeneity, malignant germ-cell-tumors (GCTs) share molecular abnormalities that are likely to be functionally important. In this study, we investigated the potential significance of down-regulation of the let-7 family of tumor-suppressor microRNAs in malignant-GCTs. Microarray results from pediatric and adult samples (n=45) showed that LIN28, the negative-regulator of let-7 biogenesis, was abundant in malignant-GCTs, regardless of patient age, tumor site or histologic subtype. Indeed, a strong negative-correlation existed between LIN28 and let-7 levels in specimens with matched datasets. Low let-7 levels were biologically significant, since the sequence complementary to the 2-7nt common let-7 seed ‘GAGGUA’ was enriched in the 3′untranslated regions of mRNAs up-regulated in pediatric and adult malignant-GCTs, compared with normal gonads (a mixture of germ cells and somatic cells). We identified 27 mRNA targets of let-7 that were up-regulated in malignant-GCT cells, confirming significant negative-correlations with let-7 levels. Among 16 mRNAs examined in a largely independent set of specimens by qRT-PCR, we defined negative-associations with let-7e levels for six oncogenes, including MYCN, AURKB, CCNF, RRM2, MKI67 and C12orf5 (when including normal control tissues). Importantly, LIN28 depletion in malignant-GCT cells restored let-7 levels and repressed all of these oncogenic let-7 mRNA targets, with LIN28 levels correlating with cell proliferation and MYCN levels. Conversely, ectopic expression of let-7e was sufficient to reduce proliferation and down-regulate MYCN, AURKB and LIN28, the latter via a double-negative feedback loop. We concluded that the LIN28/let-7 pathway has a critical pathobiological role in malignant-GCTs and therefore offers a promising target for therapeutic intervention. PMID:23774216

Aging-associated inflammation promotes selection for adaptive oncogenic events in B cell progenitors.

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Henry, Curtis J; Casás-Selves, Matias; Kim, Jihye; Zaberezhnyy, Vadym; Aghili, Leila; Daniel, Ashley E; Jimenez, Linda; Azam, Tania; McNamee, Eoin N; Clambey, Eric T; Klawitter, Jelena; Serkova, Natalie J; Tan, Aik Choon; Dinarello, Charles A; DeGregori, James

2015-12-01

The incidence of cancer is higher in the elderly; however, many of the underlying mechanisms for this association remain unexplored. Here, we have shown that B cell progenitors in old mice exhibit marked signaling, gene expression, and metabolic defects. Moreover, B cell progenitors that developed from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) transferred from young mice into aged animals exhibited similar fitness defects. We further demonstrated that ectopic expression of the oncogenes BCR-ABL, NRAS(V12), or Myc restored B cell progenitor fitness, leading to selection for oncogenically initiated cells and leukemogenesis specifically in the context of an aged hematopoietic system. Aging was associated with increased inflammation in the BM microenvironment, and induction of inflammation in young mice phenocopied aging-associated B lymphopoiesis. Conversely, a reduction of inflammation in aged mice via transgenic expression of α-1-antitrypsin or IL-37 preserved the function of B cell progenitors and prevented NRAS(V12)-mediated oncogenesis. We conclude that chronic inflammatory microenvironments in old age lead to reductions in the fitness of B cell progenitor populations. This reduced progenitor pool fitness engenders selection for cells harboring oncogenic mutations, in part due to their ability to correct aging-associated functional defects. Thus, modulation of inflammation--a common feature of aging--has the potential to limit aging-associated oncogenesis.

Specific oncogenic activity of the Src-family tyrosine kinase c-Yes in colon carcinoma cells.

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Florence Sancier

Full Text Available c-Yes, a member of the Src tyrosine kinase family, is found highly activated in colon carcinoma but its importance relative to c-Src has remained unclear. Here we show that, in HT29 colon carcinoma cells, silencing of c-Yes, but not of c-Src, selectively leads to an increase of cell clustering associated with a localisation of β-catenin at cell membranes and a reduction of expression of β-catenin target genes. c-Yes silencing induced an increase in apoptosis, inhibition of growth in soft-agar and in mouse xenografts, inhibition of cell migration and loss of the capacity to generate liver metastases in mice. Re-introduction of c-Yes, but not c -Src, restores transforming properties of c-Yes depleted cells. Moreover, we found that c-Yes kinase activity is required for its role in β-catenin localisation and growth in soft agar, whereas kinase activity is dispensable for its role in cell migration. We conclude that c-Yes regulates specific oncogenic signalling pathways important for colon cancer progression that is not shared with c-Src.

Prostate-derived Ets factor, an oncogenic driver in breast cancer.

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Sood, Ashwani K; Geradts, Joseph; Young, Jessica

2017-05-01

Prostate-derived Ets factor (PDEF), a member of the Ets family of transcription factors, differs from other family members in its restricted expression in normal tissues and its unique DNA-binding motif. These interesting attributes coupled with its aberrant expression in cancer have rendered PDEF a focus of increasing interest by tumor biologists. This review provides a current understanding of the characteristics of PDEF expression and its role in breast cancer. The bulk of the evidence is consistent with PDEF overexpression in most breast tumors and an oncogenic role for this transcription factor in breast cancer. In addition, high PDEF expression in estrogen receptor-positive breast tumors showed significant correlation with poor overall survival in several independent cohorts of breast cancer patients. Together, these findings demonstrate PDEF to be an oncogenic driver of breast cancer and a biomarker of poor prognosis in this cancer. Based on this understanding and the limited expression of PDEF in normal human tissues, the development of PDEF-based therapeutics for prevention and treatment of breast cancer is also discussed.

G.I.S. Surveillance of Chronic Non-occupational Exposure to Heavy Metals as Oncogenic Risk

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Mariana Vlad

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The potential oncogenic effect of some heavy metals in people occupationally and non-occupationally exposed to such heavy metals is already well demonstrated. This study seeks to clarify the potential role of these heavy metals in the living environment, in this case in non-occupational multifactorial aetiology of malignancies in the inhabitants of areas with increased prevalent environmental levels of heavy metals. Methods: Using a multidisciplinary approach throughout a complex epidemiological study, we investigated the potential oncogenic role of non-occupational environmental exposure to some heavy metals [chrome (Cr, nickel (Ni, copper (Cu, zinc (Zn, cadmium (Cd, lead (Pb and arsenic (As—in soil, drinking water, and food, as significant components of the environment] in populations living in areas with different environmental levels (high vs. low of the above-mentioned heavy metals. The exposures were evaluated by identifying the exposed populations, the critical elements of the ecosystems, and as according to the means of identifying the types of exposure. The results were interpreted both epidemiologically (causal inference, statistical significance, mathematical modelling and by using a GIS approach, which enabled indirect surveillance of oncogenic risks in each population. Results: The exposure to the investigated heavy metals provides significant risk factors of cancer in exposed populations, in both urban and rural areas [χ² test (p < 0.05]. The GIS approach enables indirect surveillance of oncogenic risk in populations. Conclusions: The role of non-occupational environmental exposure to some heavy metals in daily life is among the more significant oncogenic risk factors in exposed populations. The statistically significant associations between environmental exposure to such heavy metals and frequency of neoplasia in exposed populations become obvious when demonstrated on maps using the GIS system. Environmental

The Homeodomain Transcription Factor Cdx1 Does Not Behave as an Oncogene in Normal Mouse Intestine

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Mary Ann S. Crissey

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The Caudal-related homeobox genes Cdx1 and Cdx2 are intestine-specific transcription factors that regulate differentiation of intestinal cell types. Previously, we have shown Cdx1 to be antiproliferative and to promote cell differentiation. However, other studies have suggested that Cdx1 may be an oncogene. To test for oncogenic behavior, we used the murine villin promoter to ectopically express Cdx1 in the small intestinal villi and colonic surface epithelium. No changes in intestinal architecture, cell differentiation, or lineage selection were observed with expression of the transgene. Classic oncogenes enhance proliferation and induce tumors when ectopically expressed. However, the Cdx1 transgene neither altered intestinal proliferation nor induced spontaneous intestinal tumors. In a murine model for colitis-associated cancer, the Cdx1 transgene decreased, rather than increased, the number of adenomas that developed. In the polyps, the expression of the endogenous and the transgenic Cdx1 proteins was largely absent, whereas endogenous Villin expression was retained. This suggests that transgene silencing was specific and not due to a general Villin inactivation. In conclusion, neither the ectopic expression of Cdx1 was associated with changes in intestinal cell proliferation or differentiation nor was there increased intestinal cancer susceptibility. Our results therefore suggest that Cdx1 is not an oncogene in normal intestinal epithelium.

Regulation of Stat5 by FAK and PAK1 in Oncogenic FLT3 and KIT driven Leukemogenesis

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Chatterjee, Anindya; Ghosh, Joydeep; Ramdas, Baskar; Mali, Raghuveer Singh; Martin, Holly; Kobayashi, Michihiro; Vemula, Sasidhar; Canela, Victor H.; Waskow, Emily R.; Visconte, Valeria; Tiu, Ramon V.; Smith, Catherine C.; Shah, Neil; Bunting, Kevin D.; Boswell, H. Scott; Liu, Yan; Chan, Rebecca J.; Kapur, Reuben

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Oncogenic mutations of FLT3 and KIT receptors are associated with poor survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and currently available drugs are largely ineffective. Although Stat5 has been implicated in regulating several myeloid and lymphoid malignancies, how precisely Stat5 regulates leukemogenesis, including its nuclear translocation to induce gene transcription is poorly understood. In leukemic cells, we show constitutive activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), whose inhibition represses leukemogenesis. Downstream of FAK, activation of Rac1 is regulated by RacGEF Tiam1, whose inhibition prolongs the survival of leukemic mice. Inhibition of the Rac1 effector PAK1 prolongs the survival of leukemic mice in part by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of Stat5. These results reveal a leukemic pathway involving FAK/Tiam1/Rac1/PAK1 and demonstrate an essential role for these signaling molecules in regulating the nuclear translocation of Stat5 in leukemogenesis. PMID:25456130

Regulation of Stat5 by FAK and PAK1 in Oncogenic FLT3- and KIT-Driven Leukemogenesis

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Anindya Chatterjee

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Oncogenic mutations of FLT3 and KIT receptors are associated with poor survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs, and currently available drugs are largely ineffective. Although Stat5 has been implicated in regulating several myeloid and lymphoid malignancies, how precisely Stat5 regulates leukemogenesis, including its nuclear translocation to induce gene transcription, is poorly understood. In leukemic cells, we show constitutive activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK whose inhibition represses leukemogenesis. Downstream of FAK, activation of Rac1 is regulated by RacGEF Tiam1, whose inhibition prolongs the survival of leukemic mice. Inhibition of the Rac1 effector PAK1 prolongs the survival of leukemic mice in part by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of Stat5. These results reveal a leukemic pathway involving FAK/Tiam1/Rac1/PAK1 and demonstrate an essential role for these signaling molecules in regulating the nuclear translocation of Stat5 in leukemogenesis.

EBNA1: Oncogenic Activity, Immune Evasion and Biochemical Functions Provide Targets for Novel Therapeutic Strategies against Epstein-Barr Virus- Associated Cancers

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Joanna B. Wilson

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The presence of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV-encoded nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1 protein in all EBV-carrying tumours constitutes a marker that distinguishes the virus-associated cancer cells from normal cells and thereby offers opportunities for targeted therapeutic intervention. EBNA1 is essential for viral genome maintenance and also for controlling viral gene expression and without EBNA1, the virus cannot persist. EBNA1 itself has been linked to cell transformation but the underlying mechanism of its oncogenic activity has been unclear. However, recent data are starting to shed light on its growth-promoting pathways, suggesting that targeting EBNA1 can have a direct growth suppressing effect. In order to carry out its tasks, EBNA1 interacts with cellular factors and these interactions are potential therapeutic targets, where the aim would be to cripple the virus and thereby rid the tumour cells of any oncogenic activity related to the virus. Another strategy to target EBNA1 is to interfere with its expression. Controlling the rate of EBNA1 synthesis is critical for the virus to maintain a sufficient level to support viral functions, while at the same time, restricting expression is equally important to prevent the immune system from detecting and destroying EBNA1-positive cells. To achieve this balance EBNA1 has evolved a unique repeat sequence of glycines and alanines that controls its own rate of mRNA translation. As the underlying molecular mechanisms for how this repeat suppresses its own rate of synthesis in cis are starting to be better understood, new therapeutic strategies are emerging that aim to modulate the translation of the EBNA1 mRNA. If translation is induced, it could increase the amount of EBNA1-derived antigenic peptides that are presented to the major histocompatibility (MHC class I pathway and thus, make EBV-carrying cancers better targets for the immune system. If translation is further suppressed, this would provide another

Mutation and genomic amplification of the PIK3CA proto-oncogene in pituitary adenomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murat, C.B.; Braga, P.B.S.; Fortes, M.A.H.Z.; Bronstein, M.D.; Corrêa-Giannella, M.L.C.; Giorgi, R.R.

2012-01-01

The tumorigenesis of pituitary adenomas is poorly understood. Mutations of the PIK3CA proto-oncogene, which encodes the p110-α catalytic subunit of PI3K, have been reported in various types of human cancers regarding the role of the gene in cell proliferation and survival through activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Only one Chinese study described somatic mutations and amplification of the PIK3CA gene in a large series of pituitary adenomas. The aim of the present study was to determine genetic alterations of PIK3CA in a second series that consisted of 33 pituitary adenomas of different subtypes diagnosed by immunohistochemistry: 6 adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting microadenomas, 5 growth hormone-secreting macroadenomas, 7 prolactin-secreting macroadenomas, and 15 nonfunctioning macroadenomas. Direct sequencing of exons 9 and 20 assessed by qPCR was employed to investigate the presence of mutations and genomic amplification defined as a copy number ≥4. Previously identified PIK3CA mutations (exon 20) were detected in four cases (12.1%). Interestingly, the Chinese study reported mutations only in invasive tumors, while we found a PIK3CA mutation in one noninvasive corticotroph microadenoma. PIK3CA amplification was observed in 21.2% (7/33) of the cases. This study demonstrates the presence of somatic mutations and amplifications of the PIK3CA gene in a second series of pituitary adenomas, corroborating the previously described involvement of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the tumorigenic process of this gland

Mutation and genomic amplification of the PIK3CA proto-oncogene in pituitary adenomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murat, C.B.; Braga, P.B.S.; Fortes, M.A.H.Z. [Laboratório de Endocrinologia Celular e Molecular (LIM-25), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Bronstein, M.D. [Unidade de Neuroendocrinologia, Serviço de Endocrinologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Corrêa-Giannella, M.L.C.; Giorgi, R.R. [Laboratório de Endocrinologia Celular e Molecular (LIM-25), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2012-07-13

The tumorigenesis of pituitary adenomas is poorly understood. Mutations of the PIK3CA proto-oncogene, which encodes the p110-α catalytic subunit of PI3K, have been reported in various types of human cancers regarding the role of the gene in cell proliferation and survival through activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Only one Chinese study described somatic mutations and amplification of the PIK3CA gene in a large series of pituitary adenomas. The aim of the present study was to determine genetic alterations of PIK3CA in a second series that consisted of 33 pituitary adenomas of different subtypes diagnosed by immunohistochemistry: 6 adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting microadenomas, 5 growth hormone-secreting macroadenomas, 7 prolactin-secreting macroadenomas, and 15 nonfunctioning macroadenomas. Direct sequencing of exons 9 and 20 assessed by qPCR was employed to investigate the presence of mutations and genomic amplification defined as a copy number ≥4. Previously identified PIK3CA mutations (exon 20) were detected in four cases (12.1%). Interestingly, the Chinese study reported mutations only in invasive tumors, while we found a PIK3CA mutation in one noninvasive corticotroph microadenoma. PIK3CA amplification was observed in 21.2% (7/33) of the cases. This study demonstrates the presence of somatic mutations and amplifications of the PIK3CA gene in a second series of pituitary adenomas, corroborating the previously described involvement of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the tumorigenic process of this gland.

Assessment of differential expression of oncogenes in adenocarcinoma of stomach with fluorescent labeling and simultaneous amplification of gene transcripts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajcevic, U.; Hudler, P.; Komel, R.; Mijovski, G.; Gorjanc, G.; Kovac, M.; Hoelzl, G.; Repse, S.; Juvan, R.; Huber, C.G.

2007-01-01

Background. Gastric cancer is one of the leading malignancies with a poor prognosis and low survival rates. Although the mechanisms underlying its development are still unknown, there is a consensus that genetic instability, inactivation of tumor suppressor genes and over-expression of oncogenes are involved in the early and late stages of gastric carcinogenesis. In the present study we wanted to display differential expression of seven oncogenes, namely CCNE1, EGF, ERBB3, FGF4, HRG1, HGFR and TDGF1. Patients and methods. We employed a method based on the multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain (RT-PCR) method with a fluorescence detection. Results. More than half of patients (74.3%) out of total 74 with gastric adenocarcinoma had over-expressed at least one oncogene, with the exception of FGF4, which was expressed in tumor tissue of less than one third of patients. 56.8% of the patients patients showed over-expression of two or more oncogenes. Conclusions. Patients with precancerous lesions had elevated levels of TDGF1 or cripto-1 (64.9%) and CCNE1 (57.1%), suggesting that they could be used as markers for an early detection of malignant changes in stomach. Finally, the fluorescent multiplex RT-PCR method could be of value for rapid assessment of oncogene mRNA levels in small samples of tumor or precancerous biopsies. (author)

Rapid internalization of the oncogenic K+ channel K(V10.1.

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Tobias Kohl

Full Text Available K(V10.1 is a mammalian brain voltage-gated potassium channel whose ectopic expression outside of the brain has been proven relevant for tumor biology. Promotion of cancer cell proliferation by K(V10.1 depends largely on ion flow, but some oncogenic properties remain in the absence of ion permeation. Additionally, K(V10.1 surface populations are small compared to large intracellular pools. Control of protein turnover within cells is key to both cellular plasticity and homeostasis, and therefore we set out to analyze how endocytic trafficking participates in controlling K(V10.1 intracellular distribution and life cycle. To follow plasma membrane K(V10.1 selectively, we generated a modified channel of displaying an extracellular affinity tag for surface labeling by α-bungarotoxin. This modification only minimally affected K(V10.1 electrophysiological properties. Using a combination of microscopy and biochemistry techniques, we show that K(V10.1 is constitutively internalized involving at least two distinct pathways of endocytosis and mainly sorted to lysosomes. This occurs at a relatively fast rate. Simultaneously, recycling seems to contribute to maintain basal K(V10.1 surface levels. Brief K(V10.1 surface half-life and rapid lysosomal targeting is a relevant factor to be taken into account for potential drug delivery and targeting strategies directed against K(V10.1 on tumor cells.

Marek’s disease herpesvirus vaccines integrate into chicken host chromosomes yet lack a virus-host phenotype associated with oncogenic transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Marek's disease (MD) is a lymphotrophic and oncogenic disease of chickens that can lead to death in susceptible and unimmunized host birds. The causative pathogen, Marek's disease virus (MDV), a highly oncogenic alphaherpesvirus, integrates into host genome near the telomeres during viral latency an...

The oncogenic action of ionizing radiation on rat skin: Progress report, February 1, 1988-January 31, 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, F.J.; Garte, S.J.

1988-01-01

Progress is described in 3 general areas corresponding to the specific aims of the proposal, including DNA strand breaks in the epidermis as a function of radiation penetration; oncogene activation in radiation-induced rat skin cancers; and carcinogenesis in rat skin induced by the neon ion beam. Numerous experiments have established that DNA strand breaks per unit dose in the rat epidermis are reduced by about 60% when the radiation penetration is reduced from 1.0 mm to 0.2 mm. The activation of oncogenes in the radiation-induced rat skin cancers followed a pattern. Four highly malignant cancers exhibited activation of K-ras and c-myc oncogenes, while the remaining 8 cancers exhibited only one or the other of these 2 oncogenes. Of 5 squamous carcinomas, 4 showed K-ras activation and 1 showed c-myc activation. Approximately 200 rats were exposed to the neon ion beam at the Bevalac in Berkeley, CA. The carcinogenicity of energetic electrons (2.0 MeV) was determined in conjunction with the neon ion experiment. It is too early to evaluate tumor incidence in the neon ion experiment, but for electrons an unusually large excess of connective tissue tumors, fibromas and sarcomas, have been observed so far. 59 refs., 2 tabs

Fused pyrazine mono-N-oxides as bioreductive drugs. II cytotoxicity in human cells and oncogenicity in a rodent transformation assay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langmuir, Virginia K.; Laderoute, Keith R.; Mendonca, Holly L.; Sutherland, Robert M.; Hei, Tom K.; Liu, S.-X.; Hall, Eric J.; Naylor, Matthew A.; Adams, Gerald E.

1996-01-01

Purpose: To determine what structural moieties of the fused pyrazine mono-N-oxides are determining factors in their in vitro cytotoxicity and oncogenicity. Methods and Materials: A new series of experimental bioreductive drugs, fused pyrazine mono-N-oxides, was evaluated in vitro for aerobic and hypoxic cytotoxicity in the HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cell line by using clonogenic assays. The relative oncogenicities of these compounds were also determined in aerobic cultures of C3H 10T1/2 mouse embryo fibroblasts by using a standard transformation assay. Results: Removal of the 4-methyl piperazine side chain from the parent compound, RB 90740, reduced the potency of the hypoxic cytotoxin. Reduction of the N-oxide function increased the aerobic cytotoxicity and eliminated most of the hypoxic/aerobic cytotoxic differential. The reduced N-oxide also had significant oncogenicity, consistent with a mechanism of genotoxicity following bioreduction of RB 90740. Conclusion: This new series of bioreductive compounds may be effective in cancer therapy, particularly the lead compound RB 90740. The oncogenic potential of these compounds is similar to that for other cancer therapies. Further studies should include evaluation of these compounds in vivo and the development of analogs with reduced oncogenic potential and retention of the hypoxic/aerobic cytotoxicity differential

Expression of the c-Met oncogene by tumor cells predicts a favorable outcome in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Chuanhui; Plattel, Wouter; van den Berg, Anke; Rüther, Nele; Huang, Xin; Wang, Miao; de Jong, Debora; Vos, Hans; van Imhoff, Gustaaf; Viardot, Andreas; Möller, Peter; Poppema, Sibrand; Diepstra, Arjan; Visser, Lydia

2012-04-01

The c-Met signaling pathway regulates a variety of biological processes, including proliferation, survival and migration. Deregulated c-Met activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis and prognosis of many human malignancies. We studied the function and prognostic significance of c-Met and hepatocyte growth factor protein expression in patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. Expression of c-Met and its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor, were determined by immunohistochemistry. Prognostic values were defined in cohorts of German and Dutch patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. Functional studies were performed on Hodgkin's lymphoma cell lines. Expression of c-Met was detected in the tumor cells of 52% (80/153) of the patients and expression of its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor, in 8% (10/121) of the patients. c-Met expression correlated with a 5-year freedom from tumor progression of 94%, whereas lack of expression correlated with a 5-year freedom from tumor progression of 73% (Pfreedom from tumor progression. In functional studies activation with hepatocyte growth factor did not affect cell growth, while the c-Met inhibitor SU11274 suppressed cell growth by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest. Although functional studies showed an oncogenic role of the hepatocyte growth factor/c-Met signaling pathway in cell cycle progression, expression of c-Met in tumor cells from patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma strongly correlated with a favorable prognosis in two independent cohorts.

Negative feedback and adaptive resistance to the targeted therapy of cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandarlapaty, Sarat

2012-04-01

Mutational activation of growth factor signaling pathways is commonly observed and often necessary for oncogenic transformation. Under physiologic conditions, these pathways are subject to tight regulation through negative feedback, which limits the extent and duration of signaling events after physiologic stimulation. Until recently, the role of these negative feedback pathways in oncogene-driven cancers has been poorly understood. In this review, I discuss the evidence for the existence and relevance of negative feedback pathways within oncogenic signaling networks, the selective advantages such feedback pathways may confer, and the effects such feedback might have on therapies aimed at inhibiting oncogenic signaling. Negative feedback pathways are ubiquitous features of growth factor signaling networks. Because growth factor signaling networks play essential roles in the majority of cancers, their therapeutic targeting has become a major emphasis of clinical oncology. Drugs targeting these networks are predicted to inhibit the pathway but also to relieve the negative feedback. This loss of negative feedback can itself promote oncogenic signals and cancer cell survival. Drug-induced relief of feedback may be viewed as one of the major consequences of targeted therapy and a key contributor to therapeutic resistance.

Gene mutations in hepatocellular adenomas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raft, Marie B; Jørgensen, Ernö N; Vainer, Ben

2015-01-01

is associated with bi-allelic mutations in the TCF1 gene and morphologically has marked steatosis. β-catenin activating HCA has increased activity of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and is associated with possible malignant transformation. Inflammatory HCA is characterized by an oncogene-induced inflammation due...... to alterations in the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway. In the diagnostic setting, sub classification of HCA is based primarily on immunohistochemical analyzes, and has had an increasing impact on choice of treatment and individual prognostic assessment....... This review offers an overview of the reported gene mutations associated with hepatocellular adenomas together with a discussion of the diagnostic and prognostic value....

Characterization of sur-2, a Novel Ras-Mediated Signal Transduction Component in C. elegans

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

DesJardins, Edward

1998-01-01

... (oncogenes). A subset of proto-oncogenes comprise the RAS signal transduction pathway. Vulval development in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans is controlled by a RAS signal transduction pathway...

Multiple fractions of gamma rays do not induce overexpression of c-myc or c-Ki-ras oncogenes in human cervical carcinoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osmak, M.; Soric, J.; Matulic, M.

1993-01-01

Multiple fractions of gamma rays (0.5 Gy daily, 30 fractions) had previously been found to change the sensitivity of human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells to anticancer drugs. Preirradiated cells became resistant to cisplatin, methotrexate and vincristine but retained the same sensitivity to gamma rays and ultraviolet light. Some mechanisms involved in the resistance of preirradiated cells to cisplatin and vincristine were determined, i.e. the increased levels of metallothioneins and increased expression of plasma membrane P glycoprotein. As recent reports indicated that the resistance to cisplatin and ionizing radiation may involve the expression of oncogenes, the problem was studied whether multiple fractions of gamma rays can change the expression of c-myc and c-Ki-ras oncogenes in HeLa cells and whether there is a correlation between the expression of these oncogenes and the sensitivity of preirradiated cells to cisplatin and gamma rays. The expression of c-myc and c-Ki-ras oncogenes was examined using the DNA dot blot, the RNA dot blot and Northern blot analysis. The results show that preirradiation induced neither amplification nor elevated expression of c-myc and c-Ki-ras oncogenes. Furthermore, there is no correlation between the expression of c-myc and c-Ki-ras oncogenes and the acquired resistance to cisplatin. (author) 3 figs., 32 refs

Oncogenic MYC Activates a Feedforward Regulatory Loop Promoting Essential Amino Acid Metabolism and Tumorigenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, Ming; Jiang, Jue; Gao, Peng; Liu, Hudan; Qing, Guoliang

2017-12-26

Most tumor cells exhibit obligatory demands for essential amino acids (EAAs), but the regulatory mechanisms whereby tumor cells take up EAAs and EAAs promote malignant transformation remain to be determined. Here, we show that oncogenic MYC, solute carrier family (SLC) 7 member 5 (SLC7A5), and SLC43A1 constitute a feedforward activation loop to promote EAA transport and tumorigenesis. MYC selectively activates Slc7a5 and Slc43a1 transcription through direct binding to specific E box elements within both genes, enabling effective EAA import. Elevated EAAs, in turn, stimulate Myc mRNA translation, in part through attenuation of the GCN2-eIF2α-ATF4 amino acid stress response pathway, leading to MYC-dependent transcriptional amplification. SLC7A5/SLC43A1 depletion inhibits MYC expression, metabolic reprogramming, and tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. These findings thus reveal a MYC-SLC7A5/SLC43A1 signaling circuit that underlies EAA metabolism, MYC deregulation, and tumorigenesis. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gene expression profiling analysis of CRTC1-MAML2 fusion oncogene-induced transcriptional program in human mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Jie; Li, Jian-Liang; Chen, Zirong; Griffin, James D.; Wu, Lizi

2015-01-01

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) arises from multiple organs and accounts for the most common types of salivary gland malignancies. Currently, patients with unresectable and metastatic MEC have poor long-term clinical outcomes and no targeted therapies are available. The majority of MEC tumors contain a t(11;19) chromosomal translocation that fuses two genes, CRTC1 and MAML2, to generate the chimeric protein CRTC1-MAML2. CRTC1-MAML2 displays transforming activity in vitro and is required for human MEC cell growth and survival, partially due to its ability to constitutively activate CREB-mediated transcription. Consequently, CRTC1-MAML2 is implicated as a major etiologic molecular event and a therapeutic target for MEC. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying CRTC1-MAML2 oncogenic action in MEC have not yet been systematically analyzed. Elucidation of the CRTC1-MAML2-regulated transcriptional program and its underlying mechanisms will provide important insights into MEC pathogenesis that are essential for the development of targeted therapeutics. Transcriptional profiling was performed on human MEC cells with the depletion of endogenous CRTC1-MAML2 fusion or its interacting partner CREB via shRNA-mediated gene knockdown. A subset of target genes was validated via real-time RT-PCR assays. CRTC1-MAML2-perturbed molecular pathways in MEC were identified through pathway analyses. Finally, comparative analysis of CRTC1-MAML2-regulated and CREB-regulated transcriptional profiles was carried out to assess the contribution of CREB in mediating CRTC1-MAML2-induced transcription. A total of 808 differentially expressed genes were identified in human MEC cells after CRTC1-MAML2 knockdown and a subset of known and novel fusion target genes was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Pathway Analysis revealed that CRTC1-MAML2-regulated genes were associated with network functions that are important for cell growth, proliferation, survival, migration, and metabolism. Comparison of CRTC

Characterization of sur-2, a Novel Ras-Mediated Signal Transduction Component in C. elegans

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

DesJardins, Edward

1999-01-01

... (oncogenes). A subset of proto-oncogenes comprise the RAS signal transduction pathway. Vulval development in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans is controlled by a RAS signal transduction pathway. C...

Imaging manifestations and its clinical significance in patients with oncogenic osteomalacia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Wei; Lin Qiang; Zhang Yunqing; Jiang Bo; Jin Jin; Jiang Yan; Li Mei; Li Fang

2006-01-01

Objective: To compare images from different modality for detecting lesions in patients with oncogenic osteomalacia. Methods: Eight patients with oncogenic osteomalacia were recruited in this study. The age ranged from 28 to 69 years (mean age 44.1, 5 men and 3 women). All patients were diagnosed as osteomalacia according to their clinical and radiographic manifestations. Main laboratory tests included serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase activity, parathyroid hormone, urinary phosphorus as well as liver and renal functions. Octreotide scans were performed for all patients according to clinical request for confirming the oncogenic osteomalacia. Further examinations of MR imaging in 8 patients, spiral CT in four patients and conventional radiography in four patients were obtained after the octreotide scans respectively. All patients had operation for their tumor resections and for the pathologic diagnostic findings. Results: Abnormal laboratory findings in all patients included low serum phosphorus level (ranged from 0.29 to 0.65 mmol·L -1 ), elevated alkaline phosphatase activity (ranged from 36. 6 to 310.6 μmol·s -1 ·L -1 ) as well as urinary phosphorus level (ranged from 11.5 to 40. 9 mmol·L -1 ). Normal results included parathyroid hormone level, liver and renal functions. Pathology confirmed the diagnosis of 4 soft tissue tumors including 1 hemangiomas, 1 giant-cell tumor of tendon sheath, 1 hemangiopericytoma and 1 mesenchymal tumor, as well as 4 bone tumors including 1 malignant neurofibroma, 2 mesenchymal tumors and 1 fibroblastoma. All lesions were shown abnormal region of increasing uptake tracer on octreotide scans. However, the octreotide scans could not determine where (bone or soft tissues) the lesions located. MR imaging could differentiate the lesions within the bone or within the soft tissues in all patients. All lesions had hypo- or iso- signal intensity on T 1 WI and high signal intensity on T 2 WI with heterogeneous in 6 tumors and

Trisomy of the Dscr1 gene suppresses early progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia driven by oncogenic Kras

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jang Choon; Shin, Jimin; Baek, Kwan-Hyuck, E-mail: khbaek@skku.edu

2013-10-11

Highlights: •A single extra copy of Dscr1 restrains progression of PanIN-1A to PanIN-1B lesions. •Dscr1 trisomy attenuates calcineurin–NFAT pathway in neoplastic ductal epithelium. •Dscr1 trisomy leads to upregulation of p15{sup INK4b} in neoplastic ductal epithelium. •A single extra copy of Dscr1 reduces epithelial proliferation in early PanIN lesions. •Dscr1 trisomy may protect Down syndrome individuals from pancreatic cancer. -- Abstract: Individuals with Down syndrome exhibit remarkably reduced incidence of most solid tumors including pancreatic cancer. Multiple mechanisms arising from the genetic complexity underlying Down syndrome has been suggested to contribute to such a broad cancer protection. In this study, utilizing a genetically engineered mouse model of pancreatic cancer, we demonstrate that trisomy of the Down syndrome critical region-1 (Dscr1), an endogenous calcineurin inhibitor localized on chromosome 21, suppresses the progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia-1A (PanIN-1A) to PanIN-1B lesions without affecting the initiation of PanIN lesions mediated by oncogenic Kras{sup G12D}. In addition, we show that Dscr1 trisomy attenuates nuclear localization of nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) accompanied by upregulation of the p15{sup Ink4b} tumor suppressor and reduction of cell proliferation in early PanIN lesions. Our data suggest that attenuation of calcineurin–NFAT signaling in neoplastic pancreatic ductal epithelium by a single extra copy of Dscr1 is sufficient to inhibit the progression of early PanIN lesions driven by oncogenic Kras, and thus may be a potential mechanism underlying reduced incidence of pancreatic cancer in Down syndrome individuals.

Genetic modelling of PIM proteins in cancer: proviral tagging, cooperation with oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes and carcinogens.

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Enara eAguirre

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The PIM proteins, which were initially discovered as proviral insertion sites in Moloney murine leukemia virus infection, are a family of highly homologous serine/threonine kinases that have been reported to be overexpressed in hematological malignancies and solid tumors. The PIM proteins have also been associated with metastasis and overall treatment responses and implicated in the regulation of apoptosis, metabolism, the cell cycle, and homing and migration, which makes these proteins interesting targets for anticancer drug discovery. The use of retroviral insertional mutagenesis and refined approaches such as complementation tagging has allowed the identification of myc, pim and a third group of genes (including bmi1 and gfi1 as complementing genes in lymphomagenesis. Moreover, mouse modeling of human cancer has provided an understanding of the molecular pathways that are involved in tumor initiation and progression at the physiological level. In particular, genetically modified mice have allowed researchers to further elucidate the role of each of the Pim isoforms in various tumor types. PIM kinases have been identified as weak oncogenes because experimental overexpression in lymphoid tissue, prostate and liver induces tumors at a relatively low incidence and with a long latency. However, very strong synergistic tumorigenicity between Pim1/2 and c-Myc and other oncogenes has been observed in lymphoid tissues. Mouse models have also been used to study whether the inhibition of specific PIM isoforms is required to prevent carcinogen-induced sarcomas, indicating that the absence of Pim2 and Pim3 greatly reduces sarcoma growth and bone invasion; the extent of this effect is similar to that observed in the absence of all 3 isoforms. This review will summarize some of the animal models that have been used to understand the isoform-specific contribution of PIM kinases to tumorigenesis.

Oncogenicity by adenovirus is not determined by the transforming region only

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernards, R.A.; Leeuw, M.G.W. de; Vaessen, M.J.; Houweling, A.; Eb, A.J. van der

1984-01-01

We have constructed a nondefective recombinant virus between the nononcogenic adenovirus 5 (Ad5) and the highly oncogenic Ad12. The recombinant genome consists essentially of Ad5 sequences, with the exception of the transforming early region 1 (E1) which is derived from Ad12. HeLa cells infected

A germline RET proto-oncogene mutation in multiple members of an ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN2A) is a rare cancer associated-syndrome, inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion and caused by germline mutation in RET proto-oncogene. Clinical diagnosis depends on the manifestation of two or more certain endocrine tumors in an individual, such as ...

DNA Oncogenic Virus-Induced Oxidative Stress, Genomic Damage, and Aberrant Epigenetic Alterations

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Mankgopo Magdeline Kgatle

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Approximately 20% of human cancers is attributable to DNA oncogenic viruses such as human papillomavirus (HPV, hepatitis B virus (HBV, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV. Unrepaired DNA damage is the most common and overlapping feature of these DNA oncogenic viruses and a source of genomic instability and tumour development. Sustained DNA damage results from unceasing production of reactive oxygen species and activation of inflammasome cascades that trigger genomic changes and increased propensity of epigenetic alterations. Accumulation of epigenetic alterations may interfere with genome-wide cellular signalling machineries and promote malignant transformation leading to cancer development. Untangling and understanding the underlying mechanisms that promote these detrimental effects remain the major objectives for ongoing research and hope for effective virus-induced cancer therapy. Here, we review current literature with an emphasis on how DNA damage influences HPV, HVB, and EBV replication and epigenetic alterations that are associated with carcinogenesis.

Proteomic Identification of DNA-PK Involvement within the RET Signaling Pathway.

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Lyle J Burdine

Full Text Available Constitutive activation of the Rearranged during Transfection (RET proto-oncogene leads to the development of MEN2A medullary thyroid cancer (MTC. The relatively clear genotype/phenotype relationship seen with RET mutations and the development of MEN2A is unusual in the fact that a single gene activity can drive the progression towards metastatic disease. Despite knowing the oncogene responsible for MEN2A, MTC, like most tumors of neural crest origin, remains largely resistant to chemotherapy. Constitutive activation of RET in a SK-N-MC cell line model reduces cell sensitivity to chemotherapy. In an attempt to identify components of the machinery responsible for the observed RET induced chemoresistance, we performed a proteomic screen of histones and associated proteins in cells with a constitutively active RET signaling pathway. The proteomic approach identified DNA-PKcs, a DNA damage response protein, as a target of the RET signaling pathway. Active DNA-PKcs, which is phosphorylated at site serine 2056 and localized to chromatin, was elevated within our model. Treatment with the RET inhibitor RPI-1 significantly reduced s2056 phosphorylation in RET cells as well as in a human medullary thyroid cancer cell line. Additionally, inhibition of DNA-PKcs activity diminished the chemoresistance observed in both cell lines. Importantly, we show that activated DNA-PKcs is elevated in medullary thyroid tumor samples and that expression correlates with expression of RET in thyroid tumors. These results highlight one mechanism by which RET signaling likely primes cells for rapid response to DNA damage and suggests DNA-PKcs as an additional target in MTC.

The Homeodomain Transcription Factor Cdx1 Does Not Behave as an Oncogene in Normal Mouse Intestine1

Science.gov (United States)

Crissey, Mary Ann S; Guo, Rong-Jun; Fogt, Franz; Li, Hong; Katz, Jonathan P; Silberg, Debra G; Suh, Eun Ran; Lynch, John P

2008-01-01

The Caudal-related homeobox genes Cdx1 and Cdx2 are intestine-specific transcription factors that regulate differentiation of intestinal cell types. Previously, we have shown Cdx1 to be antiproliferative and to promote cell differentiation. However, other studies have suggested that Cdx1 may be an oncogene. To test for oncogenic behavior, we used the murine villin promoter to ectopically express Cdx1 in the small intestinal villi and colonic surface epithelium. No changes in intestinal architecture, cell differentiation, or lineage selection were observed with expression of the transgene. Classic oncogenes enhance proliferation and induce tumors when ectopically expressed. However, the Cdx1 transgene neither altered intestinal proliferation nor induced spontaneous intestinal tumors. In a murine model for colitis-associated cancer, the Cdx1 transgene decreased, rather than increased, the number of adenomas that developed. In the polyps, the expression of the endogenous and the transgenic Cdx1 proteins was largely absent, whereas endogenous Villin expression was retained. This suggests that transgene silencing was specific and not due to a general Villin inactivation. In conclusion, neither the ectopic expression of Cdx1 was associated with changes in intestinal cell proliferation or differentiation nor was there increased intestinal cancer susceptibility. Our results therefore suggest that Cdx1 is not an oncogene in normal intestinal epithelium. PMID:18231635

ERBB oncogene proteins as targets for monoclonal antibodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Polanovski, O L; Lebedenko, E N; Deyev, S M

2012-03-01

General properties of the family of tyrosine kinase ERBB receptors are considered in connection with their role in the generation of cascades of signal transduction in normal and tumor cells. Causes of acquisition of oncogene features by genes encoding these receptors and their role in tumorigenesis are analyzed. Anti-ERBB monoclonal antibodies approved for therapy are described in detail, and mechanisms of their antitumor activity and development of resistance to them are reviewed. The existing and the most promising strategies for creating and using monoclonal antibodies and their derivatives for therapy of cancer are discussed.

Novel approach to abuse the hyperactive K-Ras pathway for adenoviral gene therapy of colorectal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naumov, Inna; Kazanov, Dina; Lisiansky, Victoria; Starr, Alex; Aroch, Ilan; Shapira, Shiran; Kraus, Sarah; Arber, Nadir

2012-01-01

Background: Functional activation of oncogenic K-Ras signaling pathway plays an important role in the early events of colorectal carcinogenesis (CRC). K-Ras proto-oncogene is involved in 35–40% of CRC cases. Mutations in the Ras gene trigger the transduction of proliferative and anti-apoptotic signals, even in the absence of extra cellular stimuli. The objective of the current study was to use a gene-targeting approach to kill human CRC cells selectively harboring mutated K-Ras. Results: A recombinant adenovirus that carries a lethal gene, PUMA, under the control of a Ras responsive promoter (Ad-Py4-SV40-PUMA) was used selectively to target CRC cells (HCT116, SW480, DLD1 and RIE-Ras) that possess a hyperactive Ras pathway while using HT29 and RIE cells as a control that harbors wild type Ras and exhibit very low Ras activity. Control vector, without the Ras responsive promoter elements was used to assess the specificity of our “gene therapy” approach. Both adenoviral vectors were assed in vitro and in xenograft model in vivo. Ad-Py4-SV40-PUMA showed high potency to induce ∼ 50% apoptosis in vitro, to abolish completely tumor formation by infecting cells with the Ad-Py4-SV40-PUMA prior xenografting them in nude mice and high ability to suppress by ∼ 35% tumor progression in vivo in already established tumors. Conclusions: Selective targeting of CRC cells with the activated Ras pathway may be a novel and effective therapy in CRC. The high potency of this adenoviral vector may help to overcome an undetectable micro metastasis that is the major hurdle in challenging with CRC.

Novel approach to abuse the hyperactive K-Ras pathway for adenoviral gene therapy of colorectal cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naumov, Inna [Integrated Cancer Prevention Center, Tel Aviv (Israel); Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel); Kazanov, Dina [Integrated Cancer Prevention Center, Tel Aviv (Israel); Lisiansky, Victoria [Integrated Cancer Prevention Center, Tel Aviv (Israel); Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel); Starr, Alex [Lung and Allergy Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv (Israel); Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel); Aroch, Ilan; Shapira, Shiran; Kraus, Sarah [Integrated Cancer Prevention Center, Tel Aviv (Israel); Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel); Arber, Nadir, E-mail: narber@post.tau.ac.il [Integrated Cancer Prevention Center, Tel Aviv (Israel); Department of Gastroenterology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv (Israel); Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel)

2012-01-15

Background: Functional activation of oncogenic K-Ras signaling pathway plays an important role in the early events of colorectal carcinogenesis (CRC). K-Ras proto-oncogene is involved in 35-40% of CRC cases. Mutations in the Ras gene trigger the transduction of proliferative and anti-apoptotic signals, even in the absence of extra cellular stimuli. The objective of the current study was to use a gene-targeting approach to kill human CRC cells selectively harboring mutated K-Ras. Results: A recombinant adenovirus that carries a lethal gene, PUMA, under the control of a Ras responsive promoter (Ad-Py4-SV40-PUMA) was used selectively to target CRC cells (HCT116, SW480, DLD1 and RIE-Ras) that possess a hyperactive Ras pathway while using HT29 and RIE cells as a control that harbors wild type Ras and exhibit very low Ras activity. Control vector, without the Ras responsive promoter elements was used to assess the specificity of our 'gene therapy' approach. Both adenoviral vectors were assed in vitro and in xenograft model in vivo. Ad-Py4-SV40-PUMA showed high potency to induce {approx} 50% apoptosis in vitro, to abolish completely tumor formation by infecting cells with the Ad-Py4-SV40-PUMA prior xenografting them in nude mice and high ability to suppress by {approx} 35% tumor progression in vivo in already established tumors. Conclusions: Selective targeting of CRC cells with the activated Ras pathway may be a novel and effective therapy in CRC. The high potency of this adenoviral vector may help to overcome an undetectable micro metastasis that is the major hurdle in challenging with CRC.

Role of 18F FDG PET scan to localize tumor in patients of oncogenic osteomalacia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malhotra, Gaurav; Mukta, K.; Asopa, V.; Varsha, J.; Vijaya, S.; Shah, Nalini S.; Padmavathy, M.

2010-01-01

Full text: Oncogenic osteomalacia is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome of renal phosphate wasting which is usually caused by phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors. Conventional radiologic techniques usually fail to detect these small, slow growing neoplasms located at unusual sites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of 18 F FDG PET imaging in patients of oncogenic osteomalacia. Materials and Methods: Fifteen patients (8 males and 7 females) (mean age: 38.5 ± 12.2 years) with clinical and biochemical evidence of oncogenic osteomalacia were subjected to 'total' whole body 18 F FDG PET scan including both limbs and skull views. The images were reconstructed and the final output was displayed as per the standard institution protocol. Results: 18 F FDG PET imaging localized suspicious hypermetabolic foci of SUVmax ranging from 1.4 to 3.8 (Mean ± S.D.: 2.39 ± 0.63) suggesting presence of occult tumor in 11 of 15 patients. The suspected foci were localized in lower limbs in ten patients and in the petrous temporal region of skull in 1 patient. FDG localized tumors were histopathologically correlated in 6 patients who underwent surgical biopsy/excision after correlative radiological investigations. Four of these patients were cured after surgical excision while partial surgical excision/biopsy was performed in two patients. Conclusions: 18 F FDG PET imaging is a promising technique for detection of occult tumors in patients of oncogenic osteomalacia. It is mandatory to include limbs in the field as these tumors are common in limbs and may be easily missed. Preoperative localization increases odds for cure after surgical removal of tumor

Dysplasia and overgrowth. Magnetic resonance imaging of pediatric brain abnormalities secondary to alterations in the mechanistic target of rapamycin pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shrot, Shai; Hwang, Misun; Huisman, Thierry A.G.M.; Soares, Bruno P.; Stafstrom, Carl E.

2018-01-01

The current classification of malformations of cortical development is based on the type of disrupted embryological process (cell proliferation, migration, or cortical organization/post-migrational development) and the resulting morphological anomalous pattern of findings. An ideal classification would include knowledge of biological pathways. It has recently been demonstrated that alterations affecting the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway result in diverse abnormalities such as dysplastic megalencephaly, hemimegalencephaly, ganglioglioma, dysplastic cerebellar gangliocytoma, focal cortical dysplasia type IIb, and brain lesions associated with tuberous sclerosis. We review the neuroimaging findings in brain abnormalities related to alterations in the mTOR pathway, following the emerging trend from morphology towards genetics in the classification of malformations of cortical development. This approach improves the understanding of anomalous brain development and allows precise diagnosis and potentially targeted therapies that may regulate mTOR pathway function. (orig.)

Dysplasia and overgrowth. Magnetic resonance imaging of pediatric brain abnormalities secondary to alterations in the mechanistic target of rapamycin pathway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shrot, Shai [Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Baltimore, MD (United States); Sheba Medical Center, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Ramat-Gan (Israel); Hwang, Misun; Huisman, Thierry A.G.M.; Soares, Bruno P. [Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Baltimore, MD (United States); Stafstrom, Carl E. [Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2018-02-15

The current classification of malformations of cortical development is based on the type of disrupted embryological process (cell proliferation, migration, or cortical organization/post-migrational development) and the resulting morphological anomalous pattern of findings. An ideal classification would include knowledge of biological pathways. It has recently been demonstrated that alterations affecting the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway result in diverse abnormalities such as dysplastic megalencephaly, hemimegalencephaly, ganglioglioma, dysplastic cerebellar gangliocytoma, focal cortical dysplasia type IIb, and brain lesions associated with tuberous sclerosis. We review the neuroimaging findings in brain abnormalities related to alterations in the mTOR pathway, following the emerging trend from morphology towards genetics in the classification of malformations of cortical development. This approach improves the understanding of anomalous brain development and allows precise diagnosis and potentially targeted therapies that may regulate mTOR pathway function. (orig.)

Localisation of lung cancer by a radiolabelled monoclonal antibody against the c-myc oncogene product

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, S Y.T.; Evan, G I; Ritson, A; Watson, J; Wraight, P; Sikora, K

1986-11-01

A set of mouse monoclonal antibodies against the c-myc oncogene product, a 62,000 dalton nuclear binding protein involved in cell cycle control, has been constructed by immunisation with synthetic peptide fragments. One such antibody, CT14, was radiolabelled with /sup 131/I and administered to 20 patients with different malignant diseases. Good tumour localisation was observed in 12 out of 14 patients with primary bronchial carcinoma but not in patients with pulmonary metastases from primary tumours elsewhere. Successfully localised tumours were all 3 cm or more in diameter. Monoclonal antibodies against oncogene products may provide novel selective tools for the diagnosis and therapy of cancer.

Expression of proto-oncogenes in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas by in situ hybridization with biotinylated DNA probes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamatani, Kiyohiro; Yoshida, Kuniko; Abe, Masumi; Shimaoka, Katsutaro; Shiku, Hiroshi; Akiyama, Mitoshi; Kondo, Hisayoshi.

1989-11-01

Expression of six proto-oncogenes (fos, myc, myb, Ki-ras, Ha-ras, and N-ras) in 43 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was analyzed by means of in situ hybridization. Biotinylated DNA probes of the six oncogenes and those of the immunoglobulin H-chain (IgH) gene and the T cell receptor β-chain (TCRβ) gene were used. The results of in situ hybridization performed under blind conditions by IgH and TCRβ gene probes were compatible with those of typing by cell surface markers. The nuclear protein-related proto-oncogenes, fos myc, and myb, were expressed in about 70 % - 80 % of all cases regardless of phenotypes, histology or histologic grade. On the contrary, genes of the ras family were expressed in fewer cases except for the Ki-ras gene which was more frequently expressed by cases of the T cell immunophenotype with a high malignancy grade. The results of dot hybridization with RNA extracted from some cases were compatible with those of in situ hybridization, further demonstrating the specificity of in situ hybridization. (author)

Targeting the Hippo Pathway Is a New Potential Therapeutic Modality for Malignant Mesothelioma.

Science.gov (United States)

Sekido, Yoshitaka

2018-03-22

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) constitutes a very aggressive tumor that arises from the pleural or peritoneal cavities and is highly refractory to conventional therapies. Several key genetic alterations are associated with the development and progression of MM including mutations of the CDKN2A/ARF , NF2 , and BAP1 tumor-suppressor genes. Notably, activating oncogene mutations are very rare; thus, it is difficult to develop effective inhibitors to treat MM. The NF2 gene encodes merlin, a protein that regulates multiple cell-signaling cascades including the Hippo pathway. MMs also exhibit inactivation of Hippo pathway components including LATS1/2, strongly suggesting that merlin-Hippo pathway dysregulation plays a key role in the development and progression of MM. Furthermore, Hippo pathway inactivation has been shown to result in constitutive activation of the YAP1/TAZ transcriptional coactivators, thereby conferring malignant phenotypes to mesothelial cells. Critical YAP1/TAZ target genes, including prooncogenic CCDN1 and CTGF , have also been shown to enhance the malignant phenotypes of MM cells. Together, these data indicate the Hippo pathway as a therapeutic target for the treatment of MM, and support the development of new strategies to effectively target the activation status of YAP1/TAZ as a promising therapeutic modality for this formidable disease.

Skin carcinomas in organ-transplant recipients : from early oncogenic events to therapy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Graaf, Ymke Grete Leontien de

2008-01-01

Skin carcinomas develop at a high rate in organ-transplant recipients who are kept on immune suppressive drugs to prevent graft rejection. The present study dealt with a broad range of aspects of this elevated carcinoma risk, starting from the earliest oncogenic events to the ultimate therapy.

TAD disruption as oncogenic driver.

Science.gov (United States)

Valton, Anne-Laure; Dekker, Job

2016-02-01

Topologically Associating Domains (TADs) are conserved during evolution and play roles in guiding and constraining long-range regulation of gene expression. Disruption of TAD boundaries results in aberrant gene expression by exposing genes to inappropriate regulatory elements. Recent studies have shown that TAD disruption is often found in cancer cells and contributes to oncogenesis through two mechanisms. One mechanism locally disrupts domains by deleting or mutating a TAD boundary leading to fusion of the two adjacent TADs. The other mechanism involves genomic rearrangements that break up TADs and creates new ones without directly affecting TAD boundaries. Understanding the mechanisms by which TADs form and control long-range chromatin interactions will therefore not only provide insights into the mechanism of gene regulation in general, but will also reveal how genomic rearrangements and mutations in cancer genomes can lead to misregulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Menin-MLL inhibitors reverse oncogenic activity of MLL fusion proteins in leukemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Grembecka, Jolanta; He, Shihan; Shi, Aibin; Purohit, Trupta; Muntean, Andrew G; Sorenson, Roderick J; Showalter, Hollis D; Murai, Marcelo J; Belcher, Amalia M; Hartley, Thomas; Hess, Jay L; Cierpicki, Tomasz

2012-01-29

Translocations involving the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene result in human acute leukemias with very poor prognosis. The leukemogenic activity of MLL fusion proteins is critically dependent on their direct interaction with menin, a product of the multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN1) gene. Here we present what are to our knowledge the first small-molecule inhibitors of the menin-MLL fusion protein interaction that specifically bind menin with nanomolar affinities. These compounds effectively reverse MLL fusion protein-mediated leukemic transformation by downregulating the expression of target genes required for MLL fusion protein oncogenic activity. They also selectively block proliferation and induce both apoptosis and differentiation of leukemia cells harboring MLL translocations. Identification of these compounds provides a new tool for better understanding MLL-mediated leukemogenesis and represents a new approach for studying the role of menin as an oncogenic cofactor of MLL fusion proteins. Our findings also highlight a new therapeutic strategy for aggressive leukemias with MLL rearrangements.

Fusion peptides from oncogenic chimeric proteins as putative specific biomarkers of cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Conlon, Kevin P; Basrur, Venkatesha; Rolland, Delphine; Wolfe, Thomas; Nesvizhskii, Alexey I; MacCoss, Michael J; Lim, Megan S; Elenitoba-Johnson, Kojo S J

2013-10-01

Chromosomal translocations encoding chimeric fusion proteins constitute one of the most common mechanisms underlying oncogenic transformation in human cancer. Fusion peptides resulting from such oncogenic chimeric fusions, though unique to specific cancer subtypes, are unexplored as cancer biomarkers. Here we show, using an approach termed fusion peptide multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry, the direct identification of different cancer-specific fusion peptides arising from protein chimeras that are generated from the juxtaposition of heterologous genes fused by recurrent chromosomal translocations. Using fusion peptide multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry in a clinically relevant scenario, we demonstrate the specific, sensitive, and unambiguous detection of a specific diagnostic fusion peptide in clinical samples of anaplastic large cell lymphoma, but not in a diverse array of benign lymph nodes or other forms of primary malignant lymphomas and cancer-derived cell lines. Our studies highlight the utility of fusion peptides as cancer biomarkers and carry broad implications for the use of protein biomarkers in cancer detection and monitoring.

Oncogenes and tumor suppressors in the molecular pathogenesis of acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandolfi, P P

2001-04-01

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is associated with reciprocal chromosomal translocations always involving the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha) gene on chromosome 17 and variable partner genes (X genes) on distinct chromosomes. RARalpha fuses to the PML gene in the vast majority of APL cases, and in a few cases to the PLZF, NPM, NuMA and Stat5b genes, respectively, leading to the generation of RARalpha-X: and X:-RARalpha fusion genes. Both fusion proteins can exert oncogenic functions through their ability to interfere with the activities of X and RARalpha proteins. Here, it will be discussed in detail how an extensive biochemical analysis as well as a systematic in vivo genetic approach in the mouse has allowed the definition of the multiple oncogenic activities of PML-RARalpha, and how it has become apparent that this oncoprotein is able to impair RARalpha at the transcription level and the tumor suppressive function of the PML protein.

LncRNA EGOT Promotes Tumorigenesis Via Hedgehog Pathway in Gastric Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Wei; Wu, Jianzhong; Fan, Hong; Lu, Jianwei; Feng, Jifeng

2017-12-05

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the mostly terminal malignancies with poor prognosis. Long noncoding RNA EGOT (EGOT) acts as a crucial regulator in the breast cancer. However, the function of EGOT in GC remains unknown. This work was to explore the clinical value and biological significance of EGOT in GC. EGOT levels in GC tissue and cell were analyzed by qRT-PCR. After knockdown of EGOT, GC cell growth and cycle progression were detected. The expression of EGOT was observably elevated in GC. Upregulation of EGOT was related with lymphatic metastasis and TNM stage. In addition, knockdown of EGOT by siRNA could significantly inhibit GC cell proliferation and arrest cycle progression in G1 phase. Moreover, EGOT mediated cyclin D1 expression in GC cells which was regulated by Hedgehog pathway. Further, loss of EGOT downregulated Hedgehog signaling pathway in GC cells. EGOT functions as an oncogene in GC, and may be useful as a conceivable diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for GC tumorigenesis.

Tyrosine 842 in the activation loop is required for full transformation by the oncogenic mutant FLT3-ITD.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazi, Julhash U; Chougule, Rohit A; Li, Tianfeng; Su, Xianwei; Moharram, Sausan A; Rupar, Kaja; Marhäll, Alissa; Gazi, Mohiuddin; Sun, Jianmin; Zhao, Hui; Rönnstrand, Lars

2017-07-01

The type III receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 is frequently mutated in acute myeloid leukemia. Oncogenic FLT3 mutants display constitutive activity leading to aberrant cell proliferation and survival. Phosphorylation on several critical tyrosine residues is known to be essential for FLT3 signaling. Among these tyrosine residues, Y842 is located in the so-called activation loop. The position of this tyrosine residue is well conserved in all receptor tyrosine kinases. It has been reported that phosphorylation of the activation loop tyrosine is critical for catalytic activity for some but not all receptor tyrosine kinases. The role of Y842 residue in FLT3 signaling has not yet been studied. In this report, we show that Y842 is not important for FLT3 activation or ubiquitination but plays a critical role in regulating signaling downstream of the receptor as well as controlling receptor stability. We found that mutation of Y842 in the FLT3-ITD oncogenic mutant background reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis. Furthermore, the introduction of the Y842 mutation in the FLT3-ITD background led to a dramatic reduction in in vitro colony forming capacity. Additionally, mice injected with cells expressing FLT3-ITD/Y842F displayed a significant delay in tumor formation, compared to FLT3-ITD expressing cells. Microarray analysis comparing gene expression regulated by FLT3-ITD versus FLT3-ITD/Y842F demonstrated that mutation of Y842 causes suppression of anti-apoptotic genes. Furthermore, we showed that cells expressing FLT3-ITD/Y842F display impaired activity of the RAS/ERK pathway due to reduced interaction between FLT3 and SHP2 leading to reduced SHP2 activation. Thus, we suggest that Y842 is critical for FLT3-mediated RAS/ERK signaling and cellular transformation.

The oncogenic action of ionizing radiation on rat skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, F.J.; Garte, S.J.

1990-01-01

An extensive experiment involving approximately 400 rats exposed to the neon ion beam at the Bevalac in Berkeley, CA and to electrons is nearing completion. Progress is described in three areas corresponding to the specific aims of the proposal: (1) carcinogenesis and DNA strand breaks in rat skin following exposure by the neon ions or electrons; (2) oncogene activation in radiation-induced rat skin cancers; (3) DNA strand breaks in the epidermis as a function of radiation penetration. 59 refs., 4 tabs

Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotypes Reveal Cell-Nonautonomous Functions of Oncogenic RAS and the p53 Tumor Suppressor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Copp& #233; , Jean-Philippe; Patil, Christopher; Rodier, Francis; Sun, Yu; Munoz, Denise; Goldstein, Joshua; Nelson, Peter; Desprez, Pierre-Yves; Campisi, Judith

2008-10-24

Cellular senescence suppresses cancer by arresting cell proliferation, essentially permanently, in response to oncogenic stimuli, including genotoxic stress. We modified the use of antibody arrays to provide a quantitative assessment of factors secreted by senescent cells. We show that human cells induced to senesce by genotoxic stress secrete myriad factors associated with inflammation and malignancy. This senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) developed slowly over several days and only after DNA damage of sufficient magnitude to induce senescence. Remarkably similar SASPs developed in normal fibroblasts, normal epithelial cells, and epithelial tumor cells after genotoxic stress in culture, and in epithelial tumor cells in vivo after treatment of prostate cancer patients with DNA-damaging chemotherapy. In cultured premalignant epithelial cells, SASPs induced an epithelial-mesenchyme transition and invasiveness, hallmarks of malignancy, by a paracrine mechanism that depended largely on the SASP factors interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8. Strikingly, two manipulations markedly amplified, and accelerated development of, the SASPs: oncogenic RAS expression, which causes genotoxic stress and senescence in normal cells, and functional loss of the p53 tumor suppressor protein. Both loss of p53 and gain of oncogenic RAS also exacerbated the promalignant paracrine activities of the SASPs. Our findings define a central feature of genotoxic stress-induced senescence. Moreover, they suggest a cell-nonautonomous mechanism by which p53 can restrain, and oncogenic RAS can promote, the development of age-related cancer by altering the tissue microenvironment.

Deciphering hepatocellular responses to metabolic and oncogenic stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathrina L. Marcelo

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Each cell type responds uniquely to stress and fractionally contributes to global and tissue-specific stress responses. Hepatocytes, liver macrophages (MΦ, and sinusoidal endothelial cells (SEC play functionally important and interdependent roles in adaptive processes such as obesity and tumor growth. Although these cell types demonstrate significant phenotypic and functional heterogeneity, their distinctions enabling disease-specific responses remain understudied. We developed a strategy for the simultaneous isolation and quantification of these liver cell types based on antigenic cell surface marker expression. To demonstrate the utility and applicability of this technique, we quantified liver cell-specific responses to high-fat diet (HFD or diethylnitrosamine (DEN, a liver-specific carcinogen, and found that while there was only a marginal increase in hepatocyte number, MΦ and SEC populations were quantitatively increased. Global gene expression profiling of hepatocytes, MΦ and SEC identified characteristic gene signatures that define each cell type in their distinct physiological or pathological states. Integration of hepatic gene signatures with available human obesity and liver cancer microarray data provides further insight into the cell-specific responses to metabolic or oncogenic stress. Our data reveal unique gene expression patterns that serve as molecular “fingerprints” for the cell-centric responses to pathologic stimuli in the distinct microenvironment of the liver. The technical advance highlighted in this study provides an essential resource for assessing hepatic cell-specific contributions to metabolic and oncogenic stress, information that could unveil previously unappreciated molecular mechanisms for the cellular crosstalk that underlies the continuum from metabolic disruption to obesity and ultimately hepatic cancer.

Oncogenic transformation in C3H10T1/2 cells by low-energy neutrons.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, R C; Marino, S A; Napoli, J; Shah, H; Hall, E J; Geard, C R; Brenner, D J

2000-03-01

Occupational exposure to neutrons typically includes significant doses of low-energy neutrons, with energies below 100 keV. In addition, the normal-tissue dose from boron neutron capture therapy will largely be from low-energy neutrons. Microdosimetric theory predicts decreasing biological effectiveness for neutrons with energies below about 350 keV compared with that for higher-energy neutrons; based on such considerations, and limited biological data, the current radiation weighting factor (quality factor) for neutrons with energies from 10 keV to 100 keV is less than that for higher-energy neutrons. By contrast, some reports have suggested that the biological effectiveness of low-energy neutrons is similar to that of fast neutrons. The purpose of the current work is to assess the relative biological effectiveness of low-energy neutrons for an endpoint of relevance to carcinogenesis: in vitro oncogenic transformation. Oncogenic transformation induction frequencies were determined for C3H10T1/2 cells exposed to two low-energy neutron beams, respectively, with dose-averaged energies of 40 and 70 keV, and the results were compared with those for higher-energy neutrons and X-rays. These results for oncogenic transformation provide evidence for a significant decrease in biological effectiveness for 40 keV neutrons compared with 350 keV neutrons. The 70 keV neutrons were intermediate in effectiveness between the 70 and 350 keV beams. A decrease in biological effectiveness for low-energy neutrons is in agreement with most (but not all) earlier biological studies, as well as microdosimetric considerations. The results for oncogenic transformation were consistent with the currently recommended decreased values for low-energy neutron radiation weighting factors compared with fast neutrons.

N-myc oncogene amplification is correlated to trace metal concentrations in neuroblastoma cultured cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouget, B.; Sergeant, C.; Benard, J.; Llabador, Y.; Simonoff, M.

2000-01-01

N-myc oncogene amplification is a powerful predictor of aggressive behavior of neuroblastoma (NB), the most common solid tumor of the early childhood. Since N-myc overexpression - subsequent to amplification - determines a phenotype of invasiveness and metastatic spreading, it is assumed that N-myc amplified neuroblasts synthesize zinc metalloenzymes leading to tumor invasion and formation of metastases. In order to test a possible relation between N-myc oncogene amplification and trace metal contents in human NB cells, Fe, Cu and Zn concentrations have been measured by nuclear microprobe analysis in three human neuroblastoma cell lines with various degrees of N-myc amplification. Elemental determinations show uniform distribution of trace metals within the cells, but variations of intracellular trace metal concentrations with respect to the degree of N-myc amplification are highly dependent on the nature of the element. Zinc concentration is higher in both N-myc amplified cell lines (IMR-32 and IGR-N-91) than in the non-amplified cells (SK-N-SH). In contrast, intracellular iron content is particularly low in N-myc amplified cell lines. Moreover, copper concentrations showed an increase with the degree of N-myc amplification. These results indicate that a relationship exists between intracellular trace metals and N-myc oncogene amplification. They further suggest that trace metals very probably play a determinant role in mechanisms of the neuroblastoma invasiveness

Differential splicing of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in African and Caucasian American populations: contributing factor in prostate cancer disparities

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

populations: contributing factor in prostate cancer disparities? PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Norman H Lee, PhD CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: George Washington...splicing of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in African and Caucasian American populations: contributing factor in prostate cancer disparities? 5b...American (AA) versus Caucasian American (CA) prostate cancer (PCa). We focused our efforts on two oncogenes, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3

Live-cell microscopy reveals small molecule inhibitor effects on MAPK pathway dynamics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel J Anderson

Full Text Available Oncogenic mutations in the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK pathway are prevalent in human tumors, making this pathway a target of drug development efforts. Recently, ATP-competitive Raf inhibitors were shown to cause MAPK pathway activation via Raf kinase priming in wild-type BRaf cells and tumors, highlighting the need for a thorough understanding of signaling in the context of small molecule kinase inhibitors. Here, we present critical improvements in cell-line engineering and image analysis coupled with automated image acquisition that allow for the simultaneous identification of cellular localization of multiple MAPK pathway components (KRas, CRaf, Mek1 and Erk2. We use these assays in a systematic study of the effect of small molecule inhibitors across the MAPK cascade either as single agents or in combination. Both Raf inhibitor priming as well as the release from negative feedback induced by Mek and Erk inhibitors cause translocation of CRaf to the plasma membrane via mechanisms that are additive in pathway activation. Analysis of Erk activation and sub-cellular localization upon inhibitor treatments reveals differential inhibition and activation with the Raf inhibitors AZD628 and GDC0879 respectively. Since both single agent and combination studies of Raf and Mek inhibitors are currently in the clinic, our assays provide valuable insight into their effects on MAPK signaling in live cells.

Regulation of Stat5 by FAK and PAK1 in Oncogenic FLT3- and KIT-Driven Leukemogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Anindya; Ghosh, Joydeep; Ramdas, Baskar; Mali, Raghuveer Singh; Martin, Holly; Kobayashi, Michihiro; Vemula, Sasidhar; Canela, Victor H; Waskow, Emily R; Visconte, Valeria; Tiu, Ramon V; Smith, Catherine C; Shah, Neil; Bunting, Kevin D; Boswell, H Scott; Liu, Yan; Chan, Rebecca J; Kapur, Reuben

2014-11-20

Oncogenic mutations of FLT3 and KIT receptors are associated with poor survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), and currently available drugs are largely ineffective. Although Stat5 has been implicated in regulating several myeloid and lymphoid malignancies, how precisely Stat5 regulates leukemogenesis, including its nuclear translocation to induce gene transcription, is poorly understood. In leukemic cells, we show constitutive activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) whose inhibition represses leukemogenesis. Downstream of FAK, activation of Rac1 is regulated by RacGEF Tiam1, whose inhibition prolongs the survival of leukemic mice. Inhibition of the Rac1 effector PAK1 prolongs the survival of leukemic mice in part by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of Stat5. These results reveal a leukemic pathway involving FAK/Tiam1/Rac1/PAK1 and demonstrate an essential role for these signaling molecules in regulating the nuclear translocation of Stat5 in leukemogenesis. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Antagonize Distinct Pathways to Suppress Tumorigenesis of Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terra Vleeshouwer-Neumann

Full Text Available Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS is the most common soft tissue cancer in children. The prognosis of patients with relapsed or metastatic disease remains poor. ERMS genomes show few recurrent mutations, suggesting that other molecular mechanisms such as epigenetic regulation might play a major role in driving ERMS tumor biology. In this study, we have demonstrated the diverse roles of histone deacetylases (HDACs in the pathogenesis of ERMS by characterizing effects of HDAC inhibitors, trichostatin A (TSA and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA; also known as vorinostat in vitro and in vivo. TSA and SAHA suppress ERMS tumor growth and progression by inducing myogenic differentiation as well as reducing the self-renewal and migratory capacity of ERMS cells. Differential expression profiling and pathway analysis revealed downregulation of key oncogenic pathways upon HDAC inhibitor treatment. By gain-of-function, loss-of-function, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP studies, we show that Notch1- and EphrinB1-mediated pathways are regulated by HDACs to inhibit differentiation and enhance migratory capacity of ERMS cells, respectively. Our study demonstrates that aberrant HDAC activity plays a major role in ERMS pathogenesis. Druggable targets in the molecular pathways affected by HDAC inhibitors represent novel therapeutic options for ERMS patients.

A Poly-ADP-Ribose Trigger Releases the Auto-Inhibition of a Chromatin Remodeling Oncogene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, Hari R; Nardozza, Aurelio P; Möller, Ingvar R

2017-01-01

DNA damage triggers chromatin remodeling by mechanisms that are poorly understood. The oncogene and chromatin remodeler ALC1/CHD1L massively decompacts chromatin in vivo yet is inactive prior to DNA-damage-mediated PARP1 induction. We show that the interaction of the ALC1 macrodomain......-macrodomain interactions, promotes an ungated conformation, and activates the remodeler's ATPase. ALC1 fragments lacking the regulatory macrodomain relax chromatin in vivo without requiring PARP1 activation. Further, the ATPase restricts the macrodomain's interaction with PARP1 under non-DNA damage conditions. Somatic...... cancer mutants disrupt ALC1's auto-inhibition and activate chromatin remodeling. Our data show that the NAD+-metabolite and nucleic acid PAR triggers ALC1 to drive chromatin relaxation. Modular allostery in this oncogene tightly controls its robust, DNA-damage-dependent activation....

Comparison of growth factor signalling pathway utilisation in cultured normal melanocytes and melanoma cell lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ji Eun; Stones, Clare; Joseph, Wayne R; Leung, Euphemia; Finlay, Graeme J; Shelling, Andrew N; Phillips, Wayne A; Shepherd, Peter R; Baguley, Bruce C

2012-01-01

The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K-PKB), mitogen activated protein kinase (MEK-ERK) and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR- p70S6K), are thought to regulate many aspects of tumour cell proliferation and survival. We have examined the utilisation of these three signalling pathways in a number of cell lines derived from patients with metastatic malignant melanoma of known PIK3CA, PTEN, NRAS and BRAF mutational status. Western blotting was used to compare the phosphorylation status of components of the PI3K-PKB, MEK-ERK and mTOR-p70S6K signalling pathways, as indices of pathway utilisation. Normal melanocytes could not be distinguished from melanoma cells on the basis of pathway utilisation when grown in the presence of serum, but could be distinguished upon serum starvation, where signalling protein phosphorylation was generally abrogated. Surprisingly, the differential utilisation of individual pathways was not consistently associated with the presence of an oncogenic or tumour suppressor mutation of genes in these pathways. Utilisation of the PI3K-PKB, MEK-ERK and mTOR-p70S6K signalling pathways in melanoma, as determined by phosphorylation of signalling components, varies widely across a series of cell lines, and does not directly reflect mutation of genes coding these components. The main difference between cultured normal melanocytes and melanoma cells is not the pathway utilisation itself, but rather in the serum dependence of pathway utilisation

Proliferation and survival molecules implicated in the inhibition of BRAF pathway in thyroid cancer cells harbouring different genetic mutations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preto, Ana; Soares, Paula; Sobrinho-Simões, Manuel; Gonçalves, Joana; Rebocho, Ana P; Figueiredo, Joana; Meireles, Ana M; Rocha, Ana S; Vasconcelos, Helena M; Seca, Hugo; Seruca, Raquel

2009-01-01

Thyroid carcinomas show a high prevalence of mutations in the oncogene BRAF which are inversely associated with RAS or RET/PTC oncogenic activation. The possibility of using inhibitors on the BRAF pathway as became an interesting therapeutic approach. In thyroid cancer cells the target molecules, implicated on the cellular effects, mediated by inhibition of BRAF are not well established. In order to fill this lack of knowledge we studied the proliferation and survival pathways and associated molecules induced by BRAF inhibition in thyroid carcinoma cell lines harbouring distinct genetic backgrounds. Suppression of BRAF pathway in thyroid cancer cell lines (8505C, TPC1 and C643) was achieved using RNA interference (RNAi) for BRAF and the kinase inhibitor, sorafenib. Proliferation analysis was performed by BrdU incorporation and apoptosis was accessed by TUNEL assay. Levels of protein expression were analysed by western-blot. Both BRAF RNAi and sorafenib inhibited proliferation in all the cell lines independently of the genetic background, mostly in cells with BRAF V600E mutation. In BRAF V600E mutated cells inhibition of BRAF pathway lead to a decrease in ERK1/2 phosphorylation and cyclin D1 levels and an increase in p27 Kip1 . Specific inhibition of BRAF by RNAi in cells with BRAF V600E mutation had no effect on apoptosis. In the case of sorafenib treatment, cells harbouring BRAF V600E mutation showed increase levels of apoptosis due to a balance of the anti-apoptotic proteins Mcl-1 and Bcl-2. Our results in thyroid cancer cells, namely those harbouring BRAF V600E mutation showed that BRAF signalling pathway provides important proliferation signals. We have shown that in thyroid cancer cells sorafenib induces apoptosis by affecting Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 in BRAF V600E mutated cells which was independent of BRAF. These results suggest that sorafenib may prove useful in the treatment of thyroid carcinomas, particularly those refractory to conventional treatment and

Attempts on producing lymphoid cell line from Penaeus monodon by induction with SV40-T and 12S EIA oncogenes.

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Puthumana, Jayesh; Prabhakaran, Priyaja; Philip, Rosamma; Singh, I S Bright

2015-12-01

In an attempt of in vitro transformation, transfection mediated expression of Simian virus-40 (T) antigen (SV40-T) and transduction mediated expression of Adenovirus type 12 early region 1A (12S E1A) oncogene were performed in Penaeus monodon lymphoid cells. pSV3-neo vector encoding SV40-T oncogene and a recombinant baculovirus BacP2-12S E1A-GFP encoding 12S E1A oncogene under the control of hybrid promoters were used. Electroporation and lipofection mediated transformation of SV40-T in lymphoid cells confirmed the transgene expression by phenotypic variation and the expression of GFP in co-transfection experiment. The cells transfected by lipofection (≥ 5%) survived for 14 days with lower toxicity (30%), whilst on electroporation, most of the cells succumbed to death (60%) and survived cells lived up to 7 days. Transduction efficiency in primary lymphoid cells was more than 80% within 14 days of post-transduction, however, an incubation period of 7 days post-transduction was observed without detectable expression of 12S E1A. High level of oncogenic 12S E1A expression were observed after 14 day post-transduction and the proliferating cells survived for more than 90 days with GFP expression, however, without in vitro transformation and immortalization. The study put forth the requirement of transduction mediated 'specific' oncogene expression along with telomerase activation and epigenetic induction for the immortalization and establishment of shrimp cell line. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Morphological classification of plant cell deaths.

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van Doorn, W G; Beers, E P; Dangl, J L; Franklin-Tong, V E; Gallois, P; Hara-Nishimura, I; Jones, A M; Kawai-Yamada, M; Lam, E; Mundy, J; Mur, L A J; Petersen, M; Smertenko, A; Taliansky, M; Van Breusegem, F; Wolpert, T; Woltering, E; Zhivotovsky, B; Bozhkov, P V

2011-08-01

Programmed cell death (PCD) is an integral part of plant development and of responses to abiotic stress or pathogens. Although the morphology of plant PCD is, in some cases, well characterised and molecular mechanisms controlling plant PCD are beginning to emerge, there is still confusion about the classification of PCD in plants. Here we suggest a classification based on morphological criteria. According to this classification, the use of the term 'apoptosis' is not justified in plants, but at least two classes of PCD can be distinguished: vacuolar cell death and necrosis. During vacuolar cell death, the cell contents are removed by a combination of autophagy-like process and release of hydrolases from collapsed lytic vacuoles. Necrosis is characterised by early rupture of the plasma membrane, shrinkage of the protoplast and absence of vacuolar cell death features. Vacuolar cell death is common during tissue and organ formation and elimination, whereas necrosis is typically found under abiotic stress. Some examples of plant PCD cannot be ascribed to either major class and are therefore classified as separate modalities. These are PCD associated with the hypersensitive response to biotrophic pathogens, which can express features of both necrosis and vacuolar cell death, PCD in starchy cereal endosperm and during self-incompatibility. The present classification is not static, but will be subject to further revision, especially when specific biochemical pathways are better defined.

WSB1 overcomes oncogene-induced senescence by targeting ATM for degradation

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Kim, Jung Jin; Lee, Seung Baek; Yi, Sang-Yeop; Han, Sang-Ah; Kim, Sun-Hyun; Lee, Jong-Min; Tong, Seo-Yun; Yin, Ping; Gao, Bowen; Zhang, Jun; Lou, Zhenkun

2017-01-01

Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) or apoptosis through the DNA-damage response is an important barrier of tumorigenesis. Overcoming this barrier leads to abnormal cell proliferation, genomic instability, and cellular transformation, and finally allows cancers to develop. However, it remains unclear how the OIS barrier is overcome. Here, we show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase WD repeat and SOCS box-containing protein 1 (WSB1) plays a role in overcoming OIS. WSB1 expression in primary cells helps the bypass of OIS, leading to abnormal proliferation and cellular transformation. Mechanistically, WSB1 promotes ATM ubiquitination, resulting in ATM degradation and the escape from OIS. Furthermore, we identify CDKs as the upstream kinase of WSB1. CDK-mediated phosphorylation activates WSB1 by promoting its monomerization. In human cancer tissue and in vitro models, WSB1-induced ATM degradation is an early event during tumorigenic progression. We suggest that WSB1 is one of the key players of early oncogenic events through ATM degradation and destruction of the tumorigenesis barrier. Our work establishes an important mechanism of cancer development and progression in premalignant lesions. PMID:27958289

SUMOylation Confers Posttranslational Stability on NPM-ALK Oncogenic Protein

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Deeksha Vishwamitra

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Nucleophosmin-anaplastic lymphoma kinase–expressing (NPM-ALK+ T-cell lymphoma is an aggressive form of cancer that commonly affects children and adolescents. The expression of NPM-ALK chimeric oncogene results from the chromosomal translocation t(2;5(p23;q35 that causes the fusion of the ALK and NPM genes. This translocation generates the NPM-ALK protein tyrosine kinase that forms the constitutively activated NPM-ALK/NPM-ALK homodimers. In addition, NPM-ALK is structurally associated with wild-type NPM to form NPM/NPM-ALK heterodimers, which can translocate to the nucleus. The mechanisms that sustain the stability of NPM-ALK are not fully understood. SUMOylation is a posttranslational modification that is characterized by the reversible conjugation of small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMOs with target proteins. SUMO competes with ubiquitin for substrate binding and therefore, SUMOylation is believed to protect target proteins from proteasomal degradation. Moreover, SUMOylation contributes to the subcellular distribution of target proteins. Herein, we found that the SUMOylation pathway is deregulated in NPM-ALK+ T-cell lymphoma cell lines and primary lymphoma tumors from patients. We also identified Lys24 and Lys32 within the NPM domain as the sites where NPM-ALK conjugates with SUMO-1 and SUMO-3. Importantly, antagonizing SUMOylation by the SENP1 protease decreased the accumulation of NPM-ALK and suppressed lymphoma cell viability, proliferation, and anchorage-independent colony formation. One possible mechanism for the SENP1-mediated decrease in NPM-ALK levels was the increase in NPM-ALK association with ubiquitin, which facilitates its degradation. Our findings propose a model in which aberrancies in SUMOylation contribute to the pathogenesis of NPM-ALK+ T-cell lymphoma. Unraveling such pathogenic mechanisms may lead to devising novel strategies to eliminate this aggressive neoplasm.

[High oncogenic risk human papillomavirus and urinary bladder cancer].

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Loran, O B; Sinyakova, L A; Gundorova, L V; Kosov, V A; Kosova, I V; Pogodina, I E; Kolbasov, D N

2017-07-01

To determine the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) of high oncogenic risk in the development of urinary bladder cancer. 100 patients (72 men and 28 women) aged 38 to 90 years (mean age 65+/-10 years) diagnosed with bladder cancer were examined and underwent treatment. Clinical assessment was complemented by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the presence of antiviral antibodies to herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and type 2, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), urethra scraping for detecting high oncogenic risk HPV. Tumor tissue was sampled for PCR virus detection. Semi-quantitative analysis was used to evaluate the components of lymphocyte-plasmocyte and leukocyte infiltrates and cytopathic changes in tumor tissue. There were positive correlations between cytopathic cell changes (koylocytosis and intranuclear inclusions, as manifestations of HPV) and the level of antiviral antibodies, the presence of viruses in the tumor, as well as with the components of the lymphoid-plasmocyte infiltrate. Negative correlations were found between the presence of papillomatosis and the above changes. Human papillomavirus is believed to be a trigger for the initiation of a tumor in young patients with a latent infection (CMV and EBV, HSV, HPV). Cytopathic changes (kylocytosis and intranuclear inclusions) were associated with the activity and morphological features of herpes-viral infections. Their degree varied depending on the stage of the process, but not on the anaplasia degree. Papillomatosis is associated with a more favorable course of the tumor process.

Heterogeneous Effects of Direct Hypoxia Pathway Activation in Kidney Cancer.

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Rafik Salama

Full Text Available General activation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF pathways is classically associated with adverse prognosis in cancer and has been proposed to contribute to oncogenic drive. In clear cell renal carcinoma (CCRC HIF pathways are upregulated by inactivation of the von-Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor. However HIF-1α and HIF-2α have contrasting effects on experimental tumor progression. To better understand this paradox we examined pan-genomic patterns of HIF DNA binding and associated gene expression in response to manipulation of HIF-1α and HIF-2α and related the findings to CCRC prognosis. Our findings reveal distinct pan-genomic organization of canonical and non-canonical HIF isoform-specific DNA binding at thousands of sites. Overall associations were observed between HIF-1α-specific binding, and genes associated with favorable prognosis and between HIF-2α-specific binding and adverse prognosis. However within each isoform-specific set, individual gene associations were heterogeneous in sign and magnitude, suggesting that activation of each HIF-α isoform contributes a highly complex mix of pro- and anti-tumorigenic effects.

The role of the Hedgehog signaling pathway in cancer: A comprehensive review

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Ana Marija Skoda

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The Hedgehog (Hh signaling pathway was first identified in the common fruit fly. It is a highly conserved evolutionary pathway of signal transmission from the cell membrane to the nucleus. The Hh signaling pathway plays an important role in the embryonic development. It exerts its biological effects through a signaling cascade that culminates in a change of balance between activator and repressor forms of glioma-associated oncogene (Gli transcription factors. The components of the Hh signaling pathway involved in the signaling transfer to the Gli transcription factors include Hedgehog ligands (Sonic Hh [SHh], Indian Hh [IHh], and Desert Hh [DHh], Patched receptor (Ptch1, Ptch2, Smoothened receptor (Smo, Suppressor of fused homolog (Sufu, kinesin protein Kif7, protein kinase A (PKA, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP. The activator form of Gli travels to the nucleus and stimulates the transcription of the target genes by binding to their promoters. The main target genes of the Hh signaling pathway are PTCH1, PTCH2, and GLI1. Deregulation of the Hh signaling pathway is associated with developmental anomalies and cancer, including Gorlin syndrome, and sporadic cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma, medulloblastoma, pancreatic, breast, colon, ovarian, and small-cell lung carcinomas. The aberrant activation of the Hh signaling pathway is caused by mutations in the related genes (ligand-independent signaling or by the excessive expression of the Hh signaling molecules (ligand-dependent signaling – autocrine or paracrine. Several Hh signaling pathway inhibitors, such as vismodegib and sonidegib, have been developed for cancer treatment. These drugs are regarded as promising cancer therapies, especially for patients with refractory/advanced cancers.

Simultaneous inhibition of multiple oncogenic miRNAs by a multi-potent microRNA sponge.

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Jung, Jaeyun; Yeom, Chanjoo; Choi, Yeon-Sook; Kim, Sinae; Lee, EunJi; Park, Min Ji; Kang, Sang Wook; Kim, Sung Bae; Chang, Suhwan

2015-08-21

The roles of oncogenic miRNAs are widely recognized in many cancers. Inhibition of single miRNA using antagomiR can efficiently knock-down a specific miRNA. However, the effect is transient and often results in subtle phenotype, as there are other miRNAs contribute to tumorigenesis. Here we report a multi-potent miRNA sponge inhibiting multiple miRNAs simultaneously. As a model system, we targeted miR-21, miR-155 and miR-221/222, known as oncogenic miRNAs in multiple tumors including breast and pancreatic cancers. To achieve efficient knockdown, we generated perfect and bulged-matched miRNA binding sites (MBS) and introduced multiple copies of MBS, ranging from one to five, in the multi-potent miRNA sponge. Luciferase reporter assay showed the multi-potent miRNA sponge efficiently inhibited 4 miRNAs in breast and pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, a stable and inducible version of the multi-potent miRNA sponge cell line showed the miRNA sponge efficiently reduces the level of 4 target miRNAs and increase target protein level of these oncogenic miRNAs. Finally, we showed the miRNA sponge sensitize cells to cancer drug and attenuate cell migratory activity. Altogether, our study demonstrates the multi-potent miRNA sponge is a useful tool to examine the functional impact of simultaneous inhibition of multiple miRNAs and proposes a therapeutic potential.

Oncogenic activation of v-kit involves deletion of a putative tyrosine-substrate interaction site.

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Herbst, R; Munemitsu, S; Ullrich, A

1995-01-19

The transforming gene of the Hardy-Zuckerman-4 strain of feline sarcoma virus, v-kit, arose by transduction of the cellular c-kit gene, which encodes the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) p145c-kit. To gain insight into the molecular basis of the v-kit transforming potential, we characterized the feline c-kit by cDNA cloning. Comparison of the feline v-kit and c-kit sequences revealed, in addition to deletions of the extracellular and transmembrane domains, three additional mutations in the v-kit oncogene product: deletion of tyrosine-569 and valine-570, the exchange of aspartate at position 761 to glycine, and replacement of the C-terminal 50 amino acids by five unrelated residues. Examinations of individual v-kit mutations in the context of chimeric receptors yielded inhibitory effects for some mutants on both autophosphorylation and substrate phosphorylation functions. In contrast, deletion of tyrosine-569 and valine-570 significantly enhanced transforming and mitogenic activities of p145c-kit, while the other mutations had no significant effects. Conservation in subclass III RTKs and the identification of the corresponding residue in beta PDGF-R, Y579, as a binding site for src family tyrosine kinases suggests an important role for Y568 in kit signal regulation and the definition of its oncogenic potential. Repositioning of Y571 by an inframe two codon deletion may be the crucial alteration resulting in enhancement of v-kit oncogenic activity.

Expression of the Hippo transducer TAZ in association with WNT pathway mutations impacts survival outcomes in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with first-line chemotherapy.

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Melucci, Elisa; Casini, Beatrice; Ronchetti, Livia; Pizzuti, Laura; Sperati, Francesca; Pallocca, Matteo; De Nicola, Francesca; Goeman, Frauke; Gallo, Enzo; Amoreo, Carla Azzurra; Sergi, Domenico; Terrenato, Irene; Vici, Patrizia; Di Lauro, Luigi; Diodoro, Maria Grazia; Pescarmona, Edoardo; Barba, Maddalena; Mazzotta, Marco; Mottolese, Marcella; Fanciulli, Maurizio; Ciliberto, Gennaro; De Maria, Ruggero; Buglioni, Simonetta; Maugeri-Saccà, Marcello

2018-02-05

An extensive crosstalk co-regulates the Hippo and Wnt pathway. Preclinical studies revealed that the Hippo transducers YAP/TAZ mediate a number of oncogenic functions in gastric cancer (GC). Moreover, comprehensive characterization of GC demonstrated that the Wnt pathway is targeted by oncogenic mutations. On this ground, we hypothesized that YAP/TAZ- and Wnt-related biomarkers may predict clinical outcomes in GC patients treated with chemotherapy. In the present study, we included 86 patients with advanced GC treated with first-line chemotherapy in prospective phase II trials or in routine clinical practice. Tissue samples were immunostained to evaluate the expression of YAP/TAZ. Mutational status of key Wnt pathway genes (CTNNB1, APC and FBXW7) was assessed by targeted DNA next-generation sequencing (NGS). Survival curves were estimated and compared by the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method and the log-rank test, respectively. Variables potentially affecting progression-free survival (PFS) were verified in univariate Cox proportional hazard models. The final multivariate Cox models were obtained with variables testing significant at the univariate analysis, and by adjusting for all plausible predictors of the outcome of interest (PFS). We observed a significant association between TAZ expression and Wnt mutations (Chi-squared p = 0.008). Combined TAZ expression and Wnt mutations (TAZ pos /WNT mut ) was more frequently observed in patients with the shortest progression-free survival (negative outliers) (Fisher p = 0.021). Uni-and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that patients whose tumors harbored the TAZ pos /WNT mut signature had an increased risk of disease progression (univariate Cox: HR 2.27, 95% CI 1.27-4.05, p = 0.006; multivariate Cox: HR 2.73, 95% CI 1.41-5.29, p = 0.003). Finally, the TAZ pos /WNT mut signature negatively impacted overall survival. Collectively, our findings indicate that the oncogenic YAP/TAZ-Wnt crosstalk may be

Mining pathway associations for disease-related pathway activity analysis based on gene expression and methylation data.

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Lee, Hyeonjeong; Shin, Miyoung

2017-01-01

The problem of discovering genetic markers as disease signatures is of great significance for the successful diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of complex diseases. Even if many earlier studies worked on identifying disease markers from a variety of biological resources, they mostly focused on the markers of genes or gene-sets (i.e., pathways). However, these markers may not be enough to explain biological interactions between genetic variables that are related to diseases. Thus, in this study, our aim is to investigate distinctive associations among active pathways (i.e., pathway-sets) shown each in case and control samples which can be observed from gene expression and/or methylation data. The pathway-sets are obtained by identifying a set of associated pathways that are often active together over a significant number of class samples. For this purpose, gene expression or methylation profiles are first analyzed to identify significant (active) pathways via gene-set enrichment analysis. Then, regarding these active pathways, an association rule mining approach is applied to examine interesting pathway-sets in each class of samples (case or control). By doing so, the sets of associated pathways often working together in activity profiles are finally chosen as our distinctive signature of each class. The identified pathway-sets are aggregated into a pathway activity network (PAN), which facilitates the visualization of differential pathway associations between case and control samples. From our experiments with two publicly available datasets, we could find interesting PAN structures as the distinctive signatures of breast cancer and uterine leiomyoma cancer, respectively. Our pathway-set markers were shown to be superior or very comparable to other genetic markers (such as genes or gene-sets) in disease classification. Furthermore, the PAN structure, which can be constructed from the identified markers of pathway-sets, could provide deeper insights into

Multiple-integrations of HPV16 genome and altered transcription of viral oncogenes and cellular genes are associated with the development of cervical cancer.

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Xulian Lu

Full Text Available The constitutive expression of the high-risk HPV E6 and E7 viral oncogenes is the major cause of cervical cancer. To comprehensively explore the composition of HPV16 early transcripts and their genomic annotation, cervical squamous epithelial tissues from 40 HPV16-infected patients were collected for analysis of papillomavirus oncogene transcripts (APOT. We observed different transcription patterns of HPV16 oncogenes in progression of cervical lesions to cervical cancer and identified one novel transcript. Multiple-integration events in the tissues of cervical carcinoma (CxCa are significantly more often than those of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL. Moreover, most cellular genes within or near these integration sites are cancer-associated genes. Taken together, this study suggests that the multiple-integrations of HPV genome during persistent viral infection, which thereby alters the expression patterns of viral oncogenes and integration-related cellular genes, play a crucial role in progression of cervical lesions to cervix cancer.

An oncogenic MYB feedback loop drives alternate cell fates in adenoid cystic carcinoma

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Drier, Yotam; Cotton, Matthew J.; Williamson, Kaylyn E.; Gillespie, Shawn M.; Ryan, Russell J.H.; Kluk, Michael J.; Carey, Christopher D.; Rodig, Scott J.; Sholl, Lynette M; Afrogheh, Amir H.; Faquin, William C.; Queimado, Lurdes; Qi, Jun; Wick, Michael J.; El-Naggar, Adel K.; Bradner, James E.; Moskaluk, Christopher A.; Aster, Jon C.; Knoechel, Birgit; Bernstein, Bradley E.

2016-01-01

Translocation events are frequent in cancer and may create chimeric fusions or ‘regulatory rearrangements’ that drive oncogene overexpression. Here we identify super-enhancer translocations that drive overexpression of the oncogenic transcription factor MYB as a recurrent theme in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). Whole-genome sequencing data and chromatin maps reveal distinct chromosomal rearrangements that juxtapose super-enhancers to the MYB locus. Chromosome conformation capture confirms that the translocated enhancers interact with the MYB promoter. Remarkably, MYB protein binds to the translocated enhancers, creating a positive feedback loop that sustains its expression. MYB also binds enhancers that drive different regulatory programs in alternate cell lineages in ACC, cooperating with TP63 in myoepithelial cells and a Notch program in luminal epithelial cells. Bromodomain inhibitors slow tumor growth in ACC primagraft models in vivo. Thus, our study identifies super-enhancer translocations that drive MYB expression and provides insight into downstream MYB functions in the alternate ACC lineages. PMID:26829750

Overexpression of the transcription factor Sp1 activates the OAS-RNAse L-RIG-I pathway.

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Valéryane Dupuis-Maurin

Full Text Available Deregulated expression of oncogenes or transcription factors such as specificity protein 1 (Sp1 is observed in many human cancers and plays a role in tumor maintenance. Paradoxically in untransformed cells, Sp1 overexpression induces late apoptosis but the early intrinsic response is poorly characterized. In the present work, we studied increased Sp1 level consequences in untransformed cells and showed that it turns on an early innate immune transcriptome. Sp1 overexpression does not activate known cellular stress pathways such as DNA damage response or endoplasmic reticulum stress, but induces the activation of the OAS-RNase L pathway and the generation of small self-RNAs, leading to the upregulation of genes of the antiviral RIG-I pathway at the transcriptional and translational levels. Finally, Sp1-induced intrinsic innate immune response leads to the production of the chemokine CXCL4 and to the recruitment of inflammatory cells in vitro and in vivo. Altogether our results showed that increased Sp1 level in untransformed cells constitutes a novel danger signal sensed by the OAS-RNase L axis leading to the activation of the RIG-I pathway. These results suggested that the OAS-RNase L-RIG-I pathway may be activated in sterile condition in absence of pathogen.

GSK3 is required for rapalogs to induce degradation of some oncogenic proteins and to suppress cancer cell growth.

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Koo, Junghui; Wang, Xuerong; Owonikoko, Taofeek K; Ramalingam, Suresh S; Khuri, Fadlo R; Sun, Shi-Yong

2015-04-20

The single-agent activity of rapalogs (rapamycin and its analogues) in most tumor types has been modest at best. The underlying mechanisms are largely unclear. In this report, we have uncovered a critical role of GSK3 in regulating degradation of some oncogenic proteins induced by rapalogs and cell sensitivity to rapalogs. The basal level of GSK3 activity was positively correlated with cell sensitivity of lung cancer cell lines to rapalogs. GSK3 inhibition antagonized rapamycin's growth inhibitory effects both in vitro and in vivo, while enforced activation of GSK3β sensitized cells to rapamycin. GSK3 inhibition rescued rapamcyin-induced reduction of several oncogenic proteins such as cyclin D1, Mcl-1 and c-Myc, without interfering with the ability of rapamycin to suppress mTORC1 signaling and cap binding. Interestingly, rapamycin induces proteasomal degradation of these oncogenic proteins, as evidenced by their decreased stabilities induced by rapamcyin and rescue of their reduction by proteasomal inhibition. Moreover, acute or short-time rapamycin treatment dissociated not only raptor, but also rictor from mTOR in several tested cell lines, suggesting inhibition of both mTORC1 and mTORC2. Thus, induction of GSK3-dependent degradation of these oncogenic proteins is likely secondary to mTORC2 inhibition; this effect should be critical for rapamycin to exert its anticancer activity.

Pro-oncogene Pokemon promotes breast cancer progression by upregulating survivin expression.

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Zu, Xuyu; Ma, Jun; Liu, Hongxia; Liu, Feng; Tan, Chunyan; Yu, Lingling; Wang, Jue; Xie, Zhenhua; Cao, Deliang; Jiang, Yuyang

2011-03-10

Pokemon is an oncogenic transcription factor involved in cell growth, differentiation and oncogenesis, but little is known about its role in human breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to reveal the role of Pokemon in breast cancer progression and patient survival and to understand its underlying mechanisms. Tissue microarray analysis of breast cancer tissues from patients with complete clinicopathological data and more than 20 years of follow-up were used to evaluate Pokemon expression and its correlation with the progression and prognosis of the disease. DNA microarray analysis of MCF-7 cells that overexpress Pokemon was used to identify Pokemon target genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and site-directed mutagenesis were utilized to determine how Pokemon regulates survivin expression, a target gene. Pokemon was found to be overexpressed in 158 (86.8%) of 182 breast cancer tissues, and its expression was correlated with tumor size (P = 0.0148) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0014). Pokemon expression led to worse overall (n = 175, P = 0.01) and disease-related (n = 79, P = 0.0134) patient survival. DNA microarray analyses revealed that in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, Pokemon regulates the expression of at least 121 genes involved in several signaling and metabolic pathways, including anti-apoptotic survivin. In clinical specimens, Pokemon and survivin expression were highly correlated (n = 49, r = 0.6799, P Pokemon induces survivin expression by binding to the GT boxes in its promoter. Pokemon promotes breast cancer progression by upregulating survivin expression and thus may be a potential target for the treatment of this malignancy.

Polyvalent Vaccines Targeting Oncogenic Driver Pathways

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Mary L. (Nora) Disis, MD, is the Athena Distinguished Professor of Breast Cancer Research and Associate Dean for Translational Health Sciences in the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine. She is a Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Pathology and Obstetrics and Gynecology at UW, and a Member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC). She is also an American Cancer Society Clinical Professor and a Komen Scholar. In addition to directing work in the Tumor Vaccine Group, Dr. Disis is the Director of the Institute of Translational Health Sciences and the Director for the Center for Translational Medicine in Women’s Health at the UW. Dr. Disis is an expert in breast and ovarian cancer immunology and translational research. She is one of the pioneering investigators who discovered that HER-2/neu is a tumor antigen. Her work has led to several clinical trials which evaluate boosting immunity to HER-2/neu with cancer vaccines. Her research interest is in the discovery of new molecular immunologic targets in solid tumors for the development of vaccine and cellular therapy for the treatment and prevention of common malignancies. Dr. Disis is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and the American Society of Clinical Investigation. She is also the Editor-in-Chief for JAMA Oncology, and is a member of several committees and task forces for both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Dr. Disis received her MD from the University of Nebraska Medical School and completed a residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago and her fellowship in oncology at UW/FHCRC.

Double demonstration of oncogenic high risk human papilloma virus DNA and HPV-E7 protein in oral cancers.

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Pannone, G; Santoro, A; Carinci, F; Bufo, P; Papagerakis, S M; Rubini, C; Campisi, G; Giovannelli, L; Contaldo, M; Serpico, R; Mazzotta, M; Lo Muzio, L

2011-01-01

Oncogenic HPVs are necessarily involved in cervical cancer but their role in oral carcinogenesis is debated. To detect HPV in oral cancer, 38 cases of formalin fixed-paraffin embedded OSCC were studied by both DNA genotyping (MY09/11 L1 consensus primers in combination with GP5-GP6 primer pair followed by sequencing) and immunohistochemistry (monoclonal Abs against capsid protein and HPV-E7 protein, K1H8 DAKO and clone 8C9 INVITROGEN, respectively). HPV-16 tonsil cancer was used as positive control. The overall prevalence of HPV infection in OSCCs was 10.5%. Amplification of DNA samples showed single HPV DNA infection in 3 cases (HPV16; HPV53; HPV70) and double infection in one case of cheek cancer (HPV31/HPV44). The overall HR-HPV prevalence was 7.5%. E-7 antigen was immunohistochemically detected in all HPV-positive cases. HPV+ OSCC cases showed an overall better outcome than HPV negative oral cancers, as evaluated by Kaplan-Meier curves. HPVs exert their oncogenic role after DNA integration, gene expression of E5, E6 and E7 loci and p53/pRb host proteins suppression. This study showed that HPV-E7 protein inactivating pRb is expressed in oral cancer cells infected by oncogenic HPV other than classical HR-HPV-16/18. Interestingly HPV-70, considered a low risk virus with no definite collocation in oncogenic type category, gives rise to the expression of HPV-E7 protein and inactivate pRb in oral cancer. HPV-70, as proved in current literature, is able to inactivates also p53 protein, promoting cell immortalization. HPV-53, classified as a possible high risk virus, expresses E7 protein in OSCC, contributing to oral carcinogenesis. We have identified among OSCCs, a subgroup characterized by HPV infection (10.5%). Finally, we have proved the oncogenic potential of some HPV virus types, not well known in literature.

MicroRNA-205 suppresses the oral carcinoma oncogenic activity via down-regulation of Axin-2 in KB human oral cancer cell.

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Kim, Jae-Sung; Park, Sun-Young; Lee, Seul Ah; Park, Min-Gyeong; Yu, Sun-Kyoung; Lee, Myoung-Hwa; Park, Mi-Ra; Kim, Su-Gwan; Oh, Ji-Su; Lee, Sook-Young; Kim, Chun Sung; Kim, Heung-Joong; Chun, Hong Sung; Kim, Jin-Soo; Moon, Sung-Min; Kim, Do Kyung

2014-02-01

MicroRNA (miRNA) is a small noncoding RNA molecule, 19-25 nucleotides in length, which regulates several pathways including cell development, cell proliferation, carcinogenesis, apoptosis, etc. In this study, the over-expression of microRNA-205 (miR-205) increased the number of apoptotic cells by at least 4 times compared to the control. In addition, over-expressed miRNA in KB oral cancer cells triggered apoptosis via the caspase cascade, including the cleavage of caspase-9, caspase-7, caspase-3, and PARP. Flow cytometry showed that apoptotic cell death was increased significantly by 35.33% in KB oral cancer cells with over-expressed miR-205 compared to the control. The microarray data showed that axis inhibitor protein 2 (Axin2) was down-regulated in KB oral cancer cells transfected with miR-205. In addition, Axin2 was down-regulated by approximately 50% by over-expressed miR-205 at both the mRNA and protein levels. Interestingly, Axin2 was up-regulated in KB oral cancer compared to human normal oral keratinocytes. Furthermore, the cell cytotoxicity and apoptotic population of KB oral cancer cells were increased significantly after Axin2 siRNA transfection. These results suggest that Axin2 is might be as potential oncogene in KB oral cancer cells. The luciferase assay showed that over-expressed miR-205 in KB oral cancer cells suppressed AXIN2 expression through an interaction with its own binding site at AXIN2 3'UTR (64-92). These results suggest that miR-205 is a novel anti-oncogenic miRNA in KB oral cancer cells, and may have potential applications in oral cancer therapy.

The Expression, Purification, and Characterization of a Ras Oncogene (Bras2 in Silkworm (Bombyx mori

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Zhengbing Lv

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The Ras oncogene of silkworm pupae (Bras2 may belong to the Ras superfamily. It shares 77% of its amino acid identity with teratocarcinoma oncogene 21 (TC21 related ras viral oncogene homolog-2 (R-Ras2 and possesses an identical core effector region. The mRNA of Bombyx mori Bras2 has 1412 bp. The open reading frame contains 603 bp, which encodes 200 amino acid residues. This recombinant BmBras2 protein was subsequently used as an antigen to raise a rabbit polyclonal antibody. Western blotting and real-time PCR analyses showed that BmBras2 was expressed during four developmental stages. The BmBras2 expression level was the highest in the pupae and was low in other life cycle stages. BmBras2 was expressed in all eight tested tissues, and it was highly expressed in the head, intestine, and epidermis. Subcellular localization studies indicated that BmBras2 was predominantly localized in the nuclei of Bm5 cells, although cytoplasmic staining was also observed to a lesser extent. A cell proliferation assay showed that rBmBras2 could stimulate the proliferation of hepatoma cells. The higher BmBras2 expression levels in the pupal stage, tissue expression patterns, and a cell proliferation assay indicated that BmBras2 promotes cell division and proliferation, most likely by influencing cell signal transduction.

The Expression, Purification, and Characterization of a Ras Oncogene (Bras2) in Silkworm (Bombyx mori).

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Zhengbing; Wang, Tao; Zhuang, Wenhua; Wang, Dan; Chen, Jian; Nie, Zuoming; Liu, Lili; Zhang, Wenping; Wang, Lisha; Wang, Deming; Wu, Xiangfu; Li, Jun; Qian, Lian; Zhang, Yaozhou

2013-01-01

The Ras oncogene of silkworm pupae (Bras2) may belong to the Ras superfamily. It shares 77% of its amino acid identity with teratocarcinoma oncogene 21 (TC21) related ras viral oncogene homolog-2 (R-Ras2) and possesses an identical core effector region. The mRNA of Bombyx mori Bras2 has 1412 bp. The open reading frame contains 603 bp, which encodes 200 amino acid residues. This recombinant BmBras2 protein was subsequently used as an antigen to raise a rabbit polyclonal antibody. Western blotting and real-time PCR analyses showed that BmBras2 was expressed during four developmental stages. The BmBras2 expression level was the highest in the pupae and was low in other life cycle stages. BmBras2 was expressed in all eight tested tissues, and it was highly expressed in the head, intestine, and epidermis. Subcellular localization studies indicated that BmBras2 was predominantly localized in the nuclei of Bm5 cells, although cytoplasmic staining was also observed to a lesser extent. A cell proliferation assay showed that rBmBras2 could stimulate the proliferation of hepatoma cells. The higher BmBras2 expression levels in the pupal stage, tissue expression patterns, and a cell proliferation assay indicated that BmBras2 promotes cell division and proliferation, most likely by influencing cell signal transduction.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Regulation of PD-L2 Expression in Oncogene-Driven Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Shibahara, Daisuke; Tanaka, Kentaro; Iwama, Eiji; Kubo, Naoki; Ota, Keiichi; Azuma, Koichi; Harada, Taishi; Fujita, Jiro; Nakanishi, Yoichi; Okamoto, Isamu

2018-03-27

The interaction of programmed cell death ligand 2 (PD-L2) with programmed cell death 1 is implicated in tumor immune escape. The regulation of PD-L2 expression in tumor cells has remained unclear, however. We here examined intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of PD-L2 expression in NSCLC. PD-L2 expression was evaluated by reverse transcription and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis and by flow cytometry. BEAS-2B cells stably expressing an activated mutant form of EGFR or the echinoderm microtubule associated protein like 4 (EML4)-ALK receptor tyrosine kinase fusion oncoprotein manifested increased expression of PD-L2 at both the mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, treatment of NSCLC cell lines that harbor such driver oncogenes with corresponding EGFR or ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors or depletion of EGFR or ALK by small interfering RNA transfection suppressed expression of PD-L2, demonstrating that activating EGFR mutations or echinoderm microtubule associated protein like 4 gene (EML4)-ALK receptor tyrosine kinase gene (ALK) fusion intrinsically induce PD-L2 expression. We also found that interferon gamma (IFN-γ) extrinsically induced expression of PD-L2 through signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 signaling in NSCLC cells. Oncogene-driven expression of PD-L2 in NSCLC cells was inhibited by knockdown of the transcription factors signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) or c-FOS. IFN-γ also activated STAT3 and c-FOS, suggesting that these proteins may also contribute to the extrinsic induction of PD-L2 expression. Expression of PD-L2 is induced intrinsically by activating EGFR mutations or EML4-ALK fusion and extrinsically by IFN-γ, with STAT3 and c-FOS possibly contributing to both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Our results thus provide insight into the complexity of tumor immune escape in NSCLC. Copyright © 2018 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mitotic Stress Is an Integral Part of the Oncogene-Induced Senescence Program that Promotes Multinucleation and Cell Cycle Arrest

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Dina Dikovskaya

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS is a tumor suppression mechanism that blocks cell proliferation in response to oncogenic signaling. OIS is frequently accompanied by multinucleation; however, the origin of this is unknown. Here, we show that multinucleate OIS cells originate mostly from failed mitosis. Prior to senescence, mutant H-RasV12 activation in primary human fibroblasts compromised mitosis, concordant with abnormal expression of mitotic genes functionally linked to the observed mitotic spindle and chromatin defects. Simultaneously, H-RasV12 activation enhanced survival of cells with damaged mitoses, culminating in extended mitotic arrest and aberrant exit from mitosis via mitotic slippage. ERK-dependent transcriptional upregulation of Mcl1 was, at least in part, responsible for enhanced survival and slippage of cells with mitotic defects. Importantly, mitotic slippage and oncogene signaling cooperatively induced senescence and key senescence effectors p21 and p16. In summary, activated Ras coordinately triggers mitotic disruption and enhanced cell survival to promote formation of multinucleate senescent cells.

Targeting of the tumor suppressor GRHL3 by a miR-21-dependent proto-oncogenic network results in PTEN loss and tumorigenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Darido, Charbel; Georgy, Smitha R; Wilanowski, Tomasz; Dworkin, Sebastian; Auden, Alana; Zhao, Quan; Rank, Gerhard; Srivastava, Seema; Finlay, Moira J; Papenfuss, Anthony T; Pandolfi, Pier Paolo; Pearson, Richard B; Jane, Stephen M

2011-11-15

Despite its prevalence, the molecular basis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remains poorly understood. Here, we identify the developmental transcription factor Grhl3 as a potent tumor suppressor of SCC in mice, and demonstrate that targeting of Grhl3 by a miR-21-dependent proto-oncogenic network underpins SCC in humans. Deletion of Grhl3 in adult epidermis evokes loss of expression of PTEN, a direct GRHL3 target, resulting in aggressive SCC induced by activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling. Restoration of Pten expression completely abrogates SCC formation. Reduced levels of GRHL3 and PTEN are evident in human skin, and head and neck SCC, associated with increased expression of miR-21, which targets both tumor suppressors. Our data define the GRHL3-PTEN axis as a critical tumor suppressor pathway in SCC. 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regulation of the PI3K pathway through a p85α monomer–homodimer equilibrium

KAUST Repository

Cheung, Lydia W T; Walkiewicz, Katarzyna Wiktoria; Besong, Tabot M.D.; Guo, Huifang; Hawke, David H.; Arold, Stefan T.; Mills, Gordon B.

2015-01-01

The canonical action of the p85α regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is to associate with the p110α catalytic subunit to allow stimuli-dependent activation of the PI3K pathway. We elucidate a p110α-independent role of homodimerized p85α in the positive regulation of PTEN stability and activity. p110α-free p85α homodimerizes via two intermolecular interactions (SH3:proline-rich region and BH:BH) to selectively bind unphosphorylated activated PTEN. As a consequence, homodimeric but not monomeric p85α suppresses the PI3K pathway by protecting PTEN from E3 ligase WWP2-mediated proteasomal degradation. Further, the p85α homodimer enhances the lipid phosphatase activity and membrane association of PTEN. Strikingly, we identified cancer patient-derived oncogenic p85α mutations that target the homodimerization or PTEN interaction surface. Collectively, our data suggest the equilibrium of p85α monomerdimers regulates the PI3K pathway and disrupting this equilibrium could lead to disease development. © Cheung et al.

Regulation of the PI3K pathway through a p85α monomer–homodimer equilibrium

KAUST Repository

Cheung, Lydia W T

2015-07-29

The canonical action of the p85α regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is to associate with the p110α catalytic subunit to allow stimuli-dependent activation of the PI3K pathway. We elucidate a p110α-independent role of homodimerized p85α in the positive regulation of PTEN stability and activity. p110α-free p85α homodimerizes via two intermolecular interactions (SH3:proline-rich region and BH:BH) to selectively bind unphosphorylated activated PTEN. As a consequence, homodimeric but not monomeric p85α suppresses the PI3K pathway by protecting PTEN from E3 ligase WWP2-mediated proteasomal degradation. Further, the p85α homodimer enhances the lipid phosphatase activity and membrane association of PTEN. Strikingly, we identified cancer patient-derived oncogenic p85α mutations that target the homodimerization or PTEN interaction surface. Collectively, our data suggest the equilibrium of p85α monomerdimers regulates the PI3K pathway and disrupting this equilibrium could lead to disease development. © Cheung et al.

Signal transduction in mitogenesis: Further evidence for multiple pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rozengurt, E.; Erusalimsky, J.; Mehmet, H.; Morris, C.; Nanberg, E.; Sinnett-Smith, J.

1988-01-01

Growth factors are implicated in a wide variety of physiological and pathological processes, including embryogenesis, hematopoiesis, would healing, immune responses, atherosclerosis, and neoplasia. An important link between growth factors and their receptors and oncogene products has also been established. Thus, the elucidation of the mechanism of action of growth factors has emerged as one of the fundamental problems in biology and may prove crucial for understanding the unrestrained proliferation of cancer cells. A new and intriguing development is the discovery that neuropeptides localized in neural and neuroendocrine cells of mammalian tissue can also act as growth factors for cells in culture. Furthermore, indirect evidence is accumulating that the mitogenic effects of neuropeptides may be relevant for a variety of long-term biological processes, including development and oncogenesis. In this context, the peptides of the bombesin family are of particular significance. These peptides are potent mitogens for Swiss 3T3 cells and may act as autocrine growth factors for small cell lung cancer. Here, the authors summarize their recent studies using bombesin-like peptides for elucidating the signal transduction pathways leading to mitogenesis and compare these pathways with those elicited by other growth factors

Oncogenic Radiation Abscopal Effects In Vivo: Interrogating Mouse Skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mancuso, Mariateresa; Leonardi, Simona; Giardullo, Paola; Pasquali, Emanuela; Tanori, Mirella; De Stefano, Ilaria; Casciati, Arianna; Naus, Christian C.; Pazzaglia, Simonetta; Saran, Anna

2013-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the tissue dependence in transmission of abscopal radiation signals and their oncogenic consequences in a radiosensitive mouse model and to explore the involvement of gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) in mediating radiation tumorigenesis in off-target mouse skin. Methods and Materials: Patched1 heterozygous (Ptch1 +/− ) mice were irradiated at postnatal day 2 (P2) with 10 Gy of x-rays. Individual lead cylinders were used to protect the anterior two-thirds of the body, whereas the hindmost part was directly exposed to radiation. To test the role of GJICs and their major constituent connexin43 (Cx43), crosses between Ptch1 +/− and Cx43 +/− mice were similarly irradiated. These mouse groups were monitored for their lifetime, and skin basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) were counted and recorded. Early responses to DNA damage - Double Strand Breaks (DSBs) and apoptosis - were also evaluated in shielded and directly irradiated skin areas. Results: We report abscopal tumor induction in the shielded skin of Ptch1 +/− mice after partial-body irradiation. Endpoints were induction of early nodular BCC-like tumors and macroscopic infiltrative BCCs. Abscopal tumorigenesis was significantly modulated by Cx43 status, namely, Cx43 reduction was associated with decreased levels of DNA damage and oncogenesis in out-of-field skin, suggesting a key role of GJIC in transmission of oncogenic radiation signals to unhit skin. Conclusions: Our results further characterize the nature of abscopal responses and the implications they have on pathologic processes in different tissues, including their possible underlying mechanistic bases

Oncogenic Radiation Abscopal Effects In Vivo: Interrogating Mouse Skin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mancuso, Mariateresa, E-mail: mariateresa.mancuso@enea.it [Laboratory of Radiation Biology and Biomedicine, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l' Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), Casaccia Research Centre, Rome (Italy); Leonardi, Simona [Laboratory of Radiation Biology and Biomedicine, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l' Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), Casaccia Research Centre, Rome (Italy); Giardullo, Paola; Pasquali, Emanuela [Department of Radiation Physics, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome (Italy); Tanori, Mirella [Laboratory of Radiation Biology and Biomedicine, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l' Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), Casaccia Research Centre, Rome (Italy); De Stefano, Ilaria [Department of Radiation Physics, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome (Italy); Casciati, Arianna [Laboratory of Radiation Biology and Biomedicine, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l' Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), Casaccia Research Centre, Rome (Italy); Naus, Christian C. [Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, The Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Pazzaglia, Simonetta; Saran, Anna [Laboratory of Radiation Biology and Biomedicine, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l' Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), Casaccia Research Centre, Rome (Italy)

2013-08-01

Purpose: To investigate the tissue dependence in transmission of abscopal radiation signals and their oncogenic consequences in a radiosensitive mouse model and to explore the involvement of gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) in mediating radiation tumorigenesis in off-target mouse skin. Methods and Materials: Patched1 heterozygous (Ptch1{sup +/−}) mice were irradiated at postnatal day 2 (P2) with 10 Gy of x-rays. Individual lead cylinders were used to protect the anterior two-thirds of the body, whereas the hindmost part was directly exposed to radiation. To test the role of GJICs and their major constituent connexin43 (Cx43), crosses between Ptch1{sup +/−} and Cx43{sup +/−} mice were similarly irradiated. These mouse groups were monitored for their lifetime, and skin basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) were counted and recorded. Early responses to DNA damage - Double Strand Breaks (DSBs) and apoptosis - were also evaluated in shielded and directly irradiated skin areas. Results: We report abscopal tumor induction in the shielded skin of Ptch1{sup +/−} mice after partial-body irradiation. Endpoints were induction of early nodular BCC-like tumors and macroscopic infiltrative BCCs. Abscopal tumorigenesis was significantly modulated by Cx43 status, namely, Cx43 reduction was associated with decreased levels of DNA damage and oncogenesis in out-of-field skin, suggesting a key role of GJIC in transmission of oncogenic radiation signals to unhit skin. Conclusions: Our results further characterize the nature of abscopal responses and the implications they have on pathologic processes in different tissues, including their possible underlying mechanistic bases.

The inhibitory NKR-P1B:Clr-b recognition axis facilitates detection of oncogenic transformation and cancer immunosurveillance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanaka, M; Fine, Jason; Kirkham, Christina

2018-01-01

Natural killer (NK) cells express receptors specific for MHC class I (MHC-I) molecules involved in "missing-self" recognition of cancer and virus-infected cells. Here we elucidate the role of MHC-I-independent NKR-P1B:Clr-b interactions in the detection of oncogenic transformation by NK cells. Ras......-b protein, in turn promoting missing-self recognition via the NKR-P1B inhibitory receptor. Both Ras- and c-Myc-mediated Clr-b loss selectively augmented cytotoxicity of oncogene-transformed leukemia cells by NKR-P1B+ NK cells in vitro and enhanced rejection by WT mice in vivo. Interestingly, genetic...

Gain-of-function mutant p53 but not p53 deletion promotes head and neck cancer progression in response to oncogenic K-ras

Science.gov (United States)

Acin, Sergio; Li, Zhongyou; Mejia, Olga; Roop, Dennis R; El-Naggar, Adel K; Caulin, Carlos

2015-01-01

Mutations in p53 occur in over 50% of the human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (SCCHN). The majority of these mutations result in the expression of mutant forms of p53, rather than deletions in the p53 gene. Some p53 mutants are associated with poor prognosis in SCCHN patients. However, the molecular mechanisms that determine the poor outcome of cancers carrying p53 mutations are unknown. Here, we generated a mouse model for SCCHN and found that activation of the endogenous p53 gain-of-function mutation p53R172H, but not deletion of p53, cooperates with oncogenic K-ras during SCCHN initiation, accelerates oral tumour growth, and promotes progression to carcinoma. Mechanistically, expression profiling of the tumours that developed in these mice and studies using cell lines derived from these tumours determined that mutant p53 induces the expression of genes involved in mitosis, including cyclin B1 and cyclin A, and accelerates entry in mitosis. Additionally, we discovered that this oncogenic function of mutant p53 was dependent on K-ras because the expression of cyclin B1 and cyclin A decreased, and entry in mitosis was delayed, after suppressing K-ras expression in oral tumour cells that express p53R172H. The presence of double-strand breaks in the tumours suggests that oncogene-dependent DNA damage resulting from K-ras activation promotes the oncogenic function of mutant p53. Accordingly, DNA damage induced by doxorubicin also induced increased expression of cyclin B1 and cyclin A in cells that express p53R172H. These findings represent strong in vivo evidence for an oncogenic function of endogenous p53 gain-of-function mutations in SCCHN and provide a mechanistic explanation for the genetic interaction between oncogenic K-ras and mutant p53. PMID:21952947

Transcriptome profiling identifies genes and pathways deregulated upon floxuridine treatment in colorectal cancer cells harboring GOF mutant p53

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Arindam Datta

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Mutation in TP53 is a common genetic alteration in human cancers. Certain tumor associated p53 missense mutants acquire gain-of-function (GOF properties and confer oncogenic phenotypes including enhanced chemoresistance. The colorectal cancers (CRC harboring mutant p53 are generally aggressive in nature and difficult to treat. To identify a potential gene expression signature of GOF mutant p53-driven acquired chemoresistance in CRC, we performed transcriptome profiling of floxuridine (FUdR treated SW480 cells expressing mutant p53R273H (GEO#: GSE77533. We obtained several genes differentially regulated between FUdR treated and untreated cells. Further, functional characterization and pathway analysis revealed significant enrichment of crucial biological processes and pathways upon FUdR treatment in SW480 cells. Our data suggest that in response to chemotherapeutics treatment, cancer cells with GOF mutant p53 can modulate key cellular pathways to withstand the cytotoxic effect of the drugs. The genes and pathways identified in the present study can be further validated and targeted for better chemotherapy response in colorectal cancer patients harboring mutant p53.

Gene activated by growth factors is related to the oncogene v-jun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryder, K.; Lau, L.F.; Nathans, D.

1988-01-01

The authors have recently identified by cDNA cloning a set of genes that are rapidly activated in cultured mouse cells by protein growth factors. Here they report that the nucleotide sequence of a cDNA (clone 465) derived from one of these immediate early genes (hereafter called jun-B) encodes a protein homologous to that encoded by the avian sarcoma virus 17 oncogene v-jun. Homology between the jun-B and v-jun proteins is in two regions: one near the N terminus and the other at the C terminus. The latter sequence was shown to have regions of sequence similarity to the DNA-binding domain of the yeast transcriptional regulatory protein GCN4 and to the oncogenic protein fos. Southern blots of human, mouse, and chicken DNA demonstrate that jun-B and c-jun are different genes and that there may be other vertebrate genes related to jun-B and c-jun. These findings suggest that there is a jun family of genes encoding related transcriptional regulatory proteins. The jun-B protein, and perhaps other members of the jun family, may play a role in regulating the genomic response to growth factors

Classifying Classifications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Debus, Michael S.

2017-01-01

This paper critically analyzes seventeen game classifications. The classifications were chosen on the basis of diversity, ranging from pre-digital classification (e.g. Murray 1952), over game studies classifications (e.g. Elverdam & Aarseth 2007) to classifications of drinking games (e.g. LaBrie et...... al. 2013). The analysis aims at three goals: The classifications’ internal consistency, the abstraction of classification criteria and the identification of differences in classification across fields and/or time. Especially the abstraction of classification criteria can be used in future endeavors...... into the topic of game classifications....

Nicotine-mediated suppression of the retinoic acid metabolizing enzyme CYP26A1 limits the oncogenic potential of breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Osanai, Makoto; Lee, Gang-Hong

2011-06-01

Tobacco smoke influences cancer development in tissues that are not directly exposed, and epidemiological studies have indicated that smoking women might experience decreased risk of breast cancer as a result of antiestrogenic effects. However, it remains to be clarified whether nicotine, one of the major addictive and best-investigated constituents of tobacco smoke, has any effect on breast cancer. Our recent work demonstrated that the retinoic acid metabolizing enzyme CYP26A1 enhances oncogenic and cell survival properties of breast carcinoma cells, implying a role as an oncogene. Here, we present evidence that nicotine significantly suppresses constitutive expression of CYP26A1, and that cells treated with nicotine exhibit enhanced sensitivity to apoptosis. In addition, nicotine may inhibit anchorage independent growth, cellular invasiveness and motility. These data show that nicotine can limit CYP26A1-mediated oncogenic characteristics, and suggest mechanisms by which nicotine might inhibit breast cancer development. © 2011 Japanese Cancer Association.

FACTORES PRONOSTICOS DEL CANCER DE MAMA Y ONCOGEN HER2/NEU

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F.J. Martín Gil

2006-08-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: PRONOSTIC FACTORS OF BREAST CANCER AND HER2/NEUThe breast cancer constitutes the main cause of death by cancer in women of our country. In spite of the efforts directed in campaigns of precocious detection, the incidence continues increasing in a 1% approximately per year and the rate of mortality stay constant. Therefore it is of great importance to consolidate efforts directed towards the development and use of therapeutic and diagnostic methods. The development of neoplasia is directly related to successive genetic mutations in which cellular oncogenes are involved.It is known that in case of breast cancer the Her2/neu oncogene (Human epidermal growth receptor-2 factor is amplified and/or overexpressed in approximately a 30% of the cases. The knowledge of a positive result for Her2/neu overexpression has an important value in prognosis as it is associated to a greater aggressiveness of the disease. Also, this gene can be an answer marker to certain treatments like trastuzumab. RESUMEN:El cáncer de mama (CM constituye la principal causa de muerte por cáncer en mujeres de nuestro país. A pesar de los esfuerzos dirigidos hacia las campañas de detección precoz, la incidencia sigue aumentando aproximadamente en un 1% por año y la tasa de mortalidad sigue manteniéndose constante.Es por ello de gran importancia aunar esfuerzos dirigidos al desarrollo y utilización de métodos diagnósticos y terapéuticos. El desarrollo de una neoplasia está directamente relacionado con mutaciones genéticas sucesivas en las que están involucrados oncogenes celulares.En el caso del cáncer de mama se sabe que el encogen Her2/neu (Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 está amplificado y/o sobreexpresado en aproximadamente un 30% de los casos. El conocimiento de la positividad del mismo tiene un importante valor pronóstico asociándose a una mayor agresividad de la enfermedad. Así mismo dicho gen puede ser un marcador predictivo de respuesta

The non-small cell lung cancer EGFR extracellular domain mutation, M277E, is oncogenic and drug-sensitive

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Yu S

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Su Yu,1,2 Yang Zhang,1 Yunjian Pan,1 Chao Cheng,1,3 Yihua Sun,1,3 Haiquan Chen1–4 1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; 2Cancer Research Center, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; 3Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; 4Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China Purpose: To identify novel oncogenic mutations in non-small cell lung cancer patient specimens that lack mutations in known targetable genes (“pan-negative” patients.Methods: Comprehensive mutational analyses were performed on 1,356 lung adenocarcinoma specimens. In this cohort of patients, common lung cancer oncogenic driver mutations were detected in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR kinase domain, the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 kinase domain, as well as the KRAS, BRAF, ALK, ROS1 and RET genes. A sub-cohort of pan-negative patient specimens was assayed for mutations in the EGFR extracellular domain (ECD. Additionally, EGFR mutant NIH-3T3 stable cell lines were constructed and assessed for protein content, anchorage-independent growth, and tumor formation in xenograft models to identify oncogenic mutations. BaF3 lymphocytes were also used to test sensitivities of the mutations to tyrosine kinase inhibitors.Results: In pan-negative lung adenocarcinoma cases, a novel oncogenic EGFR ECD mutation was identified (M277E. EGFR M277E mutations encoded oncoproteins that transformed NIH-3T3 cells to grow in the absence of exogenous epidermal growth factor. Transformation was further evidenced by anchorage-independent growth and tumor formation in immunocompromised xenograft mouse models. Finally, as seen in the canonical EGFR L858R mutation, the M277E mutation conferred sensitivity to both erlotinib and cetuximab in BaF3 cell lines and to erlotinib in xenograft models.Conclusion: Here, a new EGFR driver mutation, M277E

Robust Selection Algorithm (RSA) for Multi-Omic Biomarker Discovery; Integration with Functional Network Analysis to Identify miRNA Regulated Pathways in Multiple Cancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sehgal, Vasudha; Seviour, Elena G; Moss, Tyler J; Mills, Gordon B; Azencott, Robert; Ram, Prahlad T

2015-01-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis by regulating the expression of their target genes. As such, the dysregulation of miRNA expression has been frequently linked to cancer. With rapidly accumulating molecular data linked to patient outcome, the need for identification of robust multi-omic molecular markers is critical in order to provide clinical impact. While previous bioinformatic tools have been developed to identify potential biomarkers in cancer, these methods do not allow for rapid classification of oncogenes versus tumor suppressors taking into account robust differential expression, cutoffs, p-values and non-normality of the data. Here, we propose a methodology, Robust Selection Algorithm (RSA) that addresses these important problems in big data omics analysis. The robustness of the survival analysis is ensured by identification of optimal cutoff values of omics expression, strengthened by p-value computed through intensive random resampling taking into account any non-normality in the data and integration into multi-omic functional networks. Here we have analyzed pan-cancer miRNA patient data to identify functional pathways involved in cancer progression that are associated with selected miRNA identified by RSA. Our approach demonstrates the way in which existing survival analysis techniques can be integrated with a functional network analysis framework to efficiently identify promising biomarkers and novel therapeutic candidates across diseases.

Pro-oncogene Pokemon promotes breast cancer progression by upregulating survivin expression

OpenAIRE

Zu, Xuyu; Ma, Jun; Liu, Hongxia; Liu, Feng; Tan, Chunyan; Yu, Lingling; Wang, Jue; Xie, Zhenhua; Cao, Deliang; Jiang, Yuyang

2011-01-01

Introduction Pokemon is an oncogenic transcription factor involved in cell growth, differentiation and oncogenesis, but little is known about its role in human breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to reveal the role of Pokemon in breast cancer progression and patient survival and to understand its underlying mechanisms. Methods Tissue microarray analysis of breast cancer tissues from patients with complete clinicopathological data and more than 20 years of follow-up were used to evaluate Po...

Activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway in Merkel cell carcinoma.

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Christian Hafner

Full Text Available Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC is a highly aggressive skin cancer with an increasing incidence. The understanding of the molecular carcinogenesis of MCC is limited. Here, we scrutinized the PI3K/AKT pathway, one of the major pathways activated in human cancer, in MCC. Immunohistochemical analysis of 41 tumor tissues and 9 MCC cell lines revealed high levels of AKT phosphorylation at threonine 308 in 88% of samples. Notably, the AKT phosphorylation was not correlated with the presence or absence of the Merkel cell polyoma virus (MCV. Accordingly, knock-down of the large and small T antigen by shRNA in MCV positive MCC cells did not affect phosphorylation of AKT. We also analyzed 46 MCC samples for activating PIK3CA and AKT1 mutations. Oncogenic PIK3CA mutations were found in 2/46 (4% MCCs whereas mutations in exon 4 of AKT1 were absent. MCC cell lines demonstrated a high sensitivity towards the PI3K inhibitor LY-294002. This finding together with our observation that the PI3K/AKT pathway is activated in the majority of human MCCs identifies PI3K/AKT as a potential new therapeutic target for MCC patients.

miR-19, a component of the oncogenic miR-17∼92 cluster, targets the DNA-end resection factor CtIP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hühn, D; Kousholt, A N; Sørensen, Claus Storgaard

2014-01-01

MicroRNA-19 (miR-19) was recently identified as the key oncogenic component of the polycistronic miR-17∼92 cluster, also known as oncomiR-1, which is frequently upregulated or amplified in multiple tumor types. However, the gene targets and the pathways underlying the tumor-promoting activity of mi......R-19 still remain largely elusive. CtIP/RBBP8 promotes DNA-end resection, a critical step in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination (HR), and is considered to function as a tumor suppressor. In this study, we show that miR-19 downregulates CtIP expression by binding...... to two highly conserved sequences located in the 3'-untranslated region of CtIP mRNA. We further demonstrate that CtIP expression is repressed by miR-19 during continuous genotoxic stress in a p53-dependent manner. Finally, we report that miR-19 impairs CtIP-mediated DNA-end resection, which results...

Deep Sequence Analysis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Integrated Analysis of Gene Expression, Alternative Splicing, and Single Nucleotide Variations in Lung Adenocarcinomas with and without Oncogenic KRAS Mutations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalari, Krishna R.; Rossell, David; Necela, Brian M.; Asmann, Yan W.; Nair, Asha

2012-01-01

KRAS mutations are highly prevalent in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and tumors harboring these mutations tend to be aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy. We used next-generation sequencing technology to identify pathways that are specifically altered in lung tumors harboring a KRAS mutation. Paired-end RNA-sequencing of 15 primary lung adenocarcinoma tumors (8 harboring mutant KRAS and 7 with wild-type KRAS) were performed. Sequences were mapped to the human genome, and genomic features, including differentially expressed genes, alternate splicing isoforms and single nucleotide variants, were determined for tumors with and without KRAS mutation using a variety of computational methods. Network analysis was carried out on genes showing differential expression (374 genes), alternate splicing (259 genes), and SNV-related changes (65 genes) in NSCLC tumors harboring a KRAS mutation. Genes exhibiting two or more connections from the lung adenocarcinoma network were used to carry out integrated pathway analysis. The most significant signaling pathways identified through this analysis were the NFκB, ERK1/2, and AKT pathways. A 27 gene mutant KRAS-specific sub network was extracted based on gene–gene connections from the integrated network, and interrogated for druggable targets. Our results confirm previous evidence that mutant KRAS tumors exhibit activated NFκB, ERK1/2, and AKT pathways and may be preferentially sensitive to target therapeutics toward these pathways. In addition, our analysis indicates novel, previously unappreciated links between mutant KRAS and the TNFR and PPARγ signaling pathways, suggesting that targeted PPARγ antagonists and TNFR inhibitors may be useful therapeutic strategies for treatment of mutant KRAS lung tumors. Our study is the first to integrate genomic features from RNA-Seq data from NSCLC and to define a first draft genomic landscape model that is unique to tumors with oncogenic KRAS mutations.

Rescue of avian leukosis subgroup-J-associated acutely transforming viruses carrying different lengths of the v-fps oncogene and analysis of their tumorigenicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yixin; Fang, Lichun; Li, Jianliang; Li, Yang; Cui, Shuai; Sun, Xiaolong; Chang, Shuang; Zhao, Peng; Cui, Zhizhong

2016-12-01

In our previous study, six subgroup J strains of avian leukosis virus (ALV-J)-associated acutely transforming viruses carrying different lengths of the v-fps oncogene, designated as Fu-J and Fu-J1-5, were isolated and characterized from fibrosarcomas in ALV-J-infected chickens. In the present study, the oncogenic potential of Fu-J and Fu-J1-5 was investigated using a reverse genetics technique. Six replication-defective viruses, named rFu-J and rFu-J1-5, were rescued with the replication-competent rescued ALV-J strain rSDAU1005 as a helper virus by co-transfection of chicken embryo fibroblast monolayers with infectious clone plasmids. Experimental bird studies were performed, demonstrating that only the rescued rFu-J virus carrying the complete v-fps oncogene with rSDAU1005 as the helper virus could induce acute fibrosarcoma after inoculation in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. These results provide direct evidence that the replication-defective acutely transforming Fu-J virus, with the complete v-fps oncogene, was associated with acute fibrosarcoma in chickens infected with ALV-J in the field, as reported previously.

Microarray analysis reveals genetic pathways modulated by tipifarnib in acute myeloid leukemia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raponi, Mitch; Belly, Robert T; Karp, Judith E; Lancet, Jeffrey E; Atkins, David; Wang, Yixin

2004-01-01

Farnesyl protein transferase inhibitors (FTIs) were originally developed to inhibit oncogenic ras, however it is now clear that there are several other potential targets for this drug class. The FTI tipifarnib (ZARNESTRA™, R115777) has recently demonstrated clinical responses in adults with refractory and relapsed acute leukemias. This study was conducted to identify genetic markers and pathways that are regulated by tipifarnib in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Tipifarnib-mediated gene expression changes in 3 AML cell lines and bone marrow samples from two patients with AML were analyzed on a cDNA microarray containing approximately 7000 human genes. Pathways associated with these expression changes were identified using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tool. The expression analysis identified a common set of genes that were regulated by tipifarnib in three leukemic cell lines and in leukemic blast cells isolated from two patients who had been treated with tipifarnib. Association of modulated genes with biological functional groups identified several pathways affected by tipifarnib including cell signaling, cytoskeletal organization, immunity, and apoptosis. Gene expression changes were verified in a subset of genes using real time RT-PCR. Additionally, regulation of apoptotic genes was found to correlate with increased Annexin V staining in the THP-1 cell line but not in the HL-60 cell line. The genetic networks derived from these studies illuminate some of the biological pathways affected by FTI treatment while providing a proof of principle for identifying candidate genes that might be used as surrogate biomarkers of drug activity

Epstein-Barr virus associated modulation of Wnt pathway is not dependent on latent membrane protein-1.

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Natasha Webb

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have indicated that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV can modulate the Wnt pathway in virus-infected cells and this effect is mediated by EBV-encoded oncogene latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1. Here we have reassessed the role of LMP1 in regulating the expression of various mediators of the canonical Wnt cascade. Contradicting the previous finding, we found that the levels of E-cadherin, beta-catenin, Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3ss (GSK3beta, axin and alpha-catenin were not affected by the expression of LMP1 sequences from normal B cells or nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Moreover, we also show that LMP1 expression had no detectable effect on the E-cadherin and beta-catenin interaction and did not induce transcriptional activation of beta-catenin. Taken together these studies demonstrate that EBV-mediated activation of Wnt pathway is not dependent on the expression of LMP1.

The oncogenic potential of three different 7, 12-dimethylbenz (a)anthracene transformed C3H/10T1/2 cell clones at various passages and the importance of the mode of immunosuppression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saxholm, H.J.K.

1979-01-01

The oncogenic potential of C3H/10T1/2 cells which were transformed in vitro with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene is reported. The ability of the cells to grow as malignant tumors in syngeneic immunosuppressed mice was used as parameter for oncogenic potential. Cells of types I, II and III were assayed at several dosage levels, i.e., 10 4 , 10 5 or 10 6 cells per inoculum, with or without immunosuppression by antithymocyte serum globulin fraction. The studies were performed in several strains of host animals, i.e., male and female syngeneic C3H mice supplied by the National Cancer Institute, C3H mice supplied by Charles River and nude, athymic female mice. Morphological transformation preceded oncological transformation, and type I cells could not be established as tumors. Type II and type III cells developed oncogenic potential only after several passages in culture. Oncogenic potential was pronounced in the type III cells, and less strongly expressed in type II cells. Also tested were different methods of immunosuppression of the animal against the expression of the oncogenic potential of DMBA transformed C3H/10T1/2 cells from type II and III clones. Immunosuppression by antithymocyte serum globulin fraction was an effective method of preparing the syngeneic host so that cells with a low oncogenic potential would grow as tumors, whereas total body irradiation was not effective. For cells with a high oncogenic potential both ways of immunosuppression were sufficient. Admixing lethally irradiated cells in the cell inoculum slightly enhanced the tumor development from cells with low oncogenic potential and such addition was clearly effective for cells with a higher oncogenic potential, both for the antibody-treated and for the irradiated series. The findings were reproducible. The study stresses the importance of immunosuppression by antithymocyte globulins for detecting in vitro transformed weakly oncogenic cells. (author)

Negative feedback and adaptive resistance to the targeted therapy of cancer

OpenAIRE

Chandarlapaty, Sarat

2012-01-01

Mutational activation of growth factor signaling pathways is commonly observed and often necessary for oncogenic transformation. Under physiologic conditions, these pathways are subject to tight regulation via negative feedback which limits the extent and duration of signaling events after physiologic stimulation. Until recently, the role of these negative feedback pathways in oncogene driven cancers has been poorly understood. In this review, I will discuss the evidence for the existence and...

Cytological and oncogene alterations in radiation-transformed Syrian hamster embryo cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trutschler, K.; Hieber, L.; Kellerer, A.M.

1991-01-01

Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells were neoplastically transformed by different types of ionizing radiation (γ-rays, α-particles or carbon ions). Transformed and tumor cell lines (derived from nude mice tumors) were analysed for alterations of the oncogenes c-Ha-ras and c-myc, i.e. RFLPs, gene amplifications, activation by point mutation, gene expression, and for cytological changes. In addition, the chromosome number and the numbers of micronuclei per cell have been determined in a series of cell lines. (author)

ERLIN2 promotes breast cancer cell survival by modulating endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Guohui; Yang, Zeng-Quan; Liu, Gang; Wang, Xiaogang; Sethi, Seema; Ali-Fehmi, Rouba; Abrams, Judith; Zheng, Ze; Zhang, Kezhong; Ethier, Stephen

2012-01-01

Amplification of the 8p11-12 region has been found in approximately 15% of human breast cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. Previous genomic analysis has led us to identify the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lipid raft-associated 2 (ERLIN2) gene as one of the candidate oncogenes within the 8p11-12 amplicon in human breast cancer, particularly in the luminal subtype. ERLIN2, an ER membrane protein, has recently been identified as a novel mediator of ER-associated degradation. Yet, the biological roles of ERLIN2 and molecular mechanisms by which ERLIN2 coordinates ER pathways in breast carcinogenesis remain unclear. We established the MCF10A-ERLIN2 cell line, which stably over expresses ERLIN2 in human nontransformed mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A) using the pLenti6/V5-ERLIN2 construct. ERLIN2 over expressing cells and their respective parental cell lines were assayed for in vitro transforming phenotypes. Next, we knocked down the ERLIN2 as well as the ER stress sensor IRE1α activity in the breast cancer cell lines to characterize the biological roles and molecular basis of the ERLIN2 in carcinogenesis. Finally, immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect ERLIN2 expression in normal and cancerous human breast tissues We found that amplification of the ERLIN2 gene and over expression of the ERLIN2 protein occurs in both luminal and Her2 subtypes of breast cancer. Gain- and loss-of-function approaches demonstrated that ERLIN2 is a novel oncogenic factor associated with the ER stress response pathway. The IRE1α/XBP1 axis in the ER stress pathway modulated expression of ERLIN2 protein levels in breast cancer cells. We also showed that over expression of ERLIN2 facilitated the adaptation of breast epithelial cells to ER stress by supporting cell growth and protecting the cells from ER stress-induced cell death. ERLIN2 may confer a selective growth advantage for breast cancer cells by facilitating a cytoprotective response to various cellular stresses

ERLIN2 promotes breast cancer cell survival by modulating endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Guohui

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Amplification of the 8p11-12 region has been found in approximately 15% of human breast cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. Previous genomic analysis has led us to identify the endoplasmic reticulum (ER lipid raft-associated 2 (ERLIN2 gene as one of the candidate oncogenes within the 8p11-12 amplicon in human breast cancer, particularly in the luminal subtype. ERLIN2, an ER membrane protein, has recently been identified as a novel mediator of ER-associated degradation. Yet, the biological roles of ERLIN2 and molecular mechanisms by which ERLIN2 coordinates ER pathways in breast carcinogenesis remain unclear. Methods We established the MCF10A-ERLIN2 cell line, which stably over expresses ERLIN2 in human nontransformed mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A using the pLenti6/V5-ERLIN2 construct. ERLIN2 over expressing cells and their respective parental cell lines were assayed for in vitro transforming phenotypes. Next, we knocked down the ERLIN2 as well as the ER stress sensor IRE1α activity in the breast cancer cell lines to characterize the biological roles and molecular basis of the ERLIN2 in carcinogenesis. Finally, immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect ERLIN2 expression in normal and cancerous human breast tissues Results We found that amplification of the ERLIN2 gene and over expression of the ERLIN2 protein occurs in both luminal and Her2 subtypes of breast cancer. Gain- and loss-of-function approaches demonstrated that ERLIN2 is a novel oncogenic factor associated with the ER stress response pathway. The IRE1α/XBP1 axis in the ER stress pathway modulated expression of ERLIN2 protein levels in breast cancer cells. We also showed that over expression of ERLIN2 facilitated the adaptation of breast epithelial cells to ER stress by supporting cell growth and protecting the cells from ER stress-induced cell death. Conclusions ERLIN2 may confer a selective growth advantage for breast cancer cells by

Blueberry and malvidin inhibit cell cycle progression and induce mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis by abrogating the JAK/STAT-3 signalling pathway.

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Baba, Abdul Basit; Nivetha, Ramesh; Chattopadhyay, Indranil; Nagini, Siddavaram

2017-11-01

Blueberries, a rich source of anthocyanins have attracted considerable attention as functional foods that confer immense health benefits including anticancer properties. Herein, we assessed the potential of blueberry and its major constituent malvidin to target STAT-3, a potentially druggable oncogenic transcription factor with high therapeutic index. We demonstrate that blueberry abrogates the JAK/STAT-3 pathway and modulates downstream targets that influence cell proliferation and apoptosis in a hamster model of oral oncogenesis. Further, we provide mechanistic evidence that blueberry and malvidin function as STAT-3 inhibitors in the oral cancer cell line SCC131. Blueberry and malvidin suppressed STAT-3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation thereby inducing cell cycle arrest and mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. However, the combination of blueberry and malvidin with the STAT-3 inhibitor S3I-201 was more efficacious in STAT-3 inhibition relative to single agents. The present study has provided leads for the development of novel combinations of compounds that can serve as inhibitors of STAT-mediated oncogenic signalling. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A single oncogenic enhancer rearrangement causes concomitant EVI1 and GATA2 deregulation in leukemia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gröschel, Stefan; Sanders, Mathijs A; Hoogenboezem, Remco; de Wit, Elzo; Bouwman, Britta A M; Erpelinck, Claudia; van der Velden, Vincent H J; Havermans, Marije; Avellino, Roberto; van Lom, Kirsten; Rombouts, Elwin J; van Duin, Mark; Döhner, Konstanze; Beverloo, H Berna; Bradner, James E; Döhner, Hartmut; Löwenberg, Bob; Valk, Peter J M; Bindels, Eric M J; de Laat, Wouter; Delwel, Ruud

2014-01-01

Chromosomal rearrangements without gene fusions have been implicated in leukemogenesis by causing deregulation of proto-oncogenes via relocation of cryptic regulatory DNA elements. AML with inv(3)/t(3;3) is associated with aberrant expression of the stem-cell regulator EVI1. Applying functional

The advanced therapy classification procedure. Overview of experience gained so far.

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Voltz-Girolt, C; Celis, P; Boucaumont, M; D'Apote, L; Pinheiro, M-H; Papaluca-Amati, M

2011-07-01

The classification procedure, introduced by the European Regulation on advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), has received a tremendous interest from companies, academic and public sponsors developing ATMPs. This procedure gives companies the opportunity to verify whether or not the product they are developing can be considered an ATMP and can therefore benefit from the new regulatory pathway introduced in the European Union for these types of medicinal products. This procedure is optional, free of charge and may take place at any stage of the development of an ATMP in advance of applying for a marketing authorisation. In case of doubt, briefing meetings organised by the European Medicines Agency Innovation Task Force may help preparing for an ATMP classification and are a starting point for the interactions between the Agency and the developers of ATMPs. This article reviews the advantages of the classification procedure for both the developers of ATMPs and the European regulatory network. Since the introduction of this procedure and up to 10 November 2010, the Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) has finalised 38 applications for classification.

Formaldehyde-induced histone H3 phosphorylation via JNK and the expression of proto-oncogenes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Ikuma; Ibuki, Yuko

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Formaldehyde modified histones. • The phosphorylation of H3S10 was increased at the promoter regions of proto-oncogenes. • The phosphorylation of H2AXS139 was attributed to FA-induced DNA damage. • The FA-induced initiation and promotion of cancer could be judged by these modifications. - Abstract: Formaldehyde (FA) is a very reactive compound that forms DNA adducts and DNA-protein crosslinks, which are known to contribute to FA-induced mutations and carcinogenesis. Post-translational modifications to histones have recently attracted attention due to their link with cancer. In the present study, we examined histone modifications following a treatment with FA. FA significantly phosphorylated histone H3 at serine 10 (H3S10), and at serine 28 (H3S28), the time-course of which was similar to the phosphorylation of H2AX at serine 139 (γ-H2AX), a marker of DNA double strand breaks. The temporal deacetylation of H3 was observed due to the reaction of FA with the lysine residues of histones. The phosphorylation mechanism was then analyzed by focusing on H3S10. The nuclear distribution of the phosphorylation of H3S10 and γ-H2AX did not overlap, and the phosphorylation of H3S10 could not be suppressed with an inhibitor of ATM/ATR, suggesting that the phosphorylation of H3S10 was independent of the DNA damage response. ERK and JNK in the MAPK pathways were phosphorylated by the treatment with FA, in which the JNK pathway was the main target for phosphorylation. The phosphorylation of H3S10 increased at the promoter regions of c-fos and c-jun, indicating a relationship between FA-induced tumor promotion activity and phosphorylation of H3S10. These results suggested that FA both initiates and promotes cancer, as judged by an analysis of histone modifications

Formaldehyde-induced histone H3 phosphorylation via JNK and the expression of proto-oncogenes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Ikuma; Ibuki, Yuko, E-mail: ibuki@u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp

2014-12-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Formaldehyde modified histones. • The phosphorylation of H3S10 was increased at the promoter regions of proto-oncogenes. • The phosphorylation of H2AXS139 was attributed to FA-induced DNA damage. • The FA-induced initiation and promotion of cancer could be judged by these modifications. - Abstract: Formaldehyde (FA) is a very reactive compound that forms DNA adducts and DNA-protein crosslinks, which are known to contribute to FA-induced mutations and carcinogenesis. Post-translational modifications to histones have recently attracted attention due to their link with cancer. In the present study, we examined histone modifications following a treatment with FA. FA significantly phosphorylated histone H3 at serine 10 (H3S10), and at serine 28 (H3S28), the time-course of which was similar to the phosphorylation of H2AX at serine 139 (γ-H2AX), a marker of DNA double strand breaks. The temporal deacetylation of H3 was observed due to the reaction of FA with the lysine residues of histones. The phosphorylation mechanism was then analyzed by focusing on H3S10. The nuclear distribution of the phosphorylation of H3S10 and γ-H2AX did not overlap, and the phosphorylation of H3S10 could not be suppressed with an inhibitor of ATM/ATR, suggesting that the phosphorylation of H3S10 was independent of the DNA damage response. ERK and JNK in the MAPK pathways were phosphorylated by the treatment with FA, in which the JNK pathway was the main target for phosphorylation. The phosphorylation of H3S10 increased at the promoter regions of c-fos and c-jun, indicating a relationship between FA-induced tumor promotion activity and phosphorylation of H3S10. These results suggested that FA both initiates and promotes cancer, as judged by an analysis of histone modifications.

A Novel Ras Effector Pathway Found to Play Significant Role in Tumor Suppression | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

By Nancy Parrish, Staff Writer; photo by Richard Frederickson, Staff Photographer Normal cells have mechanisms to prevent the development of cancer. Among these is a type of tumor suppressor mechanism known as oncogene-induced senescence, or OIS, which halts the uncontrolled growth of cells caused by mutations in oncogenes. The oncogene Ras plays a crucial role in inducing OIS

Understanding the Role of Intrinsic Disorder of Viral Proteins in the Oncogenicity of Different Types of HPV.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamarozzi, Elvira Regina; Giuliatti, Silvana

2018-01-09

Intrinsic disorder is very important in the biological function of several proteins, and is directly linked to their foldability during interaction with their targets. There is a close relationship between the intrinsically disordered proteins and the process of carcinogenesis involving viral pathogens. Among these pathogens, we have highlighted the human papillomavirus (HPV) in this study. HPV is currently among the most common sexually transmitted infections, besides being the cause of several types of cancer. HPVs are divided into two groups, called high- and low-risk, based on their oncogenic potential. The high-risk HPV E6 protein has been the target of much research, in seeking treatments against HPV, due to its direct involvement in the process of cell cycle control. To understand the role of intrinsic disorder of the viral proteins in the oncogenic potential of different HPV types, the structural characteristics of intrinsically disordered regions of high and low-risk HPV E6 proteins were analyzed. In silico analyses of primary sequences, prediction of tertiary structures, and analyses of molecular dynamics allowed the observation of the behavior of such disordered regions in these proteins, thereby proving a direct relationship of structural variation with the degree of oncogenicity of HPVs. The results obtained may contribute to the development of new therapies, targeting the E6 oncoprotein, for the treatment of HPV-associated diseases.

Tumor-Promoting Circuits That Regulate a Cancer-Related Chemokine Cluster: Dominance of Inflammatory Mediators Over Oncogenic Alterations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leibovich-Rivkin, Tal; Buganim, Yosef; Solomon, Hilla; Meshel, Tsipi; Rotter, Varda; Ben-Baruch, Adit

2012-01-01

Here, we investigated the relative contribution of genetic/signaling components versus microenvironmental factors to the malignancy phenotype. In this system, we took advantage of non-transformed fibroblasts that carried defined oncogenic modifications in Ras and/or p53. These cells were exposed to microenvironmental pressures, and the expression of a cancer-related chemokine cluster was used as readout for the malignancy potential (CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL10). In cells kept in-culture, synergism between Ras hyper-activation and p53 dysfunction was required to up-regulate the expression of the chemokine cluster. The in vivo passage of Ras High /p53 Low -modified cells has led to tumor formation, accompanied by potentiation of chemokine release, implicating a powerful role for the tumor microenvironment in up-regulating the chemokine cluster. Indeed, we found that inflammatory mediators which are prevalent in tumor sites, such as TNFα and IL-1β, had a predominant impact on the release of the chemokines, which was substantially higher than that obtained by the oncogenic modifications alone, possibly acting through the transcription factors AP-1 and NF-κB. Together, our results propose that in the unbiased model system that we were using, inflammatory mediators of the tumor milieu have dominating roles over oncogenic modifications in dictating the expression of a pro-malignancy chemokine readout

Cartography of Pathway Signal Perturbations Identifies Distinct Molecular Pathomechanisms in Malignant and Chronic Lung Diseases

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Arakelyan, Arsen; Nersisyan, Lilit; Petrek, Martin; Löffler-Wirth, Henry; Binder, Hans

2016-01-01

Lung diseases are described by a wide variety of developmental mechanisms and clinical manifestations. Accurate classification and diagnosis of lung diseases are the bases for development of effective treatments. While extensive studies are conducted toward characterization of various lung diseases at molecular level, no systematic approach has been developed so far. Here we have applied a methodology for pathway-centered mining of high throughput gene expression data to describe a wide range of lung diseases in the light of shared and specific pathway activity profiles. We have applied an algorithm combining a Pathway Signal Flow (PSF) algorithm for estimation of pathway activity deregulation states in lung diseases and malignancies, and a Self Organizing Maps algorithm for classification and clustering of the pathway activity profiles. The analysis results allowed clearly distinguish between cancer and non-cancer lung diseases. Lung cancers were characterized by pathways implicated in cell proliferation, metabolism, while non-malignant lung diseases were characterized by deregulations in pathways involved in immune/inflammatory response and fibrotic tissue remodeling. In contrast to lung malignancies, chronic lung diseases had relatively heterogeneous pathway deregulation profiles. We identified three groups of interstitial lung diseases and showed that the development of characteristic pathological processes, such as fibrosis, can be initiated by deregulations in different signaling pathways. In conclusion, this paper describes the pathobiology of lung diseases from systems viewpoint using pathway centered high-dimensional data mining approach. Our results contribute largely to current understanding of pathological events in lung cancers and non-malignant lung diseases. Moreover, this paper provides new insight into molecular mechanisms of a number of interstitial lung diseases that have been studied to a lesser extent. PMID:27200087

Expression of hepatocyte growth factor and the proto-oncogenic receptor c-Met in canine osteosarcoma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fieten, H; Spee, B; Ijzer, J; Kik, M J; Penning, L C; Kirpensteijn, J

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and the proto-oncogenic receptor c-Met are implicated in growth, invasion, and metastasis in human cancer. Little information is available on the expression and role of both gene products in canine osteosarcoma. We hypothesized that the expression of c-Met is

dMyc functions downstream of Yorkie to promote the supercompetitive behavior of hippo pathway mutant cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcello Ziosi

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Genetic analyses in Drosophila epithelia have suggested that the phenomenon of "cell competition" could participate in organ homeostasis. It has been speculated that competition between different cell populations within a growing organ might play a role as either tumor promoter or tumor suppressor, depending on the cellular context. The evolutionarily conserved Hippo (Hpo signaling pathway regulates organ size and prevents hyperplastic disease from flies to humans by restricting the activity of the transcriptional cofactor Yorkie (yki. Recent data indicate also that mutations in several Hpo pathway members provide cells with a competitive advantage by unknown mechanisms. Here we provide insight into the mechanism by which the Hpo pathway is linked to cell competition, by identifying dMyc as a target gene of the Hpo pathway, transcriptionally upregulated by the activity of Yki with different binding partners. We show that the cell-autonomous upregulation of dMyc is required for the supercompetitive behavior of Yki-expressing cells and Hpo pathway mutant cells, whereas the relative levels of dMyc between Hpo pathway mutant cells and wild-type neighboring cells are critical for determining whether cell competition promotes a tumor-suppressing or tumor-inducing behavior. All together, these data provide a paradigmatic example of cooperation between tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes in tumorigenesis and suggest a dual role for cell competition during tumor progression depending on the output of the genetic interactions occurring between confronted cells.

Impact of MAPK Pathway Activation in BRAFV600 Melanoma on T Cell and Dendritic Cell Function

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Patrick A. Ott

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Constitutive upregulation of the MAPK pathway by a BRAFV600 mutation occurs in about half of melanomas. This leads to increased oncogenic properties such as tumor cell invasion, metastatic potential, and resistance to apoptosis. Blockade of the MAPK pathway with highly specific kinase inhibitors induces unprecedented tumor response rates in patients with advanced BRAFV600 mutant melanoma. Immune checkpoint blockade with monoclonal antibodies targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 and programed death-1/PD-L1 has also demonstrated striking anti-tumor activity in patients with advanced melanoma. Tumor responses are likely limited by multiple additional layers of immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. There is emerging preclinical and clinical evidence suggesting that MAPK inhibition has a beneficial effect on the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, providing a strong rationale for combined immunotherapy and MAPK pathway inhibition in melanoma. The T cell response has been the main focus in the studies reported to date. Since dendritic cells (DCs are important in the induction of tumor-specific T cell responses, the impact of MAPK pathway activation in melanoma on DC function is critical for the melanoma directed immune response. BRAFV600E melanoma cells modulate DCs through the MAPK pathway because its blockade in melanoma cells can reverse suppression of DC function. As both MEK/BRAF inhibition and immune checkpoint blockade have recently taken center stage in the treatment of melanoma, a deeper understanding of how MAPK pathway inhibition affects the tumor immune response is needed.

Human Mut T Homolog 1 (MTH1): a roadblock for the tumor-suppressive effects of oncogenic RAS-induced ROS.

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Priyamvada

2012-01-01

Oncogenic RAS-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) trigger barriers to cell transformation and cancer progression through tumor-suppressive responses such as cellular senescence or cell death. We have recently shown that oncogenic RAS-induced DNA damage and attendant premature senescence can be prevented by overexpressing human MutT Homolog 1 (MTH1), the major mammalian detoxifier of the oxidized DNA precursor, 8-oxo-dGTP. Paradoxically, RAS-induced ROS are also able to participate in tumor progression via transformative processes such as mitogenic signaling, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), anoikis inhibition, and PI3K/Akt-mediated survival signaling. Here we provide a preliminary insight into the influence of MTH1 levels on the EMT phenotype and Akt activation in RAS-transformed HMLE breast epithelial cells. Within this context, we will discuss the implications of MTH1 upregulation in oncogenic RAS-sustaining cells as a beneficial adaptive change that inhibits ROS-mediated cell senescence and participates in the maintenance of ROS-associated tumor-promoting mechanisms. Accordingly, targeting MTH1 in RAS-transformed tumor cells will not only induce proliferative defects but also potentially enhance therapeutic cytotoxicity by shifting cellular response away from pro-survival mechanisms.

Risk scaling factors from inactivation to chromosome aberrations, mutations and oncogenic transformations in mammalian cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alkaharam, A.S.; Watt, D.E.

1997-01-01

Analyses of bio-effect mechanisms of damage to mammalian cells in terms of the quality parameter 'mean free path for primary ionisation', for heavy charged particles, strongly suggests that there is a common mechanism for the biological endpoints of chromosome aberrations, mutations and oncogenic transformation. The lethal lesions are identified as unrepaired double-strand breaks in the intracellular DNA. As data for the various endpoints studied can be represented in a unified scheme, for any radiation type, it follows that radiation risk factors can be determined on the basis of simple ratios to the inactivation cross sections. There are intrinsic physical reasons why neutrons can never reach the saturation level of heavier particles for equal fluences. The probabilities of risk with respect to inactivation, for chromosome dicentrics, mutation of the HPRT gene and of oncogenic transformation are respectively 0.24, 5.8 x 10 -5 , and 4.1 x 10 -3 . (author)

Pan-SRC kinase inhibition blocks B-cell receptor oncogenic signaling in non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Battistello, Elena; Katanayeva, Natalya; Dheilly, Elie; Tavernari, Daniele; Donaldson, Maria C; Bonsignore, Luca; Thome, Margot; Christie, Amanda L; Murakami, Mark A; Michielin, Olivier; Ciriello, Giovanni; Zoete, Vincent; Oricchio, Elisa

2018-05-24

In diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), activation of the B-cell receptor (BCR) promotes multiple oncogenic signals, which are essential for tumor proliferation. Inhibition of the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), a BCR downstream target, is therapeutically effective only in a subgroup of patients with DLBCL. Here, we used lymphoma cells isolated from patients with DLBCL to measure the effects of targeted therapies on BCR signaling and to anticipate response. In lymphomas resistant to BTK inhibition, we show that blocking BTK activity enhanced tumor dependencies from alternative oncogenic signals downstream of the BCR, converging on MYC upregulation. To completely ablate the activity of the BCR, we genetically and pharmacologically repressed the activity of the SRC kinases LYN, FYN, and BLK, which are responsible for the propagation of the BCR signal. Inhibition of these kinases strongly reduced tumor growth in xenografts and cell lines derived from patients with DLBCL independent of their molecular subtype, advancing the possibility to be relevant therapeutic targets in broad and diverse groups of DLBCL patients. © 2018 by The American Society of Hematology.

CHIP promotes thyroid cancer proliferation via activation of the MAPK and AKT pathways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Li [Department of Pharmacy, Urumchi General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Urumchi, Xinjiang 830000 (China); Liu, Lianyong [Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123 (China); Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Punan Hospital, Shanghai 200125 (China); He, Xiaohua; Shen, Yunling; Liu, Xuerong; Wei, Jing; Yu, Fang [Department of Endocrinology, Urumchi General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Urumchi, Xinjiang 830000 (China); Tian, Jianqing, E-mail: jianqing0991@163.com [Department of Endocrinology, Urumchi General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Urumchi, Xinjiang 830000 (China)

2016-08-26

The carboxyl terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein (CHIP) is a U box-type ubiquitin ligase that plays crucial roles in various biological processes, including tumor progression. To date, the functional mechanism of CHIP in thyroid cancer remains unknown. Here, we obtained evidence of upregulation of CHIP in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. CHIP overexpression markedly enhanced thyroid cancer cell viability and colony formation in vitro and accelerated tumor growth in vivo. Conversely, CHIP knockdown impaired cell proliferation and tumor growth. Notably, CHIP promoted cell growth through activation of MAPK and AKT pathways, subsequently decreasing p27 and increasing cyclin D1 and p-FOXO3a expression. Our findings collectively indicate that CHIP functions as an oncogene in thyroid cancer, and is therefore a potential therapeutic target for this disease. - Highlights: • CHIP is significantly upregulated in thyroid cancer cells. • Overexpression of CHIP facilitates proliferation and tumorigenesis of thyroid cancer cells. • Silencing of CHIP inhibits the proliferation and tumorigenesis of thyroid cancer cells. • CHIP promotes thyroid cancer cell proliferation via activating the MAPK and AKT pathways.

Romidepsin targets multiple survival signaling pathways in malignant T cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valdez, B C; Brammer, J E; Li, Y; Murray, D; Liu, Y; Hosing, C; Nieto, Y; Champlin, R E; Andersson, B S

2015-01-01

Romidepsin is a cyclic molecule that inhibits histone deacetylases. It is Food and Drug Administration-approved for treatment of cutaneous and peripheral T-cell lymphoma, but its precise mechanism of action against malignant T cells is unknown. To better understand the biological effects of romidepsin in these cells, we exposed PEER and SUPT1 T-cell lines, and a primary sample from T-cell lymphoma patient (Patient J) to romidepsin. We then examined the consequences in some key oncogenic signaling pathways. Romidepsin displayed IC 50 values of 10.8, 7.9 and 7.0 nm in PEER, SUPT1 and Patient J cells, respectively. Strong inhibition of histone deacetylases and demethylases, increased production of reactive oxygen species and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential were observed, which may contribute to the observed DNA-damage response and apoptosis. The stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling pathway and unfolded protein response in the endoplasmic reticulum were activated, whereas the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) and β-catenin pro-survival pathways were inhibited. The decreased level of β-catenin correlated with the upregulation of its inhibitor SFRP1 through romidepsin-mediated hypomethylation of its gene promoter. Our results provide new insights into how romidepsin invokes malignant T-cell killing, show evidence of its associated DNA hypomethylating activity and offer a rationale for the development of romidepsin-containing combination therapies

Acetylation of the c-MYC oncoprotein is required for cooperation with the HTLV-1 p30{sup II} accessory protein and the induction of oncogenic cellular transformation by p30{sup II}/c-MYC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romeo, Megan M.; Ko, Bookyung; Kim, Janice; Brady, Rebecca; Heatley, Hayley C.; He, Jeffrey; Harrod, Carolyn K.; Barnett, Braden [Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, and The Dedman College Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275-0376 (United States); Ratner, Lee [Departments of Medicine and Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110 (United States); Lairmore, Michael D. [University of California-Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95618 (United States); Martinez, Ernest [Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Lüscher, Bernhard [Institute of Biochemistry, Klinikum, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52057 Aachen (Germany); Robson, Craig N. [Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH (United Kingdom); Henriksson, Marie [Department of Microbiology, Cell and Tumor Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden); Harrod, Robert, E-mail: rharrod@smu.edu [Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, and The Dedman College Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275-0376 (United States)

2015-02-15

The human T-cell leukemia retrovirus type-1 (HTLV-1) p30{sup II} protein is a multifunctional latency-maintenance factor that negatively regulates viral gene expression and deregulates host signaling pathways involved in aberrant T-cell growth and proliferation. We have previously demonstrated that p30{sup II} interacts with the c-MYC oncoprotein and enhances c-MYC-dependent transcriptional and oncogenic functions. However, the molecular and biochemical events that mediate the cooperation between p30{sup II} and c-MYC remain to be completely understood. Herein we demonstrate that p30{sup II} induces lysine-acetylation of the c-MYC oncoprotein. Acetylation-defective c-MYC Lys→Arg substitution mutants are impaired for oncogenic transformation with p30{sup II} in c-myc{sup −/−} HO15.19 fibroblasts. Using dual-chromatin-immunoprecipitations (dual-ChIPs), we further demonstrate that p30{sup II} is present in c-MYC-containing nucleoprotein complexes in HTLV-1-transformed HuT-102 T-lymphocytes. Moreover, p30{sup II} inhibits apoptosis in proliferating cells expressing c-MYC under conditions of genotoxic stress. These findings suggest that c-MYC-acetylation is required for the cooperation between p30{sup II}/c-MYC which could promote proviral replication and contribute to HTLV-1-induced carcinogenesis. - Highlights: • Acetylation of c-MYC is required for oncogenic transformation by HTLV-1 p30{sup II}/c-MYC. • Acetylation-defective c-MYC mutants are impaired for foci-formation by p30{sup II}/c-MYC. • The HTLV-1 p30{sup II} protein induces lysine-acetylation of c-MYC. • p30{sup II} is present in c-MYC nucleoprotein complexes in HTLV-1-transformed T-cells. • HTLV-1 p30{sup II} inhibits apoptosis in c-MYC-expressing proliferating cells.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Directly Phosphorylates and Destabilizes Hedgehog Pathway Transcription Factor GLI1 in Medulloblastoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yen-Hsing Li

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The Hedgehog (Hh pathway regulates cell differentiation and proliferation during development by controlling the Gli transcription factors. Cell fate decisions and progression toward organ and tissue maturity must be coordinated, and how an energy sensor regulates the Hh pathway is not clear. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK is an important sensor of energy stores and controls protein synthesis and other energy-intensive processes. AMPK is directly responsive to intracellular AMP levels, inhibiting a wide range of cell activities if ATP is low and AMP is high. Thus, AMPK can affect development by influencing protein synthesis and other processes needed for growth and differentiation. Activation of AMPK reduces GLI1 protein levels and stability, thus blocking Sonic-hedgehog-induced transcriptional activity. AMPK phosphorylates GLI1 at serines 102 and 408 and threonine 1074. Mutation of these three sites into alanine prevents phosphorylation by AMPK. This leads to increased GLI1 protein stability, transcriptional activity, and oncogenic potency.

Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaub, Franz X.; Dhankani, Varsha; Berger, Ashton C.; Trivedi, Mihir; Richardson, Anne B.; Shaw, Reid; Zhao, Wei; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Ventura, Andrea; Liu, Yuexin; Ayer, Donald E.; Hurlin, Peter J.; Cherniack, Andrew D.; Eisenman, Robert N.; Bernard, Brady; Grandori, Carla; Caesar-Johnson, Samantha J.; Demchok, John A.; Felau, Ina; Kasapi, Melpomeni; Ferguson, Martin L.; Hutter, Carolyn M.; Sofia, Heidi J.; Tarnuzzer, Roy; Wang, Zhining; Yang, Liming; Zenklusen, Jean C.; Zhang, Jiashan (Julia); Chudamani, Sudha; Liu, Jia; Lolla, Laxmi; Naresh, Rashi; Pihl, Todd; Sun, Qiang; Wan, Yunhu; Wu, Ye; Cho, Juok; DeFreitas, Timothy; Frazer, Scott; Gehlenborg, Nils; Getz, Gad; Heiman, David I.; Kim, Jaegil; Lawrence, Michael S.; Lin, Pei; Meier, Sam; Noble, Michael S.; Saksena, Gordon; Voet, Doug; Zhang, Hailei; Bernard, Brady; Chambwe, Nyasha; Dhankani, Varsha; Knijnenburg, Theo; Kramer, Roger; Leinonen, Kalle; Liu, Yuexin; Miller, Michael; Reynolds, Sheila; Shmulevich, Ilya; Thorsson, Vesteinn; Zhang, Wei; Akbani, Rehan; Broom, Bradley M.; Hegde, Apurva M.; Ju, Zhenlin; Kanchi, Rupa S.; Korkut, Anil; Li, Jun; Liang, Han; Ling, Shiyun; Liu, Wenbin; Lu, Yiling; Mills, Gordon B.; Ng, Kwok Shing; Rao, Arvind; Ryan, Michael; Wang, Jing; Weinstein, John N.; Zhang, Jiexin; Abeshouse, Adam; Armenia, Joshua; Chakravarty, Debyani; Chatila, Walid K.; de Bruijn, Ino; Gao, Jianjiong; Gross, Benjamin E.; Heins, Zachary J.; Kundra, Ritika; La, Konnor; Ladanyi, Marc; Luna, Augustin; Nissan, Moriah G.; Ochoa, Angelica; Phillips, Sarah M.; Reznik, Ed; Sanchez-Vega, Francisco; Sander, Chris; Schultz, Nikolaus; Sheridan, Robert; Sumer, S. Onur; Sun, Yichao; Taylor, Barry S.; Wang, Jioajiao; Zhang, Hongxin; Anur, Pavana; Peto, Myron; Spellman, Paul; Benz, Christopher; Stuart, Joshua M.; Wong, Christopher K.; Yau, Christina; Hayes, D. Neil; Parker, Joel S.; Wilkerson, Matthew D.; Ally, Adrian; Balasundaram, Miruna; Bowlby, Reanne; Brooks, Denise; Carlsen, Rebecca; Chuah, Eric; Dhalla, Noreen; Holt, Robert; Jones, Steven J.M.; Kasaian, Katayoon; Lee, Darlene; Ma, Yussanne; Marra, Marco A.; Mayo, Michael; Moore, Richard A.; Mungall, Andrew J.; Mungall, Karen; Robertson, A. Gordon; Sadeghi, Sara; Schein, Jacqueline E.; Sipahimalani, Payal; Tam, Angela; Thiessen, Nina; Tse, Kane; Wong, Tina; Berger, Ashton C.; Beroukhim, Rameen; Cherniack, Andrew D.; Cibulskis, Carrie; Gabriel, Stacey B.; Gao, Galen F.; Ha, Gavin; Meyerson, Matthew; Schumacher, Steven E.; Shih, Juliann; Kucherlapati, Melanie H.; Kucherlapati, Raju S.; Baylin, Stephen; Cope, Leslie; Danilova, Ludmila; Bootwalla, Moiz S.; Lai, Phillip H.; Maglinte, Dennis T.; Van Den Berg, David J.; Weisenberger, Daniel J.; Auman, J. Todd; Balu, Saianand; Bodenheimer, Tom; Fan, Cheng; Hoadley, Katherine A.; Hoyle, Alan P.; Jefferys, Stuart R.; Jones, Corbin D.; Meng, Shaowu; Mieczkowski, Piotr A.; Mose, Lisle E.; Perou, Amy H.; Perou, Charles M.; Roach, Jeffrey; Shi, Yan; Simons, Janae V.; Skelly, Tara; Soloway, Matthew G.; Tan, Donghui; Veluvolu, Umadevi; Fan, Huihui; Hinoue, Toshinori; Laird, Peter W.; Shen, Hui; Zhou, Wanding; Bellair, Michelle; Chang, Kyle; Covington, Kyle; Creighton, Chad J.; Dinh, Huyen; Doddapaneni, Harsha Vardhan; Donehower, Lawrence A.; Drummond, Jennifer; Gibbs, Richard A.; Glenn, Robert; Hale, Walker; Han, Yi; Hu, Jianhong; Korchina, Viktoriya; Lee, Sandra; Lewis, Lora; Li, Wei; Liu, Xiuping; Morgan, Margaret; Morton, Donna; Muzny, Donna; Santibanez, Jireh; Sheth, Margi; Shinbrot, Eve; Wang, Linghua; Wang, Min; Wheeler, David A.; Xi, Liu; Zhao, Fengmei; Hess, Julian; Appelbaum, Elizabeth L.; Bailey, Matthew; Cordes, Matthew G.; Ding, Li; Fronick, Catrina C.; Fulton, Lucinda A.; Fulton, Robert S.; Kandoth, Cyriac; Mardis, Elaine R.; McLellan, Michael D.; Miller, Christopher A.; Schmidt, Heather K.; Wilson, Richard K.; Crain, Daniel; Curley, Erin; Gardner, Johanna; Lau, Kevin; Mallery, David; Morris, Scott; Paulauskis, Joseph; Penny, Robert; Shelton, Candace; Shelton, Troy; Sherman, Mark; Thompson, Eric; Yena, Peggy; Bowen, Jay; Gastier-Foster, Julie M.; Gerken, Mark; Leraas, Kristen M.; Lichtenberg, Tara M.; Ramirez, Nilsa C.; Wise, Lisa; Zmuda, Erik; Corcoran, Niall; Costello, Tony; Hovens, Christopher; Carvalho, Andre L.; de Carvalho, Ana C.; Fregnani, José H.; Longatto-Filho, Adhemar; Reis, Rui M.; Scapulatempo-Neto, Cristovam; Silveira, Henrique C.S.; Vidal, Daniel O.; Burnette, Andrew; Eschbacher, Jennifer; Hermes, Beth; Noss, Ardene; Singh, Rosy; Anderson, Matthew L.; Castro, Patricia D.; Ittmann, Michael; Huntsman, David; Kohl, Bernard; Le, Xuan; Thorp, Richard; Andry, Chris; Duffy, Elizabeth R.; Lyadov, Vladimir; Paklina, Oxana; Setdikova, Galiya; Shabunin, Alexey; Tavobilov, Mikhail; McPherson, Christopher; Warnick, Ronald; Berkowitz, Ross; Cramer, Daniel; Feltmate, Colleen; Horowitz, Neil; Kibel, Adam; Muto, Michael; Raut, Chandrajit P.; Malykh, Andrei; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill S.; Barrett, Wendi; Devine, Karen; Fulop, Jordonna; Ostrom, Quinn T.; Shimmel, Kristen; Wolinsky, Yingli; Sloan, Andrew E.; De Rose, Agostino; Giuliante, Felice; Goodman, Marc; Karlan, Beth Y.; Hagedorn, Curt H.; Eckman, John; Harr, Jodi; Myers, Jerome; Tucker, Kelinda; Zach, Leigh Anne; Deyarmin, Brenda; Hu, Hai; Kvecher, Leonid; Larson, Caroline; Mural, Richard J.; Somiari, Stella; Vicha, Ales; Zelinka, Tomas; Bennett, Joseph; Iacocca, Mary; Rabeno, Brenda; Swanson, Patricia; Latour, Mathieu; Lacombe, Louis; Têtu, Bernard; Bergeron, Alain; McGraw, Mary; Staugaitis, Susan M.; Chabot, John; Hibshoosh, Hanina; Sepulveda, Antonia; Su, Tao; Wang, Timothy; Potapova, Olga; Voronina, Olga; Desjardins, Laurence; Mariani, Odette; Roman-Roman, Sergio; Sastre, Xavier; Stern, Marc Henri; Cheng, Feixiong; Signoretti, Sabina; Berchuck, Andrew; Bigner, Darell; Lipp, Eric; Marks, Jeffrey; McCall, Shannon; McLendon, Roger; Secord, Angeles; Sharp, Alexis; Behera, Madhusmita; Brat, Daniel J.; Chen, Amy; Delman, Keith; Force, Seth; Khuri, Fadlo; Magliocca, Kelly; Maithel, Shishir; Olson, Jeffrey J.; Owonikoko, Taofeek; Pickens, Alan; Ramalingam, Suresh; Shin, Dong M.; Sica, Gabriel; Van Meir, Erwin G.; Zhang, Hongzheng; Eijckenboom, Wil; Gillis, Ad; Korpershoek, Esther; Looijenga, Leendert; Oosterhuis, Wolter; Stoop, Hans; van Kessel, Kim E.; Zwarthoff, Ellen C.; Calatozzolo, Chiara; Cuppini, Lucia; Cuzzubbo, Stefania; DiMeco, Francesco; Finocchiaro, Gaetano; Mattei, Luca; Perin, Alessandro; Pollo, Bianca; Chen, Chu; Houck, John; Lohavanichbutr, Pawadee; Hartmann, Arndt; Stoehr, Christine; Stoehr, Robert; Taubert, Helge; Wach, Sven; Wullich, Bernd; Kycler, Witold; Murawa, Dawid; Wiznerowicz, Maciej; Chung, Ki; Edenfield, W. Jeffrey; Martin, Julie; Baudin, Eric; Bubley, Glenn; Bueno, Raphael; De Rienzo, Assunta; Richards, William G.; Kalkanis, Steven; Mikkelsen, Tom; Noushmehr, Houtan; Scarpace, Lisa; Girard, Nicolas; Aymerich, Marta; Campo, Elias; Giné, Eva; Guillermo, Armando López; Van Bang, Nguyen; Hanh, Phan Thi; Phu, Bui Duc; Tang, Yufang; Colman, Howard; Evason, Kimberley; Dottino, Peter R.; Martignetti, John A.; Gabra, Hani; Juhl, Hartmut; Akeredolu, Teniola; Stepa, Serghei; Hoon, Dave; Ahn, Keunsoo; Kang, Koo Jeong; Beuschlein, Felix; Breggia, Anne; Birrer, Michael; Bell, Debra; Borad, Mitesh; Bryce, Alan H.; Castle, Erik; Chandan, Vishal; Cheville, John; Copland, John A.; Farnell, Michael; Flotte, Thomas; Giama, Nasra; Ho, Thai; Kendrick, Michael; Kocher, Jean Pierre; Kopp, Karla; Moser, Catherine; Nagorney, David; O'Brien, Daniel; O'Neill, Brian Patrick; Patel, Tushar; Petersen, Gloria; Que, Florencia; Rivera, Michael; Roberts, Lewis; Smallridge, Robert; Smyrk, Thomas; Stanton, Melissa; Thompson, R. Houston; Torbenson, Michael; Yang, Ju Dong; Zhang, Lizhi; Brimo, Fadi; Ajani, Jaffer A.; Angulo Gonzalez, Ana Maria; Behrens, Carmen; Bondaruk, Jolanta; Broaddus, Russell; Czerniak, Bogdan; Esmaeli, Bita; Fujimoto, Junya; Gershenwald, Jeffrey; Guo, Charles; Lazar, Alexander J.; Logothetis, Christopher; Meric-Bernstam, Funda; Moran, Cesar; Ramondetta, Lois; Rice, David; Sood, Anil; Tamboli, Pheroze; Thompson, Timothy; Troncoso, Patricia; Tsao, Anne; Wistuba, Ignacio; Carter, Candace; Haydu, Lauren; Hersey, Peter; Jakrot, Valerie; Kakavand, Hojabr; Kefford, Richard; Lee, Kenneth; Long, Georgina; Mann, Graham; Quinn, Michael; Saw, Robyn; Scolyer, Richard; Shannon, Kerwin; Spillane, Andrew; Stretch, Jonathan; Synott, Maria; Thompson, John; Wilmott, James; Al-Ahmadie, Hikmat; Chan, Timothy A.; Ghossein, Ronald; Gopalan, Anuradha; Levine, Douglas A.; Reuter, Victor; Singer, Samuel; Singh, Bhuvanesh; Tien, Nguyen Viet; Broudy, Thomas; Mirsaidi, Cyrus; Nair, Praveen; Drwiega, Paul; Miller, Judy; Smith, Jennifer; Zaren, Howard; Park, Joong Won; Hung, Nguyen Phi; Kebebew, Electron; Linehan, W. Marston; Metwalli, Adam R.; Pacak, Karel; Pinto, Peter A.; Schiffman, Mark; Schmidt, Laura S.; Vocke, Cathy D.; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Worrell, Robert; Yang, Hannah; Moncrieff, Marc; Goparaju, Chandra; Melamed, Jonathan; Pass, Harvey; Botnariuc, Natalia; Caraman, Irina; Cernat, Mircea; Chemencedji, Inga; Clipca, Adrian; Doruc, Serghei; Gorincioi, Ghenadie; Mura, Sergiu; Pirtac, Maria; Stancul, Irina; Tcaciuc, Diana; Albert, Monique; Alexopoulou, Iakovina; Arnaout, Angel; Bartlett, John; Engel, Jay; Gilbert, Sebastien; Parfitt, Jeremy; Sekhon, Harman; Thomas, George; Rassl, Doris M.; Rintoul, Robert C.; Bifulco, Carlo; Tamakawa, Raina; Urba, Walter; Hayward, Nicholas; Timmers, Henri; Antenucci, Anna; Facciolo, Francesco; Grazi, Gianluca; Marino, Mirella; Merola, Roberta; de Krijger, Ronald; Gimenez-Roqueplo, Anne Paule; Piché, Alain; Chevalier, Simone; McKercher, Ginette; Birsoy, Kivanc; Barnett, Gene; Brewer, Cathy; Farver, Carol; Naska, Theresa; Pennell, Nathan A.; Raymond, Daniel; Schilero, Cathy; Smolenski, Kathy; Williams, Felicia; Morrison, Carl; Borgia, Jeffrey A.; Liptay, Michael J.; Pool, Mark; Seder, Christopher W.; Junker, Kerstin; Omberg, Larsson; Dinkin, Mikhail; Manikhas, George; Alvaro, Domenico; Bragazzi, Maria Consiglia; Cardinale, Vincenzo; Carpino, Guido; Gaudio, Eugenio; Chesla, David; Cottingham, Sandra; Dubina, Michael; Moiseenko, Fedor; Dhanasekaran, Renumathy; Becker, Karl Friedrich; Janssen, Klaus Peter; Slotta-Huspenina, Julia; Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed H.; Aziz, Dina; Bell, Sue; Cebulla, Colleen M.; Davis, Amy; Duell, Rebecca; Elder, J. Bradley; Hilty, Joe; Kumar, Bahavna; Lang, James; Lehman, Norman L.; Mandt, Randy; Nguyen, Phuong; Pilarski, Robert; Rai, Karan; Schoenfield, Lynn; Senecal, Kelly; Wakely, Paul; Hansen, Paul; Lechan, Ronald; Powers, James; Tischler, Arthur; Grizzle, William E.; Sexton, Katherine C.; Kastl, Alison; Henderson, Joel; Porten, Sima; Waldmann, Jens; Fassnacht, Martin; Asa, Sylvia L.; Schadendorf, Dirk; Couce, Marta; Graefen, Markus; Huland, Hartwig; Sauter, Guido; Schlomm, Thorsten; Simon, Ronald; Tennstedt, Pierre; Olabode, Oluwole; Nelson, Mark; Bathe, Oliver; Carroll, Peter R.; Chan, June M.; Disaia, Philip; Glenn, Pat; Kelley, Robin K.; Landen, Charles N.; Phillips, Joanna; Prados, Michael; Simko, Jeffry; Smith-McCune, Karen; VandenBerg, Scott; Roggin, Kevin; Fehrenbach, Ashley; Kendler, Ady; Sifri, Suzanne; Steele, Ruth; Jimeno, Antonio; Carey, Francis; Forgie, Ian; Mannelli, Massimo; Carney, Michael; Hernandez, Brenda; Campos, Benito; Herold-Mende, Christel; Jungk, Christin; Unterberg, Andreas; von Deimling, Andreas; Bossler, Aaron; Galbraith, Joseph; Jacobus, Laura; Knudson, Michael; Knutson, Tina; Ma, Deqin; Milhem, Mohammed; Sigmund, Rita; Godwin, Andrew K.; Madan, Rashna; Rosenthal, Howard G.; Adebamowo, Clement; Adebamowo, Sally N.; Boussioutas, Alex; Beer, David; Giordano, Thomas; Mes-Masson, Anne Marie; Saad, Fred; Bocklage, Therese; Landrum, Lisa; Mannel, Robert; Moore, Kathleen; Moxley, Katherine; Postier, Russel; Walker, Joan; Zuna, Rosemary; Feldman, Michael; Valdivieso, Federico; Dhir, Rajiv; Luketich, James; Mora Pinero, Edna M.; Quintero-Aguilo, Mario; Carlotti, Carlos Gilberto; Dos Santos, Jose Sebastião; Kemp, Rafael; Sankarankuty, Ajith; Tirapelli, Daniela; Catto, James; Agnew, Kathy; Swisher, Elizabeth; Creaney, Jenette; Robinson, Bruce; Shelley, Carl Simon; Godwin, Eryn M.; Kendall, Sara; Shipman, Cassaundra; Bradford, Carol; Carey, Thomas; Haddad, Andrea; Moyer, Jeffey; Peterson, Lisa; Prince, Mark; Rozek, Laura; Wolf, Gregory; Bowman, Rayleen; Fong, Kwun M.; Yang, Ian; Korst, Robert; Rathmell, W. Kimryn; Fantacone-Campbell, J. Leigh; Hooke, Jeffrey A.; Kovatich, Albert J.; Shriver, Craig D.; DiPersio, John; Drake, Bettina; Govindan, Ramaswamy; Heath, Sharon; Ley, Timothy; Van Tine, Brian; Westervelt, Peter; Rubin, Mark A.; Lee, Jung Il; Aredes, Natália D.; Mariamidze, Armaz

2018-01-01

Although the MYC oncogene has been implicated in cancer, a systematic assessment of alterations of MYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatory proteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN), across human cancers is lacking. Using computational approaches, we define genomic and proteomic

ΔNp63α is an oncogene that induces Lsh expression and promotes stem-like proliferation

Science.gov (United States)

Keyes, William M.; Pecoraro, Matteo; Aranda, Victoria; Vernersson-Lindahl, Emma; Li, Wangzhi; Vogel, Hannes; Guo, Xuecui; Garcia, Elvin L.; Michurina, Tatyana V.; Enikolopov, Grigori; Muthuswamy, Senthil K.; Mills, Alea A.

2014-01-01

SUMMARY The p53 homolog p63 is essential for development, yet its role in cancer is not clear. We discovered that p63 deficiency evokes the tumor suppressive mechanism of cellular senescence, causing a striking absence of stratified epithelia such as the skin. Here we identify the predominant p63 isoform, ΔNp63α, as a protein that bypasses oncogene induced senescence to drive tumorigenesis in vivo. Interestingly, bypass of senescence promotes stem-like proliferation and maintains survival of the keratin 15-positive stem cell population. Furthermore, we identify the chromatin remodeling protein Lsh as a new target of ΔNp63α that is an essential mediator of senescence bypass. These findings indicate that ΔNp63α is an oncogene that cooperates with Ras to promote tumor-initiating stem-like proliferation, and suggest that Lsh-mediated chromatin remodeling events are critical to this process. PMID:21295273

Prediction of lung cells oncogenic transformation for induced radon progeny alpha particles using sugarscape cellular automata.

Science.gov (United States)

Baradaran, Samaneh; Maleknasr, Niaz; Setayeshi, Saeed; Akbari, Mohammad Esmaeil

2014-01-01

Alpha particle irradiation from radon progeny is one of the major natural sources of effective dose in the public population. Oncogenic transformation is a biological effectiveness of radon progeny alpha particle hits. The biological effects which has caused by exposure to radon, were the main result of a complex series of physical, chemical, biological and physiological interactions. The cellular and molecular mechanisms for radon-induced carcinogenesis have not been clear yet. Various biological models, including cultured cells and animals, have been found useful for studying the carcinogenesis effects of radon progeny alpha particles. In this paper, sugars cape cellular automata have been presented for computational study of complex biological effect of radon progeny alpha particles in lung bronchial airways. The model has included mechanism of DNA damage, which has been induced alpha particles hits, and then formation of transformation in the lung cells. Biomarkers were an objective measure or evaluation of normal or abnormal biological processes. In the model, the metabolism rate of infected cell has been induced alpha particles traversals, as a biomarker, has been followed to reach oncogenic transformation. The model results have successfully validated in comparison with "in vitro oncogenic transformation data" for C3H 10T1/2 cells. This model has provided an opportunity to study the cellular and molecular changes, at the various stages in radiation carcinogenesis, involving human cells. It has become well known that simulation could be used to investigate complex biomedical systems, in situations where traditional methodologies were difficult or too costly to employ.

Clonal composition of human ovarian cancer based on copy number analysis reveals a reciprocal relation with oncogenic mutation status.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Kazuko; Ukita, Masayo; Schmidt, Jeanette; Wu, Longyang; De Velasco, Marco A; Roter, Alan; Jevons, Luis; Nishio, Kazuto; Mandai, Masaki

2017-10-01

Intratumoral heterogeneity of cancer cells remains largely unexplored. Here we investigated the composition of ovarian cancer and its biological relevance. A whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism array was applied to detect the clonal composition of 24 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples of human ovarian cancer. Genome-wide segmentation data consisting of the log2 ratio (log2R) and B allele frequency (BAF) were used to calculate an estimate of the clonal composition number (CC number) for each tumor. Somatic mutation profiles of cancer-related genes were also determined for the same 24 samples by next-generation sequencing. The CC number was estimated successfully for 23 of the 24 cancer samples. The mean ± SD value for the CC number was 1.7 ± 1.1 (range of 0-4). A somatic mutation in at least one gene was identified in 22 of the 24 ovarian cancer samples, with the mutations including those in the oncogenes KRAS (29.2%), PIK3CA (12.5%), BRAF (8.3%), FGFR2 (4.2%), and JAK2 (4.2%) as well as those in the tumor suppressor genes TP53 (54.2%), FBXW7 (8.3%), PTEN (4.2%), and RB1 (4.2%). Tumors with one or more oncogenic mutations had a significantly lower CC number than did those without such a mutation (1.0 ± 0.8 versus 2.3 ± 0.9, P = 0.0027), suggesting that cancers with driver oncogene mutations are less heterogeneous than those with other mutations. Our results thus reveal a reciprocal relation between oncogenic mutation status and clonal composition in ovarian cancer using the established method for the estimation of the CC number. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An enhanced topologically significant directed random walk in cancer classification using gene expression datasets

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Choon Sen Seah

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Microarray technology has become one of the elementary tools for researchers to study the genome of organisms. As the complexity and heterogeneity of cancer is being increasingly appreciated through genomic analysis, cancerous classification is an emerging important trend. Significant directed random walk is proposed as one of the cancerous classification approach which have higher sensitivity of risk gene prediction and higher accuracy of cancer classification. In this paper, the methodology and material used for the experiment are presented. Tuning parameter selection method and weight as parameter are applied in proposed approach. Gene expression dataset is used as the input datasets while pathway dataset is used to build a directed graph, as reference datasets, to complete the bias process in random walk approach. In addition, we demonstrate that our approach can improve sensitive predictions with higher accuracy and biological meaningful classification result. Comparison result takes place between significant directed random walk and directed random walk to show the improvement in term of sensitivity of prediction and accuracy of cancer classification.

Progression from productive infection to integration and oncogenic transformation in human papillomavirus type 59-immortalized foreskin keratinocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Spartz, Helena; Lehr, Elizabeth; Zhang, Benyue; Roman, Ann; Brown, Darron R

2005-05-25

Studies of changes in the virus and host cell upon progression from human papillomavirus (HPV) episomal infection to integration are critical to understanding HPV-related malignant transformation. However, there exist only a few in vitro models of both productive HPV infection and neoplastic progression on the same host background. We recently described a unique foreskin keratinocyte cell line (ERIN 59) that contains HPV 59 (a close relative of HPV 18). Early passages of ERIN 59 cells (passages 9-13) contained approximately 50 copies of episomes/cell, were feeder cell-dependent, and could be induced to differentiate and produce infectious virus in a simple culture system. We now report that late passage cells (passages greater than 50) were morphologically different from early passage cells, were feeder cell independent, and did not differentiate or produce virus. These late passage cells contained HPV in an integrated form. An integration-derived oncogene transcript was expressed in late passage cells. The E2 open reading frame was interrupted in this transcript at nucleotide 3351. Despite a lower viral genome copy number in late passage ERIN 59 cells, expression of E6/E7 oncogene transcripts was similar to early passage cells. We conclude that ERIN 59 cells are a valuable cell line representing a model of progression from HPV 59 episomal infection and virus production to HPV 59 integration and associated oncogenic transformation on the same host background.

A New Classification Approach Based on Multiple Classification Rules

OpenAIRE

Zhongmei Zhou

2014-01-01

A good classifier can correctly predict new data for which the class label is unknown, so it is important to construct a high accuracy classifier. Hence, classification techniques are much useful in ubiquitous computing. Associative classification achieves higher classification accuracy than some traditional rule-based classification approaches. However, the approach also has two major deficiencies. First, it generates a very large number of association classification rules, especially when t...

USP22 acts as an oncogene by regulating the stability of cyclooxygenase-2 in non-small cell lung cancer

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Xiao, Haibo [Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200092 (China); Tian, Yue [Institute of Orthopaedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853 (China); Yang, Yang; Hu, Fengqing; Xie, Xiao; Mei, Ju [Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200092 (China); Ding, Fangbao, E-mail: drnail@sina.com [Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200092 (China)

2015-05-08

The histone ubiquitin hydrolase ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) is an epigenetic modifier and an oncogene that is upregulated in many types of cancer. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), aberrant expression of USP22 is a predictor of poor survival, as is high expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Despite its oncogenic role, few substrates of USP22 have been identified and its mechanism of action in cancer remains unclear. Here, we identified COX-2 as a direct substrate of USP22 and showed that its levels are modulated by USP22 mediated deubiquitination. Silencing of USP22 downregulated COX-2, decreased its half-life, and inhibited lung carcinoma cell proliferation by directly interacting with and modulating the stability and activity of COX-2 through the regulation of its ubiquitination status. The findings of the present study suggest a potential mechanism underlying the oncogenic role of USP22 mediated by the modulation of the stability and activity of COX-2. - Highlights: • USP22 interacts with COX-2. • USP22 deubiquitinates and stabilizes COX-2. • USP22 is required for COX-2-mediated upregulation of prostaglandin E2.

The Therapeutic Potential of CRISPR/Cas9 Systems in Oncogene-Addicted Cancer Types: Virally Driven Cancers as a Model System

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Luqman Jubair

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The field of gene editing is undergoing unprecedented growth. The first ex vivo human clinical trial in China started in 2016, more than 1000 US patents have been filed, and there is exponential growth in publications. The ability to edit genes with high fidelity is promising for the development of new treatments for a range of diseases, particularly inherited conditions, infectious diseases, and cancers. For cancer, a major issue is the identification of driver mutations and oncogenes to target for therapeutic effect, and this requires the development of robust models with which to prove their efficacy. The challenge is that there is rarely a single critical gene. However, virally driven cancers, in which cells are addicted to the expression of a single viral oncogene in some cases, may serve as model systems for CRISPR/Cas therapies, as they did for RNAi. These models and systems offer an excellent opportunity to test both preclinical models and clinical conditions to examine the effectiveness of gene editing, and here we review the options and offer a way forward. Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9, virally-driven cancers, cervical cancer, oncogene-addiction

Proposed Terminology and Classification of Pre-Malignant Neoplastic Conditions: A Consensus Proposal

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Peter Valent

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Cancer evolution is a step-wise non-linear process that may start early in life or later in adulthood, and includes pre-malignant (indolent and malignant phases. Early somatic changes may not be detectable or are found by chance in apparently healthy individuals. The same lesions may be detected in pre-malignant clonal conditions. In some patients, these lesions may never become relevant clinically whereas in others, they act together with additional pro-oncogenic hits and thereby contribute to the formation of an overt malignancy. Although some pre-malignant stages of a malignancy have been characterized, no global system to define and to classify these conditions is available. To discuss open issues related to pre-malignant phases of neoplastic disorders, a working conference was organized in Vienna in August 2015. The outcomes of this conference are summarized herein and include a basic proposal for a nomenclature and classification of pre-malignant conditions. This proposal should assist in the communication among patients, physicians and scientists, which is critical as genome-sequencing will soon be offered widely for early cancer-detection.

Co-chaperone BAG2 Determines the Pro-oncogenic Role of Cathepsin B in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

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Kyung-Min Yang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Summary: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC is considered incurable with currently available treatments, highlighting the need for therapeutic targets and predictive biomarkers. Here, we report a unique role for Bcl-2-associated athanogene 2 (BAG2, which is significantly overexpressed in TNBC, in regulating the dual functions of cathepsin B as either a pro- or anti-oncogenic enzyme. Silencing BAG2 suppresses tumorigenesis and lung metastasis and induces apoptosis by increasing the intracellular mature form of cathepsin B, whereas BAG2 expression induces metastasis by blocking the auto-cleavage processing of pro-cathepsin B via interaction with the propeptide region. BAG2 regulates pro-cathepsin B/annexin II complex formation and facilitates the trafficking of pro-cathespin-B-containing TGN38-positive vesicles toward the cell periphery, leading to the secretion of pro-cathepsin B, which induces metastasis. Collectively, our results uncover BAG2 as a regulator of the oncogenic function of pro-cathepsin B and a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target that may reduce the burden of metastatic breast cancer. : The mechanisms controlling the pro- and anti-oncogenic roles of cathepsin B are unclear. Yang et al. find that BAG2 is a regulator of the dual functions of its client protein, CTSB, facilitating the progression of TNBC. Keywords: BAG2, cathepsin B, TNBC, tumorigenesis, metastasis, breast cancer, TGN38

78 FR 68983 - Cotton Futures Classification: Optional Classification Procedure

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-18

...-AD33 Cotton Futures Classification: Optional Classification Procedure AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing... regulations to allow for the addition of an optional cotton futures classification procedure--identified and... response to requests from the U.S. cotton industry and ICE, AMS will offer a futures classification option...

The 5T mouse multiple myeloma model: Absence of c-myc oncogene rearrangement in early transplant generations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Radl, J.; Punt, Y.A.; Enden-Vieveen, M.H.M. van den; Bentvelzen, P.A.J.; Bakkus, M.H.C.; Akker T., W. van den; Benner, R.

1990-01-01

Consistent chromosomal translocations involving the c-myc cellular oncogene and one of the three immunoglobulin loci are typical for human Burkitt's lymphoma, induced mouse plasmacytoma (MPC) and spontaneously arising rat immunocytoma (RIC). Another plasma cell malignancy, multiple myeloma (MM),

miR-449 overexpression inhibits papillary thyroid carcinoma cell growth by targeting RET kinase-β-catenin signaling pathway.

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Li, Zongyu; Huang, Xin; Xu, Jinkai; Su, Qinghua; Zhao, Jun; Ma, Jiancang

2016-10-01

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common thyroid cancer and represent approximately 80% of all thyroid cancers. The present study is aimed to investigate the role of microRNA (miR)-449 in the progression of PTC. Our results revealed that miR-449 was underexpressed in the collected PTC specimens compared with non-cancerous PTC tissues. Overexpression of miR-449 induced a cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and inhibited PTC cell growth in vitro. Further studies revealed that RET proto-oncogene (RET) is a novel miR-449 target, due to miR-449 bound directly to its 3'-untranslated region and miR-449 mimic reduced the protein expression of RET. Similar to the effects of miR-449 overexpression, RET downregulation inhibited cell growth, whereas RET overexpression reversed the inhibitive effect of miR-449 mimic. Furthermore, miR-449 overexpression inhibited the nuclear translocation of β-catenin and reduced the expression of several downstream genes, including c-Myc, cyclin D1, T cell-specific transcription factor (TCF) and lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF-1), and inactivated the β-catenin pathway in TPC-1 cells. Moreover, overexpression of β-catenin prevented miR-449-reduced cell cycle arrest and cell viability. In xenograft animal experiments, miR-449 overexpression effectively suppressed the tumor growth of PTC. Taken together, our research indicated that miR-449 functions as an anti-oncogene by targeting RET, and that miR-449 overexpression inhibited the growth of PTC by inactivating the β-catenin pathway. Thus, miR-449 may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PTC.

Plac8 Links Oncogenic Mutations to Regulation of Autophagy and Is Critical to Pancreatic Cancer Progression

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Conan Kinsey

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Mutations in p53 and RAS potently cooperate in oncogenic transformation, and correspondingly, these genetic alterations frequently coexist in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA and other human cancers. Previously, we identified a set of genes synergistically activated by combined RAS and p53 mutations as frequent downstream mediators of tumorigenesis. Here, we show that the synergistically activated gene Plac8 is critical for pancreatic cancer growth. Silencing of Plac8 in cell lines suppresses tumor formation by blocking autophagy, a process essential for maintaining metabolic homeostasis in PDA, and genetic inactivation in an engineered mouse model inhibits PDA progression. We show that Plac8 is a critical regulator of the autophagic machinery, localizing to the lysosomal compartment and facilitating lysosome-autophagosome fusion. Plac8 thus provides a mechanistic link between primary oncogenic mutations and the induction of autophagy, a central mechanism of metabolic reprogramming, during PDA progression.

Large-scale gene function analysis with the PANTHER classification system.

Science.gov (United States)

Mi, Huaiyu; Muruganujan, Anushya; Casagrande, John T; Thomas, Paul D

2013-08-01

The PANTHER (protein annotation through evolutionary relationship) classification system (http://www.pantherdb.org/) is a comprehensive system that combines gene function, ontology, pathways and statistical analysis tools that enable biologists to analyze large-scale, genome-wide data from sequencing, proteomics or gene expression experiments. The system is built with 82 complete genomes organized into gene families and subfamilies, and their evolutionary relationships are captured in phylogenetic trees, multiple sequence alignments and statistical models (hidden Markov models or HMMs). Genes are classified according to their function in several different ways: families and subfamilies are annotated with ontology terms (Gene Ontology (GO) and PANTHER protein class), and sequences are assigned to PANTHER pathways. The PANTHER website includes a suite of tools that enable users to browse and query gene functions, and to analyze large-scale experimental data with a number of statistical tests. It is widely used by bench scientists, bioinformaticians, computer scientists and systems biologists. In the 2013 release of PANTHER (v.8.0), in addition to an update of the data content, we redesigned the website interface to improve both user experience and the system's analytical capability. This protocol provides a detailed description of how to analyze genome-wide experimental data with the PANTHER classification system.

A Poly-ADP-Ribose Trigger Releases the Auto-Inhibition of a Chromatin Remodeling Oncogene.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Hari R; Nardozza, Aurelio P; Möller, Ingvar R; Knobloch, Gunnar; Kistemaker, Hans A V; Hassler, Markus; Harrer, Nadine; Blessing, Charlotte; Eustermann, Sebastian; Kotthoff, Christiane; Huet, Sébastien; Mueller-Planitz, Felix; Filippov, Dmitri V; Timinszky, Gyula; Rand, Kasper D; Ladurner, Andreas G

2017-12-07

DNA damage triggers chromatin remodeling by mechanisms that are poorly understood. The oncogene and chromatin remodeler ALC1/CHD1L massively decompacts chromatin in vivo yet is inactive prior to DNA-damage-mediated PARP1 induction. We show that the interaction of the ALC1 macrodomain with the ATPase module mediates auto-inhibition. PARP1 activation suppresses this inhibitory interaction. Crucially, release from auto-inhibition requires a poly-ADP-ribose (PAR) binding macrodomain. We identify tri-ADP-ribose as a potent PAR-mimic and synthetic allosteric effector that abrogates ATPase-macrodomain interactions, promotes an ungated conformation, and activates the remodeler's ATPase. ALC1 fragments lacking the regulatory macrodomain relax chromatin in vivo without requiring PARP1 activation. Further, the ATPase restricts the macrodomain's interaction with PARP1 under non-DNA damage conditions. Somatic cancer mutants disrupt ALC1's auto-inhibition and activate chromatin remodeling. Our data show that the NAD + -metabolite and nucleic acid PAR triggers ALC1 to drive chromatin relaxation. Modular allostery in this oncogene tightly controls its robust, DNA-damage-dependent activation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interaction of x-rays and food pyrolysis products in producing oncogenic transformation in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borek, C.; Ong, A.

1981-01-01

In recent years it has become evident from epidemiological and experimental data that a large number of environmental factors, including diet, play a role in modifying the incidence of cancer. Cell culture systems in which oncogenic transformation serves as an end point are powerful tools for evaluating these questions. Using such systems it has been shown recently that pyrolysis products from charred surfaces of broiled meat and fish can transform hamster embryo cells in vitro as well as produce tumors in the animal. Our studies in vitro have demonstrated the oncogenic potential of ionizing radiation in both hamster and human cells and have established in hamster cells the dose response relationship at doses ranging from 1 to 600 rad for x-rays and 0.1 to 150 rad for neutrons. The present work was aimed at evaluating whether there exists a cocarcinogenic interaction between a pyrolysis product and x-rays in their ability to transform hamster embryo cells in vitro. We have found that when cells are exposed to x-rays prior to treatment with the pyrolysis product there appears to be a synergistic interaction between the two agents in their ability to transform the cells

Pervasive transcription read-through promotes aberrant expression of oncogenes and RNA chimeras in renal carcinoma

Science.gov (United States)

Grosso, Ana R; Leite, Ana P; Carvalho, Sílvia; Matos, Mafalda R; Martins, Filipa B; Vítor, Alexandra C; Desterro, Joana MP; Carmo-Fonseca, Maria; de Almeida, Sérgio F

2015-01-01

Aberrant expression of cancer genes and non-canonical RNA species is a hallmark of cancer. However, the mechanisms driving such atypical gene expression programs are incompletely understood. Here, our transcriptional profiling of a cohort of 50 primary clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) reveals that transcription read-through beyond the termination site is a source of transcriptome diversity in cancer cells. Amongst the genes most frequently mutated in ccRCC, we identified SETD2 inactivation as a potent enhancer of transcription read-through. We further show that invasion of neighbouring genes and generation of RNA chimeras are functional outcomes of transcription read-through. We identified the BCL2 oncogene as one of such invaded genes and detected a novel chimera, the CTSC-RAB38, in 20% of ccRCC samples. Collectively, our data highlight a novel link between transcription read-through and aberrant expression of oncogenes and chimeric transcripts that is prevalent in cancer. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09214.001 PMID:26575290

Malignant transformation of diploid human fibroblasts by transfection of oncogenes. Part 2, Progress report, July 1989--June 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCormick, J.J.

1992-12-31

This document consist of brief reports prepared by postdoctoral students supported by the project, each describing his accomplishments under the grant. Topics include (1) Malignant Transformation of MSU-1. 1 Cells by Gamma Radiation, (2) Correlation between Levels of ras Expression and Presence of Transformed Phenotypes Including Tumorigenicity, Using a Modulatable Promoter, (3) Relation between Specific rad Oncogene Expression, (4) Correlation of Genetic Changes in Fibroblastic Tumors with Malignancies, (5)Transformation of MSU-1.1 Cells by sis Oncogene, (6) Malignant Transformation of MSU-1.0 Cells, (7) Correlation of Urokinase Plasminogen Activation (mu-PA) with Malignant Phenotype, (8)Two Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis Studies of the Proteins of the Major Cell Strains of the MSU-1 Family of Cells, and (9) Correlation between Proteinase Activity Levels and Malignancy.

Lipoteichoic Acid (LTA) and Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Periodontal Pathogenic Bacteria Facilitate Oncogenic Herpesvirus Infection within Primary Oral Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Lu; DeFee, Michael R.; Cao, Yueyu; Wen, Jiling; Wen, Xiaofei; Noverr, Mairi C.; Qin, Zhiqiang

2014-01-01

Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) remains the most common tumor arising in patients with HIV/AIDS, and involvement of the oral cavity represents one of the most common clinical manifestations of this tumor. HIV infection incurs an increased risk for periodontal diseases and oral carriage of a variety of bacteria. Whether interactions involving pathogenic bacteria and oncogenic viruses in the local environment facilitate replication or maintenance of these viruses in the oral cavity remains unknown. In the current study, our data indicate that pretreatment of primary human oral fibroblasts with two prototypical pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) produced by oral pathogenic bacteria–lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), increase KSHV entry and subsequent viral latent gene expression during de novo infection. Further experiments demonstrate that the underlying mechanisms induced by LTA and/or LPS include upregulation of cellular receptor, increasing production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and activating intracellular signaling pathways such as MAPK and NF-κB, and all of which are closely associated with KSHV entry or gene expression within oral cells. Based on these findings, we hope to provide the framework of developing novel targeted approaches for treatment and prevention of oral KSHV infection and KS development in high-risk HIV-positive patients. PMID:24971655

Concurrent mutation in exons 1 and 2 of the K-ras oncogene in colorectal cancer

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Fiorella Guadagni

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The K-ras gene is frequently mutated in colorectal cancer and has been associated with tumor initiation and progression; approximately 90% of the activating mutations are found in codons 12 and 13 of exon 1 and just under 5% in codon 61 located in exon 2. These mutations determine single aminoacidic substitutions in the GTPase pocket leading to a block of the GTP hydrolytic activity of the K-ras p21 protein, and therefore to its constitutive activation. Point mutations in sites of the K-ras gene, other than codons 12, 13 and 61, and other types of genetic alterations, may occur in a minority of cases, such as in the less frequent cases of double mutations in the K-ras gene. However, all mutations in this gene, even those which occur in non-canonical sites or double mutations, are relevant oncogenic alterations in colorectal cancer and may underlie K-ras pathway hyperactivation. In the present study, we report the case of a patient with colorectal cancer presenting a concurrent point mutation in exons 1 and 2 of the K-ras gene, a GGT to TGT substitution (Glycine to Cysteine at codon 12, and a GAC to AAC substitution (Aspartic Acid to Asparagine at codon 57. In addition, we found in the same patient’s sample a silent polymorphism at codon 11 (Ala11Ala of exon 1. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 729–733

Vav3 oncogene activates estrogen receptor and its overexpression may be involved in human breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kiwon; Liu, Yin; Mo, Jun Qin; Zhang, Jinsong; Dong, Zhongyun; Lu, Shan

2008-01-01

Our previous study revealed that Vav3 oncogene is overexpressed in human prostate cancer, activates androgen receptor, and stimulates growth in prostate cancer cells. The current study is to determine a potential role of Vav3 oncogene in human breast cancer and impact on estrogen receptor a (ERα)-mediated signaling axis. Immunohistochemistry analysis was performed in 43 breast cancer specimens and western blot analysis was used for human breast cancer cell lines to determine the expression level of Vav3 protein. The impact of Vav3 on breast cancer cell growth was determined by siRNA knockdown of Vav3 expression. The role of Vav3 in ERα activation was examined in luciferase reporter assays. Deletion mutation analysis of Vav3 protein was performed to localize the functional domain involved in ERα activation. Finally, the interaction of Vav3 and ERα was assessed by GST pull-down analysis. We found that Vav3 was overexpressed in 81% of human breast cancer specimens, particularly in poorly differentiated lesions. Vav3 activated ERα partially via PI3K-Akt signaling and stimulated growth of breast cancer cells. Vav3 also potentiated EGF activity for cell growth and ERα activation in breast cancer cells. More interestingly, we found that Vav3 complexed with ERα. Consistent with its function for AR, the DH domain of Vav3 was essential for ERα activation. Vav3 oncogene is overexpressed in human breast cancer. Vav3 complexes with ERα and enhances ERα activity. These findings suggest that Vav3 overexpression may aberrantly enhance ERα-mediated signaling axis and play a role in breast cancer development and/or progression

3D view to tumor suppression: Lkb1, polarity and the arrest of oncogenic c-Myc.

Science.gov (United States)

Partanen, Johanna I; Nieminen, Anni I; Klefstrom, Juha

2009-03-01

Machiavelli wrote, in his famous political treatise Il Principe, about disrupting organization by planting seeds of dissension or by eliminating necessary support elements. Tumor cells do exactly that by disrupting the organized architecture of epithelial cell layers during progression from contained benign tumor to full-blown invasive cancer. However, it is still unclear whether tumor cells primarily break free by activating oncogenes powerful enough to cause chaos or by eliminating tumor suppressor genes guarding the order of the epithelial organization. Studies in Drosophila have exposed genes that encode key regulators of the epithelial apicobasal polarity and which, upon inactivation, cause disorganization of the epithelial layers and promote unscheduled cell proliferation. These polarity regulator/tumor suppressor proteins, which include products of neoplastic tumor suppressor genes (nTSGs), are carefully positioned in polarized epithelial cells to maintain the order of epithelial structures and to impose a restraint on cell proliferation. In this review, we have explored the presence and prevalence of somatic mutations in the human counterparts of Drosophila polarity regulator/tumor suppressor genes across the human cancers. The screen points out LKB1, which is a causal genetic lesion in Peutz-Jeghers cancer syndrome, a gene mutated in certain sporadic cancers and a human homologue of the fly polarity gene par-4. We review the evidence linking Lkb1 protein to polarity regulation in the scope of our recent results suggesting a coupled role for Lkb1 as an architect of organized acinar structures and a suppressor of oncogenic c-Myc. We finally present models to explain how Lkb1-dependent formation of epithelial architecture is coupled to suppression of normal and oncogene-induced proliferation.

Analysis of nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling of the proto-oncogene SET/I2PP2A

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lam, B. Daniel; Anthony, Eloise C.; Hordijk, Peter L.

2012-01-01

SET/I2PP2A is a nuclear protein that was initially identified as an oncogene in human undifferentiated acute myeloid leukemia, fused to the nuclear porin Nup-214. In addition, SET is a potent inhibitior of the phosphatase PP2A. Previously, we proposed a model in which the small GTPase Rac1 recruits

Is overall similarity classification less effortful than single-dimension classification?

Science.gov (United States)

Wills, Andy J; Milton, Fraser; Longmore, Christopher A; Hester, Sarah; Robinson, Jo

2013-01-01

It is sometimes argued that the implementation of an overall similarity classification is less effortful than the implementation of a single-dimension classification. In the current article, we argue that the evidence securely in support of this view is limited, and report additional evidence in support of the opposite proposition--overall similarity classification is more effortful than single-dimension classification. Using a match-to-standards procedure, Experiments 1A, 1B and 2 demonstrate that concurrent load reduces the prevalence of overall similarity classification, and that this effect is robust to changes in the concurrent load task employed, the level of time pressure experienced, and the short-term memory requirements of the classification task. Experiment 3 demonstrates that participants who produced overall similarity classifications from the outset have larger working memory capacities than those who produced single-dimension classifications initially, and Experiment 4 demonstrates that instructions to respond meticulously increase the prevalence of overall similarity classification.

The human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 p30II protein activates p53 and induces the TIGAR and suppresses oncogene-induced oxidative stress during viral carcinogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Romeo, Megan; Hutchison, Tetiana; Malu, Aditi; White, Averi; Kim, Janice; Gardner, Rachel; Smith, Katie; Nelson, Katherine; Bergeson, Rachel; McKee, Ryan; Harrod, Carolyn; Ratner, Lee; Lüscher, Bernhard; Martinez, Ernest; Harrod, Robert

2018-05-01

In normal cells, aberrant oncogene expression leads to the accumulation of cytotoxic metabolites, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause oxidative DNA-damage and apoptosis as an intrinsic barrier against neoplastic disease. The c-Myc oncoprotein is overexpressed in many lymphoid cancers due to c-myc gene amplification and/or 8q24 chromosomal translocations. Intriguingly, p53 is a downstream target of c-Myc and hematological malignancies, such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), frequently contain wildtype p53 and c-Myc overexpression. We therefore hypothesized that p53-regulated pro-survival signals may thwart the cell's metabolic anticancer defenses to support oncogene-activation in lymphoid cancers. Here we show that the Tp53-induced glycolysis and apoptosis regulator (TIGAR) promotes c-myc oncogene-activation by the human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) latency-maintenance factor p30 II , associated with c-Myc deregulation in ATL clinical isolates. TIGAR prevents the intracellular accumulation of c-Myc-induced ROS and inhibits oncogene-induced cellular senescence in ATL, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and multiple myeloma cells with elevated c-Myc expression. Our results allude to a pivotal role for p53-regulated antioxidant signals as mediators of c-Myc oncogenic functions in viral and non-viral lymphoid tumors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An integrative approach unveils FOSL1 as an oncogene vulnerability in KRAS-driven lung and pancreatic cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vallejo, Adrian; Perurena, Naiara; Guruceaga, Elisabet

2017-01-01

KRAS mutated tumours represent a large fraction of human cancers, but the vast majority remains refractory to current clinical therapies. Thus, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms triggered by KRAS oncogene may yield alternative therapeutic strategies. Here we report the identifica...

Arsenic trioxide inhibits cell proliferation and human papillomavirus oncogene expression in cervical cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hongtao; Gao, Peng; Zheng, Jie

2014-01-01

Highlights: • As 2 O 3 inhibits growth of cervical cancer cells and expression of HPV oncogenes in these cells. • HPV-negative cervical cancer cells are more sensitive to As 2 O 3 than HPV-positive cervical cancer cells. • HPV-18 positive cervical cancer cells are more sensitive to As 2 O 3 than HPV-16 positive cancer cells. • Down-regulation of HPV oncogenes by As 2 O 3 is partially due to the diminished AP-1 binding. - Abstract: Arsenic trioxide (As 2 O 3 ) has shown therapeutic effects in some leukemias and solid cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms of its anticancer efficacy have not been clearly elucidated, particularly in solid cancers. Our previous data showed that As 2 O 3 induced apoptosis of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 DNA-immortalized human cervical epithelial cells and cervical cancer cells and inhibited the expression of HPV oncogenes in these cells. In the present study, we systemically examined the effects of As 2 O 3 on five human cervical cancer cell lines and explored the possible molecular mechanisms. MTT assay showed that HPV-negative C33A cells were more sensitive to growth inhibition induced by As 2 O 3 than HPV-positive cervical cancer cells, and HPV 18-positive HeLa and C4-I cells were more sensitive to As 2 O 3 than HPV 16-positive CaSki and SiHa cells. After As 2 O 3 treatment, both mRNA and protein levels of HPV E6 and E7 obviously decreased in all HPV positive cell lines. In contrast, p53 and Rb protein levels increased in all tested cell lines. Transcription factor AP-1 protein expression decreased significantly in HeLa, CaSki and C33A cells with ELISA method. These results suggest that As 2 O 3 is a potential anticancer drug for cervical cancer

Resting potential, oncogene-induced tumorigenesis, and metastasis: the bioelectric basis of cancer in vivo

Science.gov (United States)

Lobikin, Maria; Chernet, Brook; Lobo, Daniel; Levin, Michael

2012-12-01

Cancer may result from localized failure of instructive cues that normally orchestrate cell behaviors toward the patterning needs of the organism. Steady-state gradients of transmembrane voltage (Vmem) in non-neural cells are instructive, epigenetic signals that regulate pattern formation during embryogenesis and morphostatic repair. Here, we review molecular data on the role of bioelectric cues in cancer and present new findings in the Xenopus laevis model on how the microenvironment's biophysical properties contribute to cancer in vivo. First, we investigated the melanoma-like phenotype arising from serotonergic signaling by ‘instructor’ cells—a cell population that is able to induce a metastatic phenotype in normal melanocytes. We show that when these instructor cells are depolarized, blood vessel patterning is disrupted in addition to the metastatic phenotype induced in melanocytes. Surprisingly, very few instructor cells need to be depolarized for the hyperpigmentation phenotype to occur; we present a model of antagonistic signaling by serotonin receptors that explains the unusual all-or-none nature of this effect. In addition to the body-wide depolarization-induced metastatic phenotype, we investigated the bioelectrical properties of tumor-like structures induced by canonical oncogenes and cancer-causing compounds. Exposure to carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) induces localized tumors, but has a broad (and variable) effect on the bioelectric properties of the whole body. Tumors induced by oncogenes show aberrantly high sodium content, representing a non-invasive diagnostic modality. Importantly, depolarized transmembrane potential is not only a marker of cancer but is functionally instructive: susceptibility to oncogene-induced tumorigenesis is significantly reduced by forced prior expression of hyperpolarizing ion channels. Importantly, the same effect can be achieved by pharmacological manipulation of endogenous chloride channels, suggesting

Arsenic trioxide inhibits cell proliferation and human papillomavirus oncogene expression in cervical cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Hongtao [Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009 (China); Gao, Peng [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Zheng, Jie, E-mail: jiezheng54@126.com [Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009 (China)

2014-09-05

Highlights: • As{sub 2}O{sub 3} inhibits growth of cervical cancer cells and expression of HPV oncogenes in these cells. • HPV-negative cervical cancer cells are more sensitive to As{sub 2}O{sub 3} than HPV-positive cervical cancer cells. • HPV-18 positive cervical cancer cells are more sensitive to As{sub 2}O{sub 3} than HPV-16 positive cancer cells. • Down-regulation of HPV oncogenes by As{sub 2}O{sub 3} is partially due to the diminished AP-1 binding. - Abstract: Arsenic trioxide (As{sub 2}O{sub 3}) has shown therapeutic effects in some leukemias and solid cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms of its anticancer efficacy have not been clearly elucidated, particularly in solid cancers. Our previous data showed that As{sub 2}O{sub 3} induced apoptosis of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 DNA-immortalized human cervical epithelial cells and cervical cancer cells and inhibited the expression of HPV oncogenes in these cells. In the present study, we systemically examined the effects of As{sub 2}O{sub 3} on five human cervical cancer cell lines and explored the possible molecular mechanisms. MTT assay showed that HPV-negative C33A cells were more sensitive to growth inhibition induced by As{sub 2}O{sub 3} than HPV-positive cervical cancer cells, and HPV 18-positive HeLa and C4-I cells were more sensitive to As{sub 2}O{sub 3} than HPV 16-positive CaSki and SiHa cells. After As{sub 2}O{sub 3} treatment, both mRNA and protein levels of HPV E6 and E7 obviously decreased in all HPV positive cell lines. In contrast, p53 and Rb protein levels increased in all tested cell lines. Transcription factor AP-1 protein expression decreased significantly in HeLa, CaSki and C33A cells with ELISA method. These results suggest that As{sub 2}O{sub 3} is a potential anticancer drug for cervical cancer.

Modeling of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug effect within signaling pathways and miRNA-regulation pathways.

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Jian Li

Full Text Available To date, it is widely recognized that Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs can exert considerable anti-tumor effects regarding many types of cancers. The prolonged use of NSAIDs is highly associated with diverse side effects. Therefore, tailoring down the NSAID application onto individual patients has become a necessary and relevant step towards personalized medicine. This study conducts the systemsbiological approach to construct a molecular model (NSAID model containing a cyclooxygenase (COX-pathway and its related signaling pathways. Four cancer hallmarks are integrated into the model to reflect different developmental aspects of tumorigenesis. In addition, a Flux-Comparative-Analysis (FCA based on Petri net is developed to transfer the dynamic properties (including drug responsiveness of individual cellular system into the model. The gene expression profiles of different tumor-types with available drug-response information are applied to validate the predictive ability of the NSAID model. Moreover, two therapeutic developmental strategies, synthetic lethality and microRNA (miRNA biomarker discovery, are investigated based on the COX-pathway. In conclusion, the result of this study demonstrates that the NSAID model involving gene expression, gene regulation, signal transduction, protein interaction and other cellular processes, is able to predict the individual cellular responses for different therapeutic interventions (such as NS-398 and COX-2 specific siRNA inhibition. This strongly indicates that this type of model is able to reflect the physiological, developmental and pathological processes of an individual. The approach of miRNA biomarker discovery is demonstrated for identifying miRNAs with oncogenic and tumor suppressive functions for individual cell lines of breast-, colon- and lung-tumor. The achieved results are in line with different independent studies that investigated miRNA biomarker related to diagnostics of cancer

NF-κB-Activating Complex Engaged in Response to EGFR Oncogene Inhibition Drives Tumor Cell Survival and Residual Disease in Lung Cancer

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Collin M. Blakely

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Although oncogene-targeted therapy often elicits profound initial tumor responses in patients, responses are generally incomplete because some tumor cells survive initial therapy as residual disease that enables eventual acquired resistance. The mechanisms underlying tumor cell adaptation and survival during initial therapy are incompletely understood. Here, through the study of EGFR mutant lung adenocarcinoma, we show that NF-κB signaling is rapidly engaged upon initial EGFR inhibitor treatment to promote tumor cell survival and residual disease. EGFR oncogene inhibition induced an EGFR-TRAF2-RIP1-IKK complex that stimulated an NF-κB-mediated transcriptional survival program. The direct NF-κB inhibitor PBS-1086 suppressed this adaptive survival program and increased the magnitude and duration of initial EGFR inhibitor response in multiple NSCLC models, including a patient-derived xenograft. These findings unveil NF-κB activation as a critical adaptive survival mechanism engaged by EGFR oncogene inhibition and provide rationale for EGFR and NF-κB co-inhibition to eliminate residual disease and enhance patient responses.

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition during oncogenic transformation induced by hexavalent chromium involves reactive oxygen species-dependent mechanism in lung epithelial cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Song-Ze, E-mail: dingsongze@hotmail.com [Department of Internal Medicine, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Wei-Wu Road, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000 (China); Graduate Center for Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States); Yang, Yu-Xiu; Li, Xiu-Ling [Department of Internal Medicine, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Wei-Wu Road, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000 (China); Michelli-Rivera, Audrey [Graduate Center for Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States); Han, Shuang-Yin [Department of Internal Medicine, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Wei-Wu Road, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000 (China); Wang, Lei; Pratheeshkumar, Poyil; Wang, Xin; Lu, Jian; Yin, Yuan-Qin; Budhraja, Amit; Hitron, Andrew J. [Graduate Center for Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States)

2013-05-15

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is an important human carcinogen associated with pulmonary diseases and lung cancer. Exposure to Cr(VI) induces DNA damage, cell morphological change and malignant transformation in human lung epithelial cells. Despite extensive studies, the molecular mechanisms remain elusive, it is also not known if Cr(VI)-induced transformation might accompany with invasive properties to facilitate metastasis. We aimed to study Cr(VI)-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion during oncogenic transformation in lung epithelial cells. The results showed that Cr(VI) at low doses represses E-cadherin mRNA and protein expression, enhances mesenchymal marker vimentin expression and transforms the epithelial cell into fibroblastoid morphology. Cr(VI) also increases cell invasion and promotes colony formation. Further studies indicated that Cr(VI) uses multiple mechanisms to repress E-cadherin expression, including activation of E-cadherin repressors such as Slug, ZEB1, KLF8 and enhancement the binding of HDAC1 in E-cadherin gene promoter, but DNA methylation is not responsible for the loss of E-cadherin. Catalase reduces Cr(VI)-induced E-cadherin and vimentin protein expression, attenuates cell invasion in matrigel and colony formation on soft agar. These results demonstrate that exposure to a common human carcinogen, Cr(VI), induces EMT and invasion during oncogenic transformation in lung epithelial cells and implicate in cancer metastasis and prevention. - Graphical abstract: Epithelial–mesenchymal transition during oncogenic transformation induced by hexavalent chromium involves reactive oxygen species-dependent mechanisms in lung epithelial cells. - Highlights: • We study if Cr(VI) might induce EMT and invasion in epithelial cells. • Cr(VI) induces EMT by altering E-cadherin and vimentin expression. • It also increases cell invasion and promotes oncogenic transformation. • Catalase reduces Cr(VI)-induced EMT, invasion and

Activating mutation in MET oncogene in familial colorectal cancer

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Schildkraut Joellen M

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In developed countries, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC is 5%, and it is the second leading cause of death from cancer. The presence of family history is a well established risk factor with 25-35% of CRCs attributable to inherited and/or familial factors. The highly penetrant inherited colon cancer syndromes account for approximately 5%, leaving greater than 20% without clear genetic definition. Familial colorectal cancer has been linked to chromosome 7q31 by multiple affected relative pair studies. The MET proto-oncogene which resides in this chromosomal region is considered a candidate for genetic susceptibility. Methods MET exons were amplified by PCR from germline DNA of 148 affected sibling pairs with colorectal cancer. Amplicons with altered sequence were detected with high-resolution melt-curve analysis using a LightScanner (Idaho Technologies. Samples demonstrating alternative melt curves were sequenced. A TaqMan assay for the specific c.2975C >T change was used to confirm this mutation in a cohort of 299 colorectal cancer cases and to look for allelic amplification in tumors. Results Here we report a germline non-synonymous change in the MET proto-oncogene at amino acid position T992I (also reported as MET p.T1010I in 5.2% of a cohort of sibling pairs affected with CRC. This genetic variant was then confirmed in a second cohort of individuals diagnosed with CRC and having a first degree relative with CRC at prevalence of 4.1%. This mutation has been reported in cancer cells of multiple origins, including 2.5% of colon cancers, and in Conclusions Although the MET p.T992I genetic mutation is commonly found in somatic colorectal cancer tissues, this is the first report also implicating this MET genetic mutation as a germline inherited risk factor for familial colorectal cancer. Future studies on the cancer risks associated with this mutation and the prevalence in different at-risk populations will

Interleukins and their signaling pathways in the Reactome biological pathway database.

Science.gov (United States)

Jupe, Steve; Ray, Keith; Roca, Corina Duenas; Varusai, Thawfeek; Shamovsky, Veronica; Stein, Lincoln; D'Eustachio, Peter; Hermjakob, Henning

2018-04-01

much molecular detail as possible and are linked to literature citations that contain supporting experimental details. All newly created events undergo a peer-review process before they are added to the database and made available on the associated Web site. New content is added quarterly. The 63rd release of Reactome in December 2017 contains 10,996 human proteins participating in 11,426 events in 2,179 pathways. In addition, analytic tools allow data set submission for the identification and visualization of pathway enrichment and representation of expression profiles as an overlay on Reactome pathways. Protein-protein and compound-protein interactions from several sources, including custom user data sets, can be added to extend pathways. Pathway diagrams and analytic result displays can be downloaded as editable images, human-readable reports, and files in several standard formats that are suitable for computational reuse. Reactome content is available programmatically through a REpresentational State Transfer (REST)-based content service and as a Neo4J graph database. Signaling pathways for IL-1 to IL-38 are hierarchically classified within the pathway "signaling by interleukins." The classification used is largely derived from Akdis et al. The addition to Reactome of a complete set of the known human interleukins, their receptors, and established signaling pathways linked to annotations of relevant aspects of immune function provides a significant computationally accessible resource of information about this important family. This information can be extended easily as new discoveries become accepted as the consensus in the field. A key aim for the future is to increase coverage of gene expression changes induced by interleukin signaling. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oncogenic role of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 in tumorigenesis of urinary bladder cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandith, Arshad A; Shah, Zafar A; Siddiqi, Mushtaq A

2013-05-01

Bladder cancer is the second most common genitourinary tumor and constitutes a very heterogeneous disease. Molecular and pathologic studies suggest that low-grade noninvasive and high-grade invasive urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) arise via distinct pathways. Low-grade noninvasive UCC represent the majority of tumors at presentation. A high proportion of patients with low-grade UCC develop recurrences but usually with no progression to invasive disease. At presentation, a majority of the bladder tumors (70%-80%) are low-grade noninvasive (pTa). Several genetic changes may occur in bladder cancer, but activating mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) genes are the most common and most specific genetic abnormality in bladder cancer. Interestingly, these mutations are associated with bladder tumors of low stage and grade, which makes the FGFR3 mutation the first marker that can be used for diagnosis of noninvasive bladder tumors. Since the first report of FGFR3 involvement in bladder tumors, numerous studies have been conducted to understand its function and thereby confirm the oncogenic role of this receptor particularly in noninvasive groups. Efforts are on to exploit this receptor as a therapeutic target, which holds much promise in the treatment of bladder cancer, particularly low-grade noninvasive tumors. Further studies need to explore the potential use of FGFR3 mutations in bladder cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and in surveillance of patients with bladder cancer. This review focuses on the role of FGFR3 in bladder tumors in the backdrop of various studies published. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bleomycin Can Cleave an Oncogenic Noncoding RNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Angelbello, Alicia J; Disney, Matthew D

2018-01-04

Noncoding RNAs are pervasive in cells and contribute to diseases such as cancer. A question in biomedical research is whether noncoding RNAs are targets of medicines. Bleomycin is a natural product that cleaves DNA; however, it is known to cleave RNA in vitro. Herein, an in-depth analysis of the RNA cleavage preferences of bleomycin A5 is presented. Bleomycin A5 prefers to cleave RNAs with stretches of AU base pairs. Based on these preferences and bioinformatic analysis, the microRNA-10b hairpin precursor was identified as a potential substrate for bleomycin A5. Both in vitro and cellular experiments demonstrated cleavage. Importantly, chemical cleavage by bleomycin A5 in the microRNA-10b hairpin precursors occurred near the Drosha and Dicer enzymatic processing sites and led to destruction of the microRNA. Evidently, oncogenic noncoding RNAs can be considered targets of cancer medicines and might elicit their pharmacological effects by targeting noncoding RNA. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mutations of the KRAS oncogene in endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma.

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Wiesława Niklińska

2009-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and clinicopathological significance of KRAS point mutation in endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma. We analysed KRAS in 11 cases of complex atypical hyperplasia and in 49 endometrial carcinomas using polymerase chain reaction associated with restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFPL. Point mutations at codon 12 of KRAS oncogene were identified in 7 of 49 (14,3% tumor specimens and in 2 of 11 (18,2% hyperplasias. No correlation was found between KRAS gene mutation and age at onset, histology, grade of differentiation and clinical stage. We conclude that KRAS mutation is a relatively common event in endometrial carcinogenesis, but with no prognostic value.

The effect of Tea Misletoe (Scurrula oortiana Stem Extract as Immuno-Modulator on Oncogenic Marek’s Disease Virus Infection

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Mulyoto Samsi

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Marek’s disease virus (MDV is one of oncogenic herpesvirus. It causes immunosupresion and cancer in chicken. Several plants produce bioactive compounds which are very useful for treatment of many disease, especially hiperproliveration and virus infection. This study was aimed to find out mechanism of immuno-modulatory capacity in layer commercial chicken administered orally with extract of tea parasite (Scurrula oortiana in dose of 10 mg/kg BW through drinking water, then the chicken were infected by intraperitoneal oncogenic MDV in dose of 1,0 x103 TCID50. The study used 60 layer commercial day old chicks (DOC divided into four group treatments. The treatments were group A (administered S. oortiana extract and without MDV infection, B (neither S. oortiana nor MDV infection, C (administered S. oortiana extract and with MDV infection, and D (without administered S. oortiana extract, but with MDV infection. Results showed that MDV oncogenic caused immunosupresion at a day post infection (p.i and recovery to be normal based on relative weight of bursa Fabricius and thymus at 40 days p.i. The extract of S. oortiana had a capability as an immunomodulator indicated by the increase of relative weight of bursa Fabricius and thymus at day 20 days p.i. (Animal Production 9(2: 172-177 (2007 Key Words: Marek’s disease virus (MDV, Scurrula oortiana, immuno-modulator

Thrombopoietin/MPL participates in initiating and maintaining RUNX1-ETO acute myeloid leukemia via PI3K/AKT signaling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.A. Pulikkan (John); D. Madera (Dmitri); L. Xue (Liting); P. Bradley (Paul); S.F. Landrette (Sean Francis); Y.-H. Kuo (Ya-Huei); S. Abbas (Saman); L.J. Zhu (Lihua Julie); P.J.M. Valk (Peter); L.H. Castilla (Lucio)

2012-01-01

textabstractOncogenic mutations in components of cytokine signaling pathways elicit ligand-independent activation of downstream signaling, enhancing proliferation and survival in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The myeloproliferative leukemia virus oncogene, MPL, a homodimeric receptor activated by

SAW Classification Algorithm for Chinese Text Classification

OpenAIRE

Xiaoli Guo; Huiyu Sun; Tiehua Zhou; Ling Wang; Zhaoyang Qu; Jiannan Zang

2015-01-01

Considering the explosive growth of data, the increased amount of text data’s effect on the performance of text categorization forward the need for higher requirements, such that the existing classification method cannot be satisfied. Based on the study of existing text classification technology and semantics, this paper puts forward a kind of Chinese text classification oriented SAW (Structural Auxiliary Word) algorithm. The algorithm uses the special space effect of Chinese text where words...

Mammalian-enabled (MENA) protein enhances oncogenic potential and cancer stem cell-like phenotype in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Kunpeng; Huang, Pinzhu; Luo, Hui; Yao, Zhicheng; Wang, Qingliang; Xiong, Zhiyong; Lin, Jizong; Huang, He; Xu, Shilei; Zhang, Peng; Liu, Bo

2017-08-01

Mammalian-enabled (MENA) protein is an actin-regulatory protein that influences cell motility and adhesion. It is known to play a role in tumorigenicity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the oncogenic potential of MENA and its capacity to regulate cancer stem cell (CSC)-like phenotypes in HCC cells. Real-time-PCR and western blot were used to assess mRNA and protein levels of target genes in human HCC tissue specimens and HCC cell lines, respectively. Stable MENA-overexpressing HCC cells were generated from HCC cell lines. Transwell cell migration and colony formation assays were employed to evaluate tumorigenicity. Ectopic expression of MENA significantly enhanced cell migration and colony-forming ability in HCC cells. Overexpression of MENA upregulated several hepatic progenitor/stem cell markers in HCC cells. A high MENA protein level was associated with high mRNA levels of MENA, CD133, cytokeratin 19 (CK19), and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in human HCC tissues. Overexpression of MENA enhanced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) phosphorylation, and the level of β-catenin in HCC cells. This study demonstrated that overexpression of MENA in HCC cells promoted stem cell markers, EMT markers, and tumorigenicity. These effects may involve, at least partially, the ERK and β-catenin signaling pathways.

Effects of cellular non-protein sulfhydryl depletion in radiation induced oncogenic transformation and genotoxicity in mouse C3H 10T1/2 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hei, T.K.; Geard, C.R.; Hall, E.J.

1984-01-01

A study was made of the effects of cellular non-protein sulfhydryl (NPSH) depletion on cytotoxicity, cell cycle kinetics, oncogenic transformation and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in C 3 H 10T1/2 cells. Using DL-Buthionine S-R-Sulfoximine (BSO) to deplete thiols, it was found spectrophotometrically that less than 5% of control NPSH level remained in the cells after 24-hour treatment under aerated conditions. Such NPSH depleted cells, when subject to a 3 Gy γ-ray treatment, were found to have no radiosensitizing response either in terms of cell survival or oncogenic transformation. In addition, decreased levels of NPSH had no effect on spontaneous or radiation-induced SCE nor were cell cycle kinetics additionally altered. Therefore, the inability of NPSH depletion to alter γ-ray induced cellular transformation was unrelated to any possible effect of BSO on the cell cycle. These results suggest that such depletion may result in little or no additional oncogenic or genotoxic effects on aerated normal tissues

Classification in context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mai, Jens Erik

2004-01-01

This paper surveys classification research literature, discusses various classification theories, and shows that the focus has traditionally been on establishing a scientific foundation for classification research. This paper argues that a shift has taken place, and suggests that contemporary...... classification research focus on contextual information as the guide for the design and construction of classification schemes....

Genomic profiling identifies GATA6 as a candidate oncogene amplified in pancreatobiliary cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin A Kwei

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Pancreatobiliary cancers have among the highest mortality rates of any cancer type. Discovering the full spectrum of molecular genetic alterations may suggest new avenues for therapy. To catalogue genomic alterations, we carried out array-based genomic profiling of 31 exocrine pancreatic cancers and 6 distal bile duct cancers, expanded as xenografts to enrich the tumor cell fraction. We identified numerous focal DNA amplifications and deletions, including in 19% of pancreatobiliary cases gain at cytoband 18q11.2, a locus uncommonly amplified in other tumor types. The smallest shared amplification at 18q11.2 included GATA6, a transcriptional regulator previously linked to normal pancreas development. When amplified, GATA6 was overexpressed at both the mRNA and protein levels, and strong immunostaining was observed in 25 of 54 (46% primary pancreatic cancers compared to 0 of 33 normal pancreas specimens surveyed. GATA6 expression in xenografts was associated with specific microarray gene-expression patterns, enriched for GATA binding sites and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation activity. siRNA mediated knockdown of GATA6 in pancreatic cancer cell lines with amplification led to reduced cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and colony formation. Our findings indicate that GATA6 amplification and overexpression contribute to the oncogenic phenotypes of pancreatic cancer cells, and identify GATA6 as a candidate lineage-specific oncogene in pancreatobiliary cancer, with implications for novel treatment strategies.

Targeting the p53 Pathway in Ewing Sarcoma

Science.gov (United States)

Neilsen, Paul M.; Pishas, Kathleen I.; Callen, David F.; Thomas, David M.

2011-01-01

The p53 tumour suppressor plays a pivotal role in the prevention of oncogenic transformation. Cancers frequently evade the potent antitumour surveillance mechanisms of p53 through mutation of the TP53 gene, with approximately 50% of all human malignancies expressing dysfunctional, mutated p53 proteins. Interestingly, genetic lesions in the TP53 gene are only observed in 10% of Ewing Sarcomas, with the majority of these sarcomas expressing a functional wild-type p53. In addition, the p53 downstream signaling pathways and DNA-damage cell cycle checkpoints remain functionally intact in these sarcomas. This paper summarizes recent insights into the functional capabilities and regulation of p53 in Ewing Sarcoma, with a particular focus on the cross-talk between p53 and the EWS-FLI1 gene rearrangement frequently associated with this disease. The development of several activators of p53 is discussed, with recent evidence demonstrating the potential of small molecule p53 activators as a promising systemic therapeutic approach for the treatment of Ewing Sarcomas with wild-type p53. PMID:21197471

Negative control of the HGF/c-MET pathway by TGF-β: a new look at the regulation of stemness in glioblastoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Papa, Eleanna; Weller, Michael; Weiss, Tobias; Ventura, Elisa; Burghardt, Isabel; Szabó, Emese

2017-12-13

Multiple target inhibition has gained considerable interest in combating drug resistance in glioblastoma, however, understanding the molecular mechanisms of crosstalk between signaling pathways and predicting responses of cancer cells to targeted interventions has remained challenging. Despite the significant role attributed to transforming growth factor (TGF)-β family and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-MET signaling in glioblastoma pathogenesis, their functional interactions have not been well characterized. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches to stimulate or antagonize the TGF-β pathway in human glioma-initiating cells (GIC), we observed that TGF-β exerts an inhibitory effect on c-MET phosphorylation. Inhibition of either mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB/AKT) signaling pathway attenuated this effect. A comparison of c-MET-driven and c-MET independent GIC models revealed that TGF-β inhibits stemness in GIC at least in part via its negative regulation of c-MET activity, suggesting that stem cell (SC) maintenance may be controlled by the balance between these two oncogenic pathways. Importantly, immunohistochemical analyses of human glioblastoma and ex vivo single-cell gene expression profiling of TGF-β and HGF confirm the negative interaction between both pathways. These novel insights into the crosstalk of two major pathogenic pathways in glioblastoma may explain some of the disappointing results when targeting either pathway alone in human glioblastoma patients and inform on potential future designs on targeted pharmacological or genetic intervention.

Agonists and inverse agonists for the herpesvirus 8-encoded constitutively active seven-transmembrane oncogene product, ORF-74

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenkilde, M M; Kledal, T N; Bräuner-Osborne, Hans

1999-01-01

A number of CXC chemokines competed with similar, nanomolar affinity against 125I-interleukin-8 (IL-8) binding to ORF-74, a constitutively active seven-transmembrane receptor encoded by human herpesvirus 8. However, in competition against 125I-labeled growth-related oncogene (GRO)-alpha, the ORF-74...

Sparse Bayesian classification and feature selection for biological expression data with high correlations.

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Xian Yang

Full Text Available Classification models built on biological expression data are increasingly used to predict distinct disease subtypes. Selected features that separate sample groups can be the candidates of biomarkers, helping us to discover biological functions/pathways. However, three challenges are associated with building a robust classification and feature selection model: 1 the number of significant biomarkers is much smaller than that of measured features for which the search will be exhaustive; 2 current biological expression data are big in both sample size and feature size which will worsen the scalability of any search algorithms; and 3 expression profiles of certain features are typically highly correlated which may prevent to distinguish the predominant features. Unfortunately, most of the existing algorithms are partially addressing part of these challenges but not as a whole. In this paper, we propose a unified framework to address the above challenges. The classification and feature selection problem is first formulated as a nonconvex optimisation problem. Then the problem is relaxed and solved iteratively by a sequence of convex optimisation procedures which can be distributed computed and therefore allows the efficient implementation on advanced infrastructures. To illustrate the competence of our method over others, we first analyse a randomly generated simulation dataset under various conditions. We then analyse a real gene expression dataset on embryonal tumour. Further downstream analysis, such as functional annotation and pathway analysis, are performed on the selected features which elucidate several biological findings.

The pathways for intelligible speech: multivariate and univariate perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, S; Kyong, J S; Rosen, S; Golestani, N; Warren, J E; McGettigan, C; Mourão-Miranda, J; Wise, R J S; Scott, S K

2014-09-01

An anterior pathway, concerned with extracting meaning from sound, has been identified in nonhuman primates. An analogous pathway has been suggested in humans, but controversy exists concerning the degree of lateralization and the precise location where responses to intelligible speech emerge. We have demonstrated that the left anterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) responds preferentially to intelligible speech (Scott SK, Blank CC, Rosen S, Wise RJS. 2000. Identification of a pathway for intelligible speech in the left temporal lobe. Brain. 123:2400-2406.). A functional magnetic resonance imaging study in Cerebral Cortex used equivalent stimuli and univariate and multivariate analyses to argue for the greater importance of bilateral posterior when compared with the left anterior STS in responding to intelligible speech (Okada K, Rong F, Venezia J, Matchin W, Hsieh IH, Saberi K, Serences JT,Hickok G. 2010. Hierarchical organization of human auditory cortex: evidence from acoustic invariance in the response to intelligible speech. 20: 2486-2495.). Here, we also replicate our original study, demonstrating that the left anterior STS exhibits the strongest univariate response and, in decoding using the bilateral temporal cortex, contains the most informative voxels showing an increased response to intelligible speech. In contrast, in classifications using local "searchlights" and a whole brain analysis, we find greater classification accuracy in posterior rather than anterior temporal regions. Thus, we show that the precise nature of the multivariate analysis used will emphasize different response profiles associated with complex sound to speech processing. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press.

Classification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjørland, Birger

2017-01-01

This article presents and discusses definitions of the term “classification” and the related concepts “Concept/conceptualization,”“categorization,” “ordering,” “taxonomy” and “typology.” It further presents and discusses theories of classification including the influences of Aristotle...... and Wittgenstein. It presents different views on forming classes, including logical division, numerical taxonomy, historical classification, hermeneutical and pragmatic/critical views. Finally, issues related to artificial versus natural classification and taxonomic monism versus taxonomic pluralism are briefly...

EMT-induced stemness and tumorigenicity are fueled by the EGFR/Ras pathway.

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Dominic Chih-Cheng Voon

Full Text Available Recent studies have revealed that differentiated epithelial cells would acquire stem cell-like and tumorigenic properties following an Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT. However, the signaling pathways that participate in this novel mechanism of tumorigenesis have not been fully characterized. In Runx3 (-/- p53 (-/- murine gastric epithelial (GIF-14 cells, EMT-induced plasticity is reflected in the expression of the embryonal proto-oncogene Hmga2 and Lgr5, an exclusive gastrointestinal stem cell marker. Here, we report the concurrent activation of an EGFR/Ras gene expression signature during TGF-β1-induced EMT in GIF-14 cells. Amongst the altered genes was the induction of Egfr, which corresponded with a delayed sensitization to EGF treatment in GIF-14. Co-treatment with TGF-β1 and EGF or the expression of exogenous KRas led to increased Hmga2 or Lgr5 expression, sphere initiation and colony formation in soft agar assay. Interestingly, the gain in cellular plasticity/tumorigenicity was not accompanied by increased EMT. This uncoupling of EMT and the induction of plasticity reveals an involvement of distinct signaling cues, whereby the EGFR/Ras pathway specifically promotes stemness and tumorigenicity in EMT-altered GIF-14 cells. These data show that the EGFR/Ras pathway requisite for the sustenance of gastric stem cells in vivo and in vitro is involved in the genesis and promotion of EMT-induced tumor-initiating cells.

Kinase-dead ATM protein is highly oncogenic and can be preferentially targeted by Topo-isomerase I inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Kenta; Wang, Jiguang; Sprinzen, Lisa; Xu, Jun; Haddock, Christopher J; Li, Chen; Lee, Brian J; Loredan, Denis G; Jiang, Wenxia; Vindigni, Alessandro; Wang, Dong; Rabadan, Raul; Zha, Shan

2016-06-15

Missense mutations in ATM kinase, a master regulator of DNA damage responses, are found in many cancers, but their impact on ATM function and implications for cancer therapy are largely unknown. Here we report that 72% of cancer-associated ATM mutations are missense mutations that are enriched around the kinase domain. Expression of kinase-dead ATM (Atm(KD/-)) is more oncogenic than loss of ATM (Atm(-/-)) in mouse models, leading to earlier and more frequent lymphomas with Pten deletions. Kinase-dead ATM protein (Atm-KD), but not loss of ATM (Atm-null), prevents replication-dependent removal of Topo-isomerase I-DNA adducts at the step of strand cleavage, leading to severe genomic instability and hypersensitivity to Topo-isomerase I inhibitors. Correspondingly, Topo-isomerase I inhibitors effectively and preferentially eliminate Atm(KD/-), but not Atm-proficientor Atm(-/-) leukemia in animal models. These findings identify ATM kinase-domain missense mutations as a potent oncogenic event and a biomarker for Topo-isomerase I inhibitor based therapy.

F-box protein interactions with the hallmark pathways in cancer.

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Randle, Suzanne J; Laman, Heike

2016-02-01

F-box proteins (FBP) are the substrate specifying subunit of Skp1-Cul1-FBP (SCF)-type E3 ubiquitin ligases and are responsible for directing the ubiquitination of numerous proteins essential for cellular function. Due to their ability to regulate the expression and activity of oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes, FBPs themselves play important roles in cancer development and progression. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of FBPs and their targets in relation to their interaction with the hallmarks of cancer cell biology, including the regulation of proliferation, epigenetics, migration and invasion, metabolism, angiogenesis, cell death and DNA damage responses. Each cancer hallmark is revealed to have multiple FBPs which converge on common signalling hubs or response pathways. We also highlight the complex regulatory interplay between SCF-type ligases and other ubiquitin ligases. We suggest six highly interconnected FBPs affecting multiple cancer hallmarks, which may prove sensible candidates for therapeutic intervention. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Oncogenic action of beta, proton, alpha and electron radiation on the rat skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, F.J.

1980-01-01

Rat skin is being utilized as an empirical model for testing dose and time related aspects of the oncogenic action of ionizing radiation, ultraviolet light, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Molecular lesions in the skin DNA, including, strand breaks and thymine dimers, are being measured and compared to tumor induction. The induction and repair kinetics of molcular lesions are being compared to split dose repair. Modifiers and radiosensitizers are being utilized to test specific aspects of a chromosome breakage theory of radiation oncogenesis

Pokemon proto-oncogene in oral cancer: potential role in the early phase of tumorigenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sartini, D; Lo Muzio, L; Morganti, S; Pozzi, V; Di Ruscio, G; Rocchetti, R; Rubini, C; Santarelli, A; Emanuelli, M

2015-05-01

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represents about 90% of all oral neoplasms with a poor clinical prognosis. To improve survival of OSCC patients, it is fundamental to understand the basic molecular mechanisms characterizing oral carcinogenesis. Dysregulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes seems to play a central role in tumorigenesis, including malignant transformation of the oral cavity. We analyzed the expression levels of the pro-oncogenic transcription factor Pokemon through real-time PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry in tumor, and normal oral tissue samples obtained from 22 patients with OSCC. The relationship between tumor characteristics and the level of Pokemon intratumor expression was also analyzed. Pokemon was significantly downregulated in OSCC. In particular, both mRNA and protein levels (tumor vs normal tissue) inversely correlated with histological grading, suggesting its potential role as a prognostic factor for OSCC. Moreover, a significant inverse correlation was found between Pokemon protein expression levels (OSCC vs normal oral mucosa) and tumor size, supporting the hypothesis that Pokemon could play an important role in the early phase of tumor expansion. This work shows that reduced expression of Pokemon is a peculiar feature of OSCC. Additional studies may establish the effective role of Pokemon in oral tumorigenesis. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Large-scale analysis by SAGE reveals new mechanisms of v-erbA oncogene action

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Faure Claudine

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background: The v-erbA oncogene, carried by the Avian Erythroblastosis Virus, derives from the c-erbAα proto-oncogene that encodes the nuclear receptor for triiodothyronine (T3R. v-ErbA transforms erythroid progenitors in vitro by blocking their differentiation, supposedly by interference with T3R and RAR (Retinoic Acid Receptor. However, v-ErbA target genes involved in its transforming activity still remain to be identified. Results: By using Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE, we identified 110 genes deregulated by v-ErbA and potentially implicated in the transformation process. Bioinformatic analysis of promoter sequence and transcriptional assays point out a potential role of c-Myb in the v-ErbA effect. Furthermore, grouping of newly identified target genes by function revealed both expected (chromatin/transcription and unexpected (protein metabolism functions potentially deregulated by v-ErbA. We then focused our study on 15 of the new v-ErbA target genes and demonstrated by real time PCR that in majority their expression was activated neither by T3, nor RA, nor during differentiation. This was unexpected based upon the previously known role of v-ErbA. Conclusion: This paper suggests the involvement of a wealth of new unanticipated mechanisms of v-ErbA action.

Dual paraneoplastic syndromes: small cell lung carcinoma-related oncogenic osteomalacia, and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion: report of a case and review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Tantisattamo, Ekamol; Ng, Roland C K

2011-07-01

Acquired isolated renal phosphate wasting associated with a tumor, known as oncogenic osteomalacia or tumor-induced osteomalacia, is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome caused by overproduction of fibroblast growth factor 23. Oncogenic osteomalacia is usually associated with benign mesenchymal tumors. Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), on the other hand, is a common paraneoplastic syndrome caused by small cell carcinoma (SCC). Concomitant oncogenic osteomalacia and SIADH associated with SCC is very rare with only 4 other cases reported in the literature. The authors report a case of small cell lung cancer (SCLC)-related renal wasting hypophosphatemia and concurrent SIADH, and review the literature reporting 9 other cases of SCC associated with oncogenic osteomalacia. Almost half of reported cases of renal phosphate wasting associated with SCC concomitantly presented with SIADH. These cases had initial serum phosphorus level lower and survival periods shorter than those without SIADH. This rare combination of a dual paraneoplastic syndrome and low serum phosphorus may be a poor prognostic sign. In addition, both renal phosphate wasting and SIADH usually occur in a short period of time before identification of SCC. Therefore, renal wasting hypophosphatemia with concomitant SIADH/hyponatremia should prompt a search for SCC rather than a benign mesenchymal tumor.

Disruption of PH–kinase domain interactions leads to oncogenic activation of AKT in human cancers

Science.gov (United States)

Parikh, Chaitali; Janakiraman, Vasantharajan; Wu, Wen-I; Foo, Catherine K.; Kljavin, Noelyn M.; Chaudhuri, Subhra; Stawiski, Eric; Lee, Brian; Lin, Jie; Li, Hong; Lorenzo, Maria N.; Yuan, Wenlin; Guillory, Joseph; Jackson, Marlena; Rondon, Jesus; Franke, Yvonne; Bowman, Krista K.; Sagolla, Meredith; Stinson, Jeremy; Wu, Thomas D.; Wu, Jiansheng; Stokoe, David; Stern, Howard M.; Brandhuber, Barbara J.; Lin, Kui; Skelton, Nicholas J.; Seshagiri, Somasekar

2012-01-01

The protein kinase v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT), a key regulator of cell survival and proliferation, is frequently hyperactivated in human cancers. Intramolecular pleckstrin homology (PH) domain–kinase domain (KD) interactions are important in maintaining AKT in an inactive state. AKT activation proceeds after a conformational change that dislodges the PH from the KD. To understand these autoinhibitory interactions, we generated mutations at the PH–KD interface and found that most of them lead to constitutive activation of AKT. Such mutations are likely another mechanism by which activation may occur in human cancers and other diseases. In support of this likelihood, we found somatic mutations in AKT1 at the PH–KD interface that have not been previously described in human cancers. Furthermore, we show that the AKT1 somatic mutants are constitutively active, leading to oncogenic signaling. Additionally, our studies show that the AKT1 mutants are not effectively inhibited by allosteric AKT inhibitors, consistent with the requirement for an intact PH–KD interface for allosteric inhibition. These results have important implications for therapeutic intervention in patients with AKT mutations at the PH–KD interface. PMID:23134728

Role of micro-RNAs in LRF and BCL6 oncogenes regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rainaldi, G.

2009-01-01

Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are short 20-22 nucleotide RNA molecules with an important role in the regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. MiRNA levels have been shown to change markedly in tumors and their expression profile is currently used to classify and diagnose some tumours. MiRNAs have been classified either as oncogenes (overespressed in tumors) or as tumor suppressor (down regulated), and in certain cases they can behave as both depending on the type of tumor. In many cases miRNAs and transcription factors interact directly so that transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression are finely regulated

78 FR 54970 - Cotton Futures Classification: Optional Classification Procedure

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-09

... Service 7 CFR Part 27 [AMS-CN-13-0043] RIN 0581-AD33 Cotton Futures Classification: Optional Classification Procedure AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA. ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: The... optional cotton futures classification procedure--identified and known as ``registration'' by the U.S...

Chemical, computational and functional insights into the chemical stability of the Hedgehog pathway inhibitor GANT61.

Science.gov (United States)

Calcaterra, Andrea; Iovine, Valentina; Botta, Bruno; Quaglio, Deborah; D'Acquarica, Ilaria; Ciogli, Alessia; Iazzetti, Antonia; Alfonsi, Romina; Lospinoso Severini, Ludovica; Infante, Paola; Di Marcotullio, Lucia; Mori, Mattia; Ghirga, Francesca

2018-12-01

This work aims at elucidating the mechanism and kinetics of hydrolysis of GANT61, the first and most-widely used inhibitor of the Hedgehog (Hh) signalling pathway that targets Glioma-associated oncogene homologue (Gli) proteins, and at confirming the chemical nature of its bioactive form. GANT61 is poorly stable under physiological conditions and rapidly hydrolyses into an aldehyde species (GANT61-A), which is devoid of the biological activity against Hh signalling, and a diamine derivative (GANT61-D), which has shown inhibition of Gli-mediated transcription. Here, we combined chemical synthesis, NMR spectroscopy, analytical studies, molecular modelling and functional cell assays to characterise the GANT61 hydrolysis pathway. Our results show that GANT61-D is the bioactive form of GANT61 in NIH3T3 Shh-Light II cells and SuFu -/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts, and clarify the structural requirements for GANT61-D binding to Gli1. This study paves the way to the design of GANT61 derivatives with improved potency and chemical stability.

Oncogene-induced senescence is part of the tumorigenesis barrier imposed by DNA damage checkpoints

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bartkova, Jirina; Rezaei, Nousin; Liontos, Michalis

2006-01-01

Recent studies have indicated the existence of tumorigenesis barriers that slow or inhibit the progression of preneoplastic lesions to neoplasia. One such barrier involves DNA replication stress, which leads to activation of the DNA damage checkpoint and thereby to apoptosis or cell cycle arrest...... and senescence markers cosegregate closely. Thus, senescence in human preneoplastic lesions is a manifestation of oncogene-induced DNA replication stress and, together with apoptosis, provides a barrier to malignant progression....

The Agrobacterium rhizogenes oncogenes rolB and ORF13 increase formation of generative shoots and induce dwarfism in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.

Science.gov (United States)

Kodahl, Nete; Müller, Renate; Lütken, Henrik

2016-11-01

Plant transformation with the wild type Ri plasmid T-DNA of Agrobacterium rhizogenes is a promising method for breeding of compact plants and has been the subject of numerous studies. However, knowledge concerning the isolated functions of single genes and ORFs from the plasmid is limited. The rolB and ORF13 oncogenes of A. rhizogenes show considerable promise in plant breeding, but have not been comprehensively studied. Detailed information regarding the morphological impact of specific genes of the Ri plasmid will allow for optimized targeted breeding of plants transformed with the wild type Ri plasmid T-DNA. rolB and ORF13 were recombined into the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana using Gateway ® cloning and the effect on plant growth was assessed biometrically throughout the plants' life cycle. rolB-lines exhibited dwarfing, early necrosis of rosette leaves, altered leaf and flower morphology, and developed an increased number of inflorescences per rosette area compared to the wild type. ORF13-lines were extremely dwarfed, attaining only ca. 1% of the rosette area of the wild type, leaf and flower size was reduced, and the shape modified. The study documents that the traits inferred by the rolB oncogene yield plants with increased formation of generative shoots, but also result in some degree of premature senescence of vegetative organs. The extreme dwarfism seen in ORF13-lines indicate that this oncogene may be more important in the dwarfing response of plants transformed with the wild type Ri plasmid T-DNA than previously assumed and that transformation with this oncogene induces a very compact phenotype. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

ErbB receptors and cell polarity: New pathways and paradigms for understanding cell migration and invasion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feigin, Michael E.; Muthuswamy, Senthil K.

2009-01-01

The ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases is involved in initiation and progression of a number of human cancers, and receptor activation or overexpression correlates with poor patient survival. Research over the past two decades has elucidated the molecular mechanisms underlying ErbB-induced tumorigenesis, which has resulted in the development of effective targeted therapies. ErbB-induced signal transduction cascades regulate a wide variety of cell processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell polarity, migration and invasion. Within tumors, disruption of these core processes, through cooperative oncogenic lesions, results in aggressive, metastatic disease. This review will focus on the ErbB signaling networks that regulate migration and invasion and identify a potential role for cell polarity pathways during cancer progression

Classification of refrigerants; Classification des fluides frigorigenes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

This document was made from the US standard ANSI/ASHRAE 34 published in 2001 and entitled 'designation and safety classification of refrigerants'. This classification allows to clearly organize in an international way the overall refrigerants used in the world thanks to a codification of the refrigerants in correspondence with their chemical composition. This note explains this codification: prefix, suffixes (hydrocarbons and derived fluids, azeotropic and non-azeotropic mixtures, various organic compounds, non-organic compounds), safety classification (toxicity, flammability, case of mixtures). (J.S.)

Analysis and classification of oncology activities on the way to workflow based single source documentation in clinical information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Stefan; Beckmann, Matthias W; Wullich, Bernd; Seggewies, Christof; Ries, Markus; Bürkle, Thomas; Prokosch, Hans-Ulrich

2015-12-22

Today, cancer documentation is still a tedious task involving many different information systems even within a single institution and it is rarely supported by appropriate documentation workflows. In a comprehensive 14 step analysis we compiled diagnostic and therapeutic pathways for 13 cancer entities using a mixed approach of document analysis, workflow analysis, expert interviews, workflow modelling and feedback loops. These pathways were stepwise classified and categorized to create a final set of grouped pathways and workflows including electronic documentation forms. A total of 73 workflows for the 13 entities based on 82 paper documentation forms additionally to computer based documentation systems were compiled in a 724 page document comprising 130 figures, 94 tables and 23 tumour classifications as well as 12 follow-up tables. Stepwise classification made it possible to derive grouped diagnostic and therapeutic pathways for the three major classes - solid entities with surgical therapy - solid entities with surgical and additional therapeutic activities and - non-solid entities. For these classes it was possible to deduct common documentation workflows to support workflow-guided single-source documentation. Clinical documentation activities within a Comprehensive Cancer Center can likely be realized in a set of three documentation workflows with conditional branching in a modern workflow supporting clinical information system.

The 2017 international classification of the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malfait, Fransiska; Francomano, Clair; Byers, Peter H

2017-01-01

The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of heritable connective tissue disorders (HCTDs) characterized by joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility, and tissue fragility. Over the past two decades, the Villefranche Nosology, which delineated six s...... that the revised International EDS Classification will serve as a new standard for the diagnosis of EDS and will provide a framework for future research purposes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc......., and mutations have been identified in an array of novel genes. The International EDS Consortium proposes a revised EDS classification, which recognizes 13 subtypes. For each of the subtypes, we propose a set of clinical criteria that are suggestive for the diagnosis. However, in view of the vast genetic...... revised the clinical criteria for hypermobile EDS in order to allow for a better distinction from other joint hypermobility disorders. To satisfy research needs, we also propose a pathogenetic scheme, that regroups EDS subtypes for which the causative proteins function within the same pathway. We hope...

[New molecular classification of colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer: Towards "à la carte" treatment?].

Science.gov (United States)

Dreyer, Chantal; Afchain, Pauline; Trouilloud, Isabelle; André, Thierry

2016-01-01

This review reports 3 of recently published molecular classifications of the 3 main gastro-intestinal cancers: gastric, pancreatic and colorectal adenocarcinoma. In colorectal adenocarcinoma, 6 independent classifications were combined to finally hold 4 molecular sub-groups, Consensus Molecular Subtypes (CMS 1-4), linked to various clinical, molecular and survival data. CMS1 (14% MSI with immune activation); CMS2 (37%: canonical with epithelial differentiation and activation of the WNT/MYC pathway); CMS3 (13% metabolic with epithelial differentiation and RAS mutation); CMS4 (23%: mesenchymal with activation of TGFβ pathway and angiogenesis with stromal invasion). In gastric adenocarcinoma, 4 groups were established: subtype "EBV" (9%, high frequency of PIK3CA mutations, hypermetylation and amplification of JAK2, PD-L1 and PD-L2), subtype "MSI" (22%, high rate of mutation), subtype "genomically stable tumor" (20%, diffuse histology type and mutations of RAS and genes encoding integrins and adhesion proteins including CDH1) and subtype "tumors with chromosomal instability" (50%, intestinal type, aneuploidy and receptor tyrosine kinase amplification). In pancreatic adenocarcinomas, a classification in four sub-groups has been proposed, stable subtype (20%, aneuploidy), locally rearranged subtype (30%, focal event on one or two chromosoms), scattered subtype (36%,200 structural variation events, defects in DNA maintenance). Although currently away from the care of patients, these classifications open the way to "à la carte" treatment depending on molecular biology. Copyright © 2016 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Gene expression classification of colon cancer into molecular subtypes: characterization, validation, and prognostic value.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laetitia Marisa

Full Text Available Colon cancer (CC pathological staging fails to accurately predict recurrence, and to date, no gene expression signature has proven reliable for prognosis stratification in clinical practice, perhaps because CC is a heterogeneous disease. The aim of this study was to establish a comprehensive molecular classification of CC based on mRNA expression profile analyses.Fresh-frozen primary tumor samples from a large multicenter cohort of 750 patients with stage I to IV CC who underwent surgery between 1987 and 2007 in seven centers were characterized for common DNA alterations, including BRAF, KRAS, and TP53 mutations, CpG island methylator phenotype, mismatch repair status, and chromosomal instability status, and were screened with whole genome and transcriptome arrays. 566 samples fulfilled RNA quality requirements. Unsupervised consensus hierarchical clustering applied to gene expression data from a discovery subset of 443 CC samples identified six molecular subtypes. These subtypes were associated with distinct clinicopathological characteristics, molecular alterations, specific enrichments of supervised gene expression signatures (stem cell phenotype-like, normal-like, serrated CC phenotype-like, and deregulated signaling pathways. Based on their main biological characteristics, we distinguished a deficient mismatch repair subtype, a KRAS mutant subtype, a cancer stem cell subtype, and three chromosomal instability subtypes, including one associated with down-regulated immune pathways, one with up-regulation of the Wnt pathway, and one displaying a normal-like gene expression profile. The classification was validated in the remaining 123 samples plus an independent set of 1,058 CC samples, including eight public datasets. Furthermore, prognosis was analyzed in the subset of stage II-III CC samples. The subtypes C4 and C6, but not the subtypes C1, C2, C3, and C5, were independently associated with shorter relapse-free survival, even after

Proposed Terminology and Classification of Pre-Malignant Neoplastic Conditions: A Consensus Proposal.

Science.gov (United States)

Valent, Peter; Akin, Cem; Arock, Michel; Bock, Christoph; George, Tracy I; Galli, Stephen J; Gotlib, Jason; Haferlach, Torsten; Hoermann, Gregor; Hermine, Olivier; Jäger, Ulrich; Kenner, Lukas; Kreipe, Hans; Majeti, Ravindra; Metcalfe, Dean D; Orfao, Alberto; Reiter, Andreas; Sperr, Wolfgang R; Staber, Philipp B; Sotlar, Karl; Schiffer, Charles; Superti-Furga, Giulio; Horny, Hans-Peter

2017-12-01

Cancer evolution is a step-wise non-linear process that may start early in life or later in adulthood, and includes pre-malignant (indolent) and malignant phases. Early somatic changes may not be detectable or are found by chance in apparently healthy individuals. The same lesions may be detected in pre-malignant clonal conditions. In some patients, these lesions may never become relevant clinically whereas in others, they act together with additional pro-oncogenic hits and thereby contribute to the formation of an overt malignancy. Although some pre-malignant stages of a malignancy have been characterized, no global system to define and to classify these conditions is available. To discuss open issues related to pre-malignant phases of neoplastic disorders, a working conference was organized in Vienna in August 2015. The outcomes of this conference are summarized herein and include a basic proposal for a nomenclature and classification of pre-malignant conditions. This proposal should assist in the communication among patients, physicians and scientists, which is critical as genome-sequencing will soon be offered widely for early cancer-detection. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

AKT activation drives the nuclear localization of CSE1L and a pro-oncogenic transcriptional activation in ovarian cancer cells

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Lorenzato, Annalisa; Biolatti, Marta [Department of Oncology, University of Torino School of Medicine, Torino (Italy); Institute for Cancer Research at Candiolo, Candiolo, Torino (Italy); Delogu, Giuseppe [Department of Biomedical Sciences-Histology, University of Sassari, Sassari (Italy); Capobianco, Giampiero [Department of Surgical, Microsurgical and Medical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari (Italy); Farace, Cristiano [Department of Biomedical Sciences-Histology, University of Sassari, Sassari (Italy); Dessole, Salvatore; Cossu, Antonio; Tanda, Francesco [Department of Surgical, Microsurgical and Medical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari (Italy); Madeddu, Roberto [Department of Biomedical Sciences-Histology, University of Sassari, Sassari (Italy); National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, Rome (Italy); Olivero, Martina [Department of Oncology, University of Torino School of Medicine, Torino (Italy); Institute for Cancer Research at Candiolo, Candiolo, Torino (Italy); Di Renzo, Maria Flavia, E-mail: mariaflavia.direnzo@unito.it [Department of Oncology, University of Torino School of Medicine, Torino (Italy); Institute for Cancer Research at Candiolo, Candiolo, Torino (Italy)

2013-10-15

The human homolog of the yeast cse1 gene (CSE1L) is over-expressed in ovarian cancer. CSE1L forms complex with Ran and importin-α and has roles in nucleocytoplasmic traffic and gene expression. CSE1L accumulated in the nucleus of ovarian cancer cell lines, while it was localized also in the cytoplasm of other cancer cell lines. Nuclear localization depended on AKT, which was constitutively active in ovarian cancer cells, as the CSE1L protein translocated to the cytoplasm when AKT was inactivated. Moreover, the expression of a constitutively active AKT forced the translocation of CSE1L from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in other cancer cells. Nuclear accrual of CSE1L was associated to the nuclear accumulation of the phosphorylated Ran Binding protein 3 (RanBP3), which depended on AKT as well. Also in samples of human ovarian cancer, AKT activation was associated to nuclear accumulation of CSE1L and phosphorylation of RanBP3. Expression profiling of ovarian cancer cells after CSE1L silencing showed that CSE1L was required for the expression of genes promoting invasion and metastasis. In agreement, CSE1L silencing impaired motility and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells. Altogether these data show that in ovarian cancer cells activated AKT by affecting RanBP3 phosphorylation determines the nuclear accumulation of CSE1L and likely the nuclear concentration of transcription factors conveying pro-oncogenic signals. - highlights: • CSE1L is a key player in nucleocytoplasmic traffic by forming complex with Ran. • AKT phosphorylates RanBP3 that regulates the nucleocytoplasmic gradient of Ran. • The activated oncogenic AKT drives the nuclear accumulation of CSE1L. • CSE1L in the nucleus up-regulates genes conveying pro-oncogenic signals. • CSE1L might contribute to tumor progression driven by the activated oncogenic AKT.

AKT activation drives the nuclear localization of CSE1L and a pro-oncogenic transcriptional activation in ovarian cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenzato, Annalisa; Biolatti, Marta; Delogu, Giuseppe; Capobianco, Giampiero; Farace, Cristiano; Dessole, Salvatore; Cossu, Antonio; Tanda, Francesco; Madeddu, Roberto; Olivero, Martina; Di Renzo, Maria Flavia

2013-01-01

The human homolog of the yeast cse1 gene (CSE1L) is over-expressed in ovarian cancer. CSE1L forms complex with Ran and importin-α and has roles in nucleocytoplasmic traffic and gene expression. CSE1L accumulated in the nucleus of ovarian cancer cell lines, while it was localized also in the cytoplasm of other cancer cell lines. Nuclear localization depended on AKT, which was constitutively active in ovarian cancer cells, as the CSE1L protein translocated to the cytoplasm when AKT was inactivated. Moreover, the expression of a constitutively active AKT forced the translocation of CSE1L from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in other cancer cells. Nuclear accrual of CSE1L was associated to the nuclear accumulation of the phosphorylated Ran Binding protein 3 (RanBP3), which depended on AKT as well. Also in samples of human ovarian cancer, AKT activation was associated to nuclear accumulation of CSE1L and phosphorylation of RanBP3. Expression profiling of ovarian cancer cells after CSE1L silencing showed that CSE1L was required for the expression of genes promoting invasion and metastasis. In agreement, CSE1L silencing impaired motility and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells. Altogether these data show that in ovarian cancer cells activated AKT by affecting RanBP3 phosphorylation determines the nuclear accumulation of CSE1L and likely the nuclear concentration of transcription factors conveying pro-oncogenic signals. - highlights: • CSE1L is a key player in nucleocytoplasmic traffic by forming complex with Ran. • AKT phosphorylates RanBP3 that regulates the nucleocytoplasmic gradient of Ran. • The activated oncogenic AKT drives the nuclear accumulation of CSE1L. • CSE1L in the nucleus up-regulates genes conveying pro-oncogenic signals. • CSE1L might contribute to tumor progression driven by the activated oncogenic AKT

P53 suppresses expression of the 14-3-3gamma oncogene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qi Wenqing

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background 14-3-3 proteins are a family of highly conserved proteins that are involved in a wide range of cellular processes. Recent evidence indicates that some of these proteins have oncogenic activity and that they may promote tumorigenesis. We previously showed that one of the 14-3-3 family members, 14-3-3gamma, is over expressed in human lung cancers and that it can induce transformation of rodent cells in vitro. Methods qRTPCR and Western blot analysis were performed to examine 14-3-3gamma expression in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC. Gene copy number was analyzed by qPCR. P53 mutations were detected by direct sequencing and also by western blot. CHIP and yeast one hybrid assays were used to detect p53 binding to 14-3-3gamma promoter. Results Quantitative rtPCR results showed that the expression level of 14-3-3gamma was elevated in the majority of NSCLC that we examined which was also consistent with protein expression. Further analysis of the expression pattern of 14-3-3gamma in lung tumors showed a correlation with p53 mutations suggesting that p53 might suppress 14-3-3 gamma expression. Analysis of the gamma promoter sequence revealed the presence of a p53 consensus binding motif and in vitro assays demonstrated that wild-type p53 bound to this motif when activated by ionizing radiation. Deletion of the p53 binding motif eliminated p53's ability to suppress 14-3-3gamma expression. Conclusion Increased expression of 14-3-3gamma in lung cancer coincides with loss of functional p53. Hence, we propose that 14-3-3gamma's oncogenic activities cooperate with loss of p53 to promote lung tumorigenesis.

Oncogenic human papilloma virus and cervical pre-cancerous lesions in brothel-based sex workers in India

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Kamalesh Sarkar

Full Text Available Summary: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in brothel-based sex workers of West Bengal, Eastern India, to determine their oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV status and the presence of pre-cancerous lesions. A total of 229 sex workers from three districts of West Bengal participated in the study. All the study participants were interviewed with the aid of a pre-tested questionnaire to determine their sociodemographics, risk behaviour and risk perceptions after obtaining informed verbal consent. The interview was followed by collection of cervical cells from all participants using a disposable vaginal speculum and cervical cytobrush. Oncogenic HPV DNA was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR. A simultaneous Papanicolaou test (‘Pap smear’ was performed to detect cervical cytological abnormalities. Overall, the prevalence of oncogenic HPV was found to be 25% (58/229 among the studied population. A subset (n = 112 of the sample was tested separately to determine the existence and magnitude of HPV genotypes 16 and 18. The results showed that genotype 16 was prevalent in 10% (11/112, genotype 18 in 7% (8/112 and both genotype 16 and 18 in 7% (8/112. The HPV prevalence rate showed a decreasing trend with age, being 71.4% in the 10–19 years age group, 32.3% in the 20–29 years age group, 18.3% in the 30–39 years age group and 2.5% in the ≥40 years age group (statistically significant differences, P ≤ 0.00001. Considering the duration of sex work, oncogenic HPV prevalence was found to be 55% (n = 21 and 19% (n = 35 in sex workers with a sex working duration of ≤1 year and >1 year, respectively. This difference was found to be statistically significant both by univariate and multivariate analysis. In this study, it was observed that sex workers with an average number of daily clients of six or more had an HPV prevalence of 67% (n = 6, those with four to five clients had a prevalence of 45% (n

A novel oncogenic BTK isoform is overexpressed in colon cancers and required for RAS-mediated transformation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grassilli, E; Pisano, F; Cialdella, A

2016-01-01

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is essential for B-cell proliferation/differentiation and it is generally believed that its expression and function are limited to bone marrow-derived cells. Here, we report the identification and characterization of p65BTK, a novel isoform abundantly expressed in c...... therapeutic approach.Oncogene advance online publication, 25 January 2016; doi:10.1038/onc.2015.504....

The Tax oncogene enhances ELL incorporation into p300 and P-TEFb containing protein complexes to activate transcription.

Science.gov (United States)

Fufa, Temesgen D; Byun, Jung S; Wakano, Clay; Fernandez, Alfonso G; Pise-Masison, Cynthia A; Gardner, Kevin

2015-09-11

The eleven-nineteen lysine-rich leukemia protein (ELL) is a key regulator of RNA polymerase II mediated transcription. ELL facilitates RNA polymerase II transcription pause site entry and release by dynamically interacting with p300 and the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb). In this study, we investigated the role of ELL during the HTLV-1 Tax oncogene induced transactivation. We show that ectopic expression of Tax enhances ELL incorporation into p300 and P-TEFb containing transcriptional complexes and the subsequent recruitment of these complexes to target genes in vivo. Depletion of ELL abrogates Tax induced transactivation of the immediate early genes Fos, Egr2 and NF-kB, suggesting that ELL is an essential cellular cofactor of the Tax oncogene. Thus, our study identifies a novel mechanism of ELL-dependent transactivation of immediate early genes by Tax and provides the rational for further defining the genome-wide targets of Tax and ELL. Published by Elsevier Inc.

2008 International Conference on Ectodermal Dysplasias Classification Conference Report

Science.gov (United States)

Salinas, Carlos F.; Jorgenson, Ronald J.; Wright, J. Timothy; DiGiovanna, John J.; Fete, Mary D.

2009-01-01

There are many ways to classify ectodermal dysplasia syndromes. Clinicians in practice use a list of syndromes from which to choose a potential diagnosis, paging through a volume, such as Freire-Maia and Pinheiro's corpus, matching their patient's findings to listed syndromes. Medical researchers may want a list of syndromes that share one (monothetic system) or several (polythetic system) traits in order to focus research on a narrowly defined group. Special interest groups may want a list from which they can choose constituencies, and insurance companies and government agencies may want a list to determine for whom to provide (or deny) health care coverage. Furthermore, various molecular biologists are now promoting classification systems based on gene mutation (e.g. TP63 associated syndromes) or common molecular pathways. The challenge will be to balance comprehensiveness within the classification with usability and accessibility so that the benefits truly serve the needs of researchers, health care providers and ultimately the individuals and families directly affected by ectodermal dysplasias. It is also recognized that a new classification approach is an ongoing process and will require periodical reviews or updates. Whatever scheme is developed, however, will have far-reaching application for other groups of disorders for which classification is complicated by the number of interested parties and advances in diagnostic acumen. Consensus among interested parties is necessary for optimizing communication among the diverse groups whether it be for equitable distribution of funds, correctness of diagnosis and treatment, or focusing research efforts. PMID:19681152

The Effect of Coexistence of a Pair of Mutated Oncogenes on the Survival Rate of Invasive Breast Carcinoma Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, D. R.

2017-12-01

The purpose of this project was to determine the effect of two mutated oncogenes on the survival rate from invasive breast carcinoma when in comparison to the mutation of a single oncogene on the survival rate. An oncogene is defined as a gene, that when mutated, can lead to cancer. The two oncogenes used in this project were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and c-myc (MYC). HER2 and MYC are both oncogenes that contribute to the formation of cancer. HER2 proteins are receptors on breast cells, and when the HER2 gene is mutated, there is an overexpression of HER2 protein on the breast cell. This makes the breast cells proliferate uncontrollably. MYC is a gene that codes for a transcription factor that plays a role in cell cycle progression. The overexpression of MYC also leads to the proliferation of cells. I hypothesized that if there is a mutation in both the MYC and HER2 genes, then the survival rate of invasive breast carcinoma patients will be lower compared to patients with the mutations of only MYC or HER2. To test this hypothesis, we conducted individual gene searches in CBioPortal for HER2 in the datasets from the studies titled TCGA Nature 2012, TCGA Cell 2015, and TCGA Provisional. We conducted individual gene searches in CBioPortal for MYC in the same datasets. The survival rate data was then exported and analyzed for patients with mutations of either HER2 or MYC and with mutations of both genes. To determine the cases that had both HER2 and MYC mutations, we found the overlapping cases in both HER2 and MYC groups for all three datasets. We calculated the median of the survival data for cases where either HER2 or MYC was mutated and cases where both MYC and HER2 were mutated. From the first dataset, the median of MYC data was 95.53, HER2 data was 95.83, and both HER2 and MYC data was 91.24. In the second dataset, the median of MYC data was 92.17 , HER2 data was 93.5, and both HER2 and MYC data was 87.95 . In the third dataset, the median

Classification of hydrocephalus: critical analysis of classification categories and advantages of "Multi-categorical Hydrocephalus Classification" (Mc HC).

Science.gov (United States)

Oi, Shizuo

2011-10-01

Hydrocephalus is a complex pathophysiology with disturbed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation. There are numerous numbers of classification trials published focusing on various criteria, such as associated anomalies/underlying lesions, CSF circulation/intracranial pressure patterns, clinical features, and other categories. However, no definitive classification exists comprehensively to cover the variety of these aspects. The new classification of hydrocephalus, "Multi-categorical Hydrocephalus Classification" (Mc HC), was invented and developed to cover the entire aspects of hydrocephalus with all considerable classification items and categories. Ten categories include "Mc HC" category I: onset (age, phase), II: cause, III: underlying lesion, IV: symptomatology, V: pathophysiology 1-CSF circulation, VI: pathophysiology 2-ICP dynamics, VII: chronology, VII: post-shunt, VIII: post-endoscopic third ventriculostomy, and X: others. From a 100-year search of publication related to the classification of hydrocephalus, 14 representative publications were reviewed and divided into the 10 categories. The Baumkuchen classification graph made from the round o'clock classification demonstrated the historical tendency of deviation to the categories in pathophysiology, either CSF or ICP dynamics. In the preliminary clinical application, it was concluded that "Mc HC" is extremely effective in expressing the individual state with various categories in the past and present condition or among the compatible cases of hydrocephalus along with the possible chronological change in the future.

Characterization of a novel oncogenic K-ras mutation in colon cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akagi, Kiwamu; Uchibori, Ryosuke; Yamaguchi, Kensei; Kurosawa, Keiko; Tanaka, Yoichiro; Kozu, Tomoko

2007-01-01

Activating mutations of RAS are frequently observed in subsets of human cancers, indicating that RAS activation is involved in tumorigenesis. Here, we identified and characterized a novel G to T transversion mutation of the K-ras gene at the third position of codon 19 (TTG) which substituted phenylalanine for leucine in 3 primary colon carcinomas. Biological and biochemical activity was examined using transformed NIH3T3 cells expressing mutant or wild-type K-ras. Transformants harboring the K-ras mutation at codon 19 showed proliferative capacity under serum-starved conditions, less contact inhibition, anchorage-independent growth, tumorigenicity in nude mice and elevation of active Ras-GTP levels. These results indicated that this novel mutation possesses high oncogenic activity

Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Clary, Renee; Wandersee, James

2013-01-01

In this article, Renee Clary and James Wandersee describe the beginnings of "Classification," which lies at the very heart of science and depends upon pattern recognition. Clary and Wandersee approach patterns by first telling the story of the "Linnaean classification system," introduced by Carl Linnacus (1707-1778), who is…

Overexpression of hepatoma-derived growth factor in melanocytes does not lead to oncogenic transformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sedlmaier, Angela; Wernert, Nicolas; Gallitzendörfer, Rainer; Abouzied, Mekky M; Gieselmann, Volkmar; Franken, Sebastian

2011-01-01

HDGF is a growth factor which is overexpressed in a wide range of tumors. Importantly, expression levels were identified as a prognostic marker in some types of cancer such as melanoma. To investigate the presumed oncogenic/transforming capacity of HDGF, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing HDGF in melanocytes. These mice were bred with mice heterozygous for a defective copy of the Ink4a tumor suppressor gene and were exposed to UV light to increase the risk for tumor development both genetically and physiochemically. Mice were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Furthermore, primary melanocytes were isolated from different strains created. Transgenic animals overexpressed HDGF in hair follicle melanocytes. Interestingly, primary melanocytes isolated from transgenic animals were not able to differentiate in vitro whereas cells isolated from wild type and HDGF-deficient animals were. Although, HDGF -/- /Ink4a +/- mice displayed an increased number of epidermoid cysts after exposure to UV light, no melanomas or premelanocytic alterations could be detected in this mouse model. The results therefore provide no evidence that HDGF has a transforming capacity in tumor development. Our results in combination with previous findings point to a possible role in cell differentiation and suggest that HDGF promotes tumor progression after secondary upregulation and may represent another protein fitting into the concept of non-oncogene addiction of tumor tissue

The role of UV induced lesions in skin carcinogenesis: an overview of oncogene and tumor suppressor gene modifications in xeroderma pigmentosum skin tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daya-Grosjean, Leela; Sarasin, Alain

2005-01-01

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a rare hereditary syndrome, is characterized by a hypersensitivity to solar irradiation due to a defect in nucleotide excision repair resulting in a predisposition to squamous and basal cell carcinomas as well as malignant melanomas appearing at a very early age. The mutator phenotype of XP cells is evident by the higher levels of UV specific modifications found in key regulatory genes in XP skin tumors compared to those in the same tumor types from the normal population. Thus, XP provides a unique model for the study of unrepaired DNA lesions, mutations and skin carcinogenesis. The high level of ras oncogene activation, Ink4a-Arf and p53 tumor suppressor gene modifications as well as alterations of the different partners of the mitogenic sonic hedgehog signaling pathway (patched, smoothened and sonic hedgehog), characterized in XP skin tumors have clearly demonstrated the major role of the UV component of sunlight in the development of skin tumors. The majority of the mutations are C to T or tandem CC to TT UV signature transitions, occurring at bipyrimidine sequences, the specific targets of UV induced lesions. These characteristics are also found in the same genes modified in sporadic skin cancers but with lower frequencies confirming the validity of studying the XP model. The knowledge gained by studying XP tumors has given us a greater perception of the contribution of genetic predisposition to cancer as well as the consequences of the many alterations which modulate the activities of different genes affecting crucial pathways vital for maintaining cell homeostasis

The role of UV induced lesions in skin carcinogenesis: an overview of oncogene and tumor suppressor gene modifications in xeroderma pigmentosum skin tumors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daya-Grosjean, Leela [Laboratory of Genetic Instability and Cancer, UPR2169 CNRS, IFR 54, Institut Gustave Roussy, 39, rue Camille Desmoulins, 94805 Villejuif Cedex (France)]. E-mail: daya@igr.fr; Sarasin, Alain [Laboratory of Genetic Instability and Cancer, UPR2169 CNRS, IFR 54, Institut Gustave Roussy, 39, rue Camille Desmoulins, 94805 Villejuif Cedex (France)

2005-04-01

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a rare hereditary syndrome, is characterized by a hypersensitivity to solar irradiation due to a defect in nucleotide excision repair resulting in a predisposition to squamous and basal cell carcinomas as well as malignant melanomas appearing at a very early age. The mutator phenotype of XP cells is evident by the higher levels of UV specific modifications found in key regulatory genes in XP skin tumors compared to those in the same tumor types from the normal population. Thus, XP provides a unique model for the study of unrepaired DNA lesions, mutations and skin carcinogenesis. The high level of ras oncogene activation, Ink4a-Arf and p53 tumor suppressor gene modifications as well as alterations of the different partners of the mitogenic sonic hedgehog signaling pathway (patched, smoothened and sonic hedgehog), characterized in XP skin tumors have clearly demonstrated the major role of the UV component of sunlight in the development of skin tumors. The majority of the mutations are C to T or tandem CC to TT UV signature transitions, occurring at bipyrimidine sequences, the specific targets of UV induced lesions. These characteristics are also found in the same genes modified in sporadic skin cancers but with lower frequencies confirming the validity of studying the XP model. The knowledge gained by studying XP tumors has given us a greater perception of the contribution of genetic predisposition to cancer as well as the consequences of the many alterations which modulate the activities of different genes affecting crucial pathways vital for maintaining cell homeostasis.

[Pulmonary hypertension: definition, classification and treatments].

Science.gov (United States)

Jutant, Etienne-Marie; Humbert, Marc

2016-01-01

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a cardio-pulmonary disorder that may involve multiple clinical conditions and can complicate the majority of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Its definition is an increase in mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) \\hbox{$\\geqslant $} ⩾ 25 mmHg at rest, leading to right heart failure and ultimately death. The clinical classification of pulmonary hypertension (PH) categorizes PH into groups which share similar pathophysiological and hemodynamic characteristics and treatments. Five groups of disorders that cause PH are identified: pulmonary arterial hypertension (Group 1) which is a pre-capillary PH, defined by a normal pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) \\hbox{$\\leqslant $} ⩽ 15 mmH, due to remodelling of the small pulmonary arteries (15 mmHg; pulmonary hypertension due to chronic lung disease and/or hypoxia (Group 3); chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension (Group 4); and pulmonary hypertension due to unclear and/or multifactorial mechanisms (Group 5). PAH (PH group 1) can be treated with agents targeting three dysfunctional endothelial pathways of PAH: nitric oxide (NO) pathway, endothelin-1 pathway and prostacyclin pathway. Patients at low or intermediate risk can be treated with either initial monotherapy or initial oral combination therapy. In patients at high risk initial combination therapy including intravenous prostacyclin analogues should be considered. Patients with inadequate clinical response to maximum treatment (triple therapy with an intravenous prostacyclin) should be assessed for lung transplantation. Despite progresses, PAH remains a fatal disease with a 3-year survival rate of 58%. Treatment of group 2, group 3 and group 5 PH is the treatment of the causal disease and PAH therapeutics are not recommended. Treatment of group 4 PH is pulmonary endarteriectomy if patients are eligible, otherwise balloon pulmonary angioplasty and/or medical therapy can be considered. © Société de Biologie

Oncogenic Signaling by Leukemia-Associated Mutant Cbl Proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Nadeau, Scott; An, Wei; Palermo, Nick; Feng, Dan; Ahmad, Gulzar; Dong, Lin; Borgstahl, Gloria E. O.; Natarajan, Amarnath; Naramura, Mayumi; Band, Vimla; Band, Hamid

2013-01-01

Members of the Cbl protein family (Cbl, Cbl-b, and Cbl-c) are E3 ubiquitin ligases that have emerged as critical negative regulators of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) signaling. This function reflects their ability to directly interact with activated PTKs and to target them as well as their associated signaling components for ubiquitination. Given the critical roles of PTK signaling in driving oncogenesis, recent studies in animal models and genetic analyses in human cancer have firmly established that Cbl proteins function as tumor suppressors. Missense mutations or small in-frame deletions within the regions of Cbl protein that are essential for its E3 activity have been identified in nearly 5% of leukemia patients with myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative disorders. Based on evidence from cell culture studies, in vivo models and clinical data, we discuss the potential signaling mechanisms of mutant Cbl-driven oncogenesis. Mechanistic insights into oncogenic Cbl mutants and associated animal models are likely to enhance our understanding of normal hematopoietic stem cell homeostasis and provide avenues for targeted therapy of mutant Cbl-driven cancers. PMID:23997989

Identifying colon cancer risk modules with better classification performance based on human signaling network.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Xiaoli; Xie, Ruiqiang; Chen, Lina; Feng, Chenchen; Zhou, Yanyan; Li, Wan; Huang, Hao; Jia, Xu; Lv, Junjie; He, Yuehan; Du, Youwen; Li, Weiguo; Shi, Yuchen; He, Weiming

2014-10-01

Identifying differences between normal and tumor samples from a modular perspective may help to improve our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for colon cancer. Many cancer studies have shown that signaling transduction and biological pathways are disturbed in disease states, and expression profiles can distinguish variations in diseases. In this study, we integrated a weighted human signaling network and gene expression profiles to select risk modules associated with tumor conditions. Risk modules as classification features by our method had a better classification performance than other methods, and one risk module for colon cancer had a good classification performance for distinguishing between normal/tumor samples and between tumor stages. All genes in the module were annotated to the biological process of positive regulation of cell proliferation, and were highly associated with colon cancer. These results suggested that these genes might be the potential risk genes for colon cancer. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Lack of evidence for KRAS oncogenic mutations in triple-negative breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sánchez-Muñoz, Alfonso; Gallego, Elena; Luque, Vanessa de; Pérez-Rivas, Luís G; Vicioso, Luís; Ribelles, Nuria; Lozano, José; Alba, Emilio

2010-01-01

Mutational analysis of the KRAS gene has recently been established as a complementary in vitro diagnostic tool for the identification of patients with colorectal cancer who will not benefit from anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapies. Assessment of the mutation status of KRAS might also be of potential relevance in other EGFR-overexpressing tumors, such as those occurring in breast cancer. Although KRAS is mutated in only a minor fraction of breast tumors (5%), about 60% of the basal-like subtype express EGFR and, therefore could be targeted by EGFR inhibitors. We aimed to study the mutation frequency of KRAS in that subtype of breast tumors to provide a molecular basis for the evaluation of anti-EGFR therapies. Total, genomic DNA was obtained from a group of 35 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded, triple-negative breast tumor samples. Among these, 77.1% (27/35) were defined as basal-like by immunostaining specific for the established surrogate markers cytokeratin (CK) 5/6 and/or EGFR. KRAS mutational status was determined in the purified DNA samples by Real Time (RT)-PCR using primers specific for the detection of wild-type KRAS or the following seven oncogenic somatic mutations: Gly12Ala, Gly12Asp, Gly12Arg, Gly12Cys, Gly12Ser, Gly12Val and Gly13Asp. We found no evidence of KRAS oncogenic mutations in all analyzed tumors. This study indicates that KRAS mutations are very infrequent in triple-negative breast tumors and that EGFR inhibitors may be of potential benefit in the treatment of basal-like breast tumors, which overexpress EGFR in about 60% of all cases

Application of Monte Carlo cross-validation to identify pathway cross-talk in neonatal sepsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuxia; Liu, Cui; Wang, Jingna; Li, Xingxia

2018-03-01

To explore genetic pathway cross-talk in neonates with sepsis, an integrated approach was used in this paper. To explore the potential relationships between differently expressed genes between normal uninfected neonates and neonates with sepsis and pathways, genetic profiling and biologic signaling pathway were first integrated. For different pathways, the score was obtained based upon the genetic expression by quantitatively analyzing the pathway cross-talk. The paired pathways with high cross-talk were identified by random forest classification. The purpose of the work was to find the best pairs of pathways able to discriminate sepsis samples versus normal samples. The results found 10 pairs of pathways, which were probably able to discriminate neonates with sepsis versus normal uninfected neonates. Among them, the best two paired pathways were identified according to analysis of extensive literature. Impact statement To find the best pairs of pathways able to discriminate sepsis samples versus normal samples, an RF classifier, the DS obtained by DEGs of paired pathways significantly associated, and Monte Carlo cross-validation were applied in this paper. Ten pairs of pathways were probably able to discriminate neonates with sepsis versus normal uninfected neonates. Among them, the best two paired pathways ((7) IL-6 Signaling and Phospholipase C Signaling (PLC); (8) Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) Signaling and Dendritic Cell Maturation) were identified according to analysis of extensive literature.

Clinical Implication of Elevated Human Cervical Cancer Oncogene-1 Expression in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

OpenAIRE

Liu, Ying; Li, Ke; Ren, Zhonghai; Li, Shenglei; Zhang, Hongyan; Fan, Qingxia

2012-01-01

The human cervical cancer oncogene 1 (HCCR-1), a novel human oncoprotein, has been shown to be upregulated in various human tumors and plays a critical role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Here, the authors investigated HCCR-1 level in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues and assessed the correlation between HCCR-1 level and prognosis of the patients with ESCC. HCCR-1 levels were investigated by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, real-time quantit...

Constitutive activation of alternative nuclear factor kappa B pathway in canine diffuse large B-cell lymphoma contributes to tumor cell survival and is a target of new adjuvant therapies.

Science.gov (United States)

Seelig, Davis M; Ito, Daisuke; Forster, Colleen L; Yoon, Una A; Breen, Matthew; Burns, Linda J; Bachanova, Veronika; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin; O'Brien, Timothy D; Schmechel, Stephen C; Rizzardi, Anthony E; Modiano, Jaime F; Linden, Michael A

2017-07-01

Activation of the classical nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) pathway is a common molecular event observed in both human and canine diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Although the oncogenic potential of the alternative NFκB pathway (ANFκBP) has also been recently identified in DLBCL, its precise role in tumor pathogenesis and potential as a treatment target is understudied. We hypothesized that up-regulation of the ANFκBP plays an important role in the proliferation and survival of canine DLBCL cells, and we demonstrate that the ANFκBP is constitutively active in primary canine DLBCL samples and a cell line (CLBL1). We further demonstrate that a small interfering RNA inhibits the activation of the NFκB pathway and induces apoptosis in canine DLBCL cells. In conclusion, the ANFκBP facilitates survival of canine DLBCL cells, and thus, dogs with spontaneous DLBCL can provide a useful large animal model to study therapies targeting the ANFκBP.

Hand eczema classification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diepgen, T L; Andersen, Klaus Ejner; Brandao, F M

2008-01-01

of the disease is rarely evidence based, and a classification system for different subdiagnoses of hand eczema is not agreed upon. Randomized controlled trials investigating the treatment of hand eczema are called for. For this, as well as for clinical purposes, a generally accepted classification system...... A classification system for hand eczema is proposed. Conclusions It is suggested that this classification be used in clinical work and in clinical trials....

Classification of the web

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mai, Jens Erik

2004-01-01

This paper discusses the challenges faced by investigations into the classification of the Web and outlines inquiries that are needed to use principles for bibliographic classification to construct classifications of the Web. This paper suggests that the classification of the Web meets challenges...... that call for inquiries into the theoretical foundation of bibliographic classification theory....

Security classification of information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quist, A.S.

1993-04-01

This document is the second of a planned four-volume work that comprehensively discusses the security classification of information. The main focus of Volume 2 is on the principles for classification of information. Included herein are descriptions of the two major types of information that governments classify for national security reasons (subjective and objective information), guidance to use when determining whether information under consideration for classification is controlled by the government (a necessary requirement for classification to be effective), information disclosure risks and benefits (the benefits and costs of classification), standards to use when balancing information disclosure risks and benefits, guidance for assigning classification levels (Top Secret, Secret, or Confidential) to classified information, guidance for determining how long information should be classified (classification duration), classification of associations of information, classification of compilations of information, and principles for declassifying and downgrading information. Rules or principles of certain areas of our legal system (e.g., trade secret law) are sometimes mentioned to .provide added support to some of those classification principles.

Identification and pathway analysis of microRNAs with no previous involvement in breast cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Romero-Cordoba

Full Text Available microRNA expression signatures can differentiate normal and breast cancer tissues and can define specific clinico-pathological phenotypes in breast tumors. In order to further evaluate the microRNA expression profile in breast cancer, we analyzed the expression of 667 microRNAs in 29 tumors and 21 adjacent normal tissues using TaqMan Low-density arrays. 130 miRNAs showed significant differential expression (adjusted P value = 0.05, Fold Change = 2 in breast tumors compared to the normal adjacent tissue. Importantly, the role of 43 of these microRNAs has not been previously reported in breast cancer, including several evolutionary conserved microRNA*, showing similar expression rates to that of their corresponding leading strand. The expression of 14 microRNAs was replicated in an independent set of 55 tumors. Bioinformatic analysis of mRNA targets of the altered miRNAs, identified oncogenes like ERBB2, YY1, several MAP kinases, and known tumor-suppressors like FOXA1 and SMAD4. Pathway analysis identified that some biological process which are important in breast carcinogenesis are affected by the altered microRNA expression, including signaling through MAP kinases and TP53 pathways, as well as biological processes like cell death and communication, focal adhesion and ERBB2-ERBB3 signaling. Our data identified the altered expression of several microRNAs whose aberrant expression might have an important impact on cancer-related cellular pathways and whose role in breast cancer has not been previously described.

DA-Raf, a dominant-negative antagonist of the Ras-ERK pathway, is a putative tumor suppressor.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanno, Emiri; Kawasaki, Osamu; Takahashi, Kazuya; Takano, Kazunori; Endo, Takeshi

2018-01-01

Activating mutations of RAS genes, particularly KRAS, are detected with high frequency in human tumors. Mutated Ras proteins constitutively activate the ERK pathway (Raf-MEK-ERK phosphorylation cascade), leading to cellular transformation and tumorigenesis. DA-Raf1 (DA-Raf) is a splicing variant of A-Raf and contains the Ras-binding domain (RBD) but lacks the kinase domain. Accordingly, DA-Raf antagonizes the Ras-ERK pathway in a dominant-negative fashion and suppresses constitutively activated K-Ras-induced cellular transformation. Thus, we have addressed whether DA-Raf serves as a tumor suppressor of Ras-induced tumorigenesis. DA-Raf(R52Q), which is generated from a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the RBD, and DA-Raf(R52W), a mutant detected in a lung cancer, neither bound to active K-Ras nor interfered with the activation of the ERK pathway. They were incapable of suppressing activated K-Ras-induced cellular transformation and tumorigenesis in mice, in which K-Ras-transformed cells were transplanted. Furthermore, although DA-Raf was highly expressed in lung alveolar epithelial type 2 (AE2) cells, its expression was silenced in AE2-derived lung adenocarcinoma cell lines with oncogenic KRAS mutations. These results suggest that DA-Raf represents a tumor suppressor protein against Ras-induced tumorigenesis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Targeting Hodgkin and Reed–Sternberg Cells with an Inhibitor of Heat-Shock Protein 90: Molecular Pathways of Response and Potential Mechanisms of Resistance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Priscilla Segges

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL cells overexpress heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90, an important intracellular signaling hub regulating cell survival, which is emerging as a promising therapeutic target. Here, we report the antitumor effect of celastrol, an anti-inflammatory compound and a recognized HSP90 inhibitor, in Hodgkin and Reed–Sternberg cell lines. Two disparate responses were recorded. In KM-H2 cells, celastrol inhibited cell proliferation, induced G0/G1 arrest, and triggered apoptosis through the activation of caspase-3/7. Conversely, L428 cells exhibited resistance to the compound. A proteomic screening identified a total of 262 differentially expressed proteins in sensitive KM-H2 cells and revealed that celastrol’s toxicity involved the suppression of the MAPK/ERK (extracellular signal regulated kinase/mitogen activated protein kinase pathway. The apoptotic effects were preceded by a decrease in RAS (proto-oncogene protein Ras, p-ERK1/2 (phospho-extracellular signal-regulated Kinase-1/2, and c-Fos (proto-oncogene protein c-Fos protein levels, as validated by immunoblot analysis. The L428 resistant cells exhibited a marked induction of HSP27 mRNA and protein after celastrol treatment. Our results provide the first evidence that celastrol has antitumor effects in cHL cells through the suppression of the MAPK/ERK pathway. Resistance to celastrol has rarely been described, and our results suggest that in cHL it may be mediated by the upregulation of HSP27. The antitumor properties of celastrol against cHL and whether the disparate responses observed in vitro have clinical correlates deserve further research.

Hazard classification methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brereton, S.J.

1996-01-01

This document outlines the hazard classification methodology used to determine the hazard classification of the NIF LTAB, OAB, and the support facilities on the basis of radionuclides and chemicals. The hazard classification determines the safety analysis requirements for a facility

Melanoma Suppressor Functions of the Carcinoma Oncogene FOXQ1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Archis Bagati

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Lineage-specific regulation of tumor progression by the same transcription factor is understudied. We find that levels of the FOXQ1 transcription factor, an oncogene in carcinomas, are decreased during melanoma progression. Moreover, in contrast to carcinomas, FOXQ1 suppresses epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, invasion, and metastasis in melanoma cells. We find that these lineage-specific functions of FOXQ1 largely depend on its ability to activate (in carcinomas or repress (in melanoma transcription of the N-cadherin gene (CDH2. We demonstrate that FOXQ1 interacts with nuclear β-catenin and TLE proteins, and the β-catenin/TLE ratio, which is higher in carcinoma than melanoma cells, determines the effect of FOXQ1 on CDH2 transcription. Accordingly, other FOXQ1-dependent phenotypes can be manipulated by altering nuclear β-catenin or TLE proteins levels. Our data identify FOXQ1 as a melanoma suppressor and establish a mechanism underlying its inverse lineage-specific transcriptional regulation of transformed phenotypes.

Oncogenic osteomalacia: a clinicopathologic study of 17 bone lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Y. K.; Unni, K. K.; Beabout, J. W.; Hodgson, S. F.

1994-01-01

Oncogenic osteomalacia is an unusual and rare clinicopathologic syndrome characterized by mesenchymal tumors that apparently produce osteomalacia and biochemical abnormalities consisting of hypophosphatemia, normocalcemia, and increased levels of alkaline phosphatase. We collected from the Mayo Clinic files and from our consultation files the records for 17 cases of osteomalacia associated with bone lesions. There were five cases of fibrous dysplasia, three of hemangiopericytoma, and two of phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor. There was one case each of osteosarcoma, chondroblastoma, chondromyxoid fibroma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, giant cell tumor, metaphyseal fibrous defect, and hemangioma. In this study we can figure out that the most common characteristic histologic features of our cases were hemangiopericytomatous vascular proliferation, fine lace-like stromal calcification, and stromal giant cells. In most of the cases, the clinical and biochemical symptoms and signs resolved soon after complete resection of the lesion. When the lesion recurred or metastasized, the symptoms and signs also recurred. PMID:7848576

A framework for classification of prokaryotic protein kinases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nidhi Tyagi

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Overwhelming majority of the Serine/Threonine protein kinases identified by gleaning archaeal and eubacterial genomes could not be classified into any of the well known Hanks and Hunter subfamilies of protein kinases. This is owing to the development of Hanks and Hunter classification scheme based on eukaryotic protein kinases which are highly divergent from their prokaryotic homologues. A large dataset of prokaryotic Serine/Threonine protein kinases recognized from genomes of prokaryotes have been used to develop a classification framework for prokaryotic Ser/Thr protein kinases. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have used traditional sequence alignment and phylogenetic approaches and clustered the prokaryotic kinases which represent 72 subfamilies with at least 4 members in each. Such a clustering enables classification of prokaryotic Ser/Thr kinases and it can be used as a framework to classify newly identified prokaryotic Ser/Thr kinases. After series of searches in a comprehensive sequence database we recognized that 38 subfamilies of prokaryotic protein kinases are associated to a specific taxonomic level. For example 4, 6 and 3 subfamilies have been identified that are currently specific to phylum proteobacteria, cyanobacteria and actinobacteria respectively. Similarly subfamilies which are specific to an order, sub-order, class, family and genus have also been identified. In addition to these, we also identify organism-diverse subfamilies. Members of these clusters are from organisms of different taxonomic levels, such as archaea, bacteria, eukaryotes and viruses. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Interestingly, occurrence of several taxonomic level specific subfamilies of prokaryotic kinases contrasts with classification of eukaryotic protein kinases in which most of the popular subfamilies of eukaryotic protein kinases occur diversely in several eukaryotes. Many prokaryotic Ser/Thr kinases exhibit a wide variety of modular

Oncogenic IDH1 Mutations Promote Enhanced Proline Synthesis through PYCR1 to Support the Maintenance of Mitochondrial Redox Homeostasis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kate E.R. Hollinshead

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Summary: Since the discovery of mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1 in gliomas and other tumors, significant efforts have been made to gain a deeper understanding of the consequences of this oncogenic mutation. One aspect of the neomorphic function of the IDH1 R132H enzyme that has received less attention is the perturbation of cellular redox homeostasis. Here, we describe a biosynthetic pathway exhibited by cells expressing mutant IDH1. By virtue of a change in cellular redox homeostasis, IDH1-mutated cells synthesize excess glutamine-derived proline through enhanced activity of pyrroline 5-carboxylate reductase 1 (PYCR1, coupled to NADH oxidation. Enhanced proline biosynthesis partially uncouples the electron transport chain from tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle activity through the maintenance of a lower NADH/NAD+ ratio and subsequent reduction in oxygen consumption. Thus, we have uncovered a mechanism by which tumor cell survival may be promoted in conditions associated with perturbed redox homeostasis, as occurs in IDH1-mutated glioma. : Hollinshead et al. demonstrate a role for PYCR1 in control of mitochondrial redox homeostasis. Expression of IDH1 R132H mutation leads to increased NADH-coupled proline biosynthesis, mediated by PYCR1. The resulting metabolic phenotype partially uncouples mitochondrial NADH oxidation from respiration, representing an oxygen-sparing metabolic phenotype. Keywords: glioma, IDH1, redox, metabolism, proline

GTP Binding and Oncogenic Mutations May Attenuate Hypervariable Region (HVR)-Catalytic Domain Interactions in Small GTPase K-Ras4B, Exposing the Effector Binding Site*

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Lu, Shaoyong; Banerjee, Avik; Jang, Hyunbum; Zhang, Jian; Gaponenko, Vadim; Nussinov, Ruth

2015-01-01

K-Ras4B, a frequently mutated oncogene in cancer, plays an essential role in cell growth, differentiation, and survival. Its C-terminal membrane-associated hypervariable region (HVR) is required for full biological activity. In the active GTP-bound state, the HVR interacts with acidic plasma membrane (PM) headgroups, whereas the farnesyl anchors in the membrane; in the inactive GDP-bound state, the HVR may interact with both the PM and the catalytic domain at the effector binding region, obstructing signaling and nucleotide exchange. Here, using molecular dynamics simulations and NMR, we aim to figure out the effects of nucleotides (GTP and GDP) and frequent (G12C, G12D, G12V, G13D, and Q61H) and infrequent (E37K and R164Q) oncogenic mutations on full-length K-Ras4B. The mutations are away from or directly at the HVR switch I/effector binding site. Our results suggest that full-length wild-type GDP-bound K-Ras4B (K-Ras4BWT-GDP) is in an intrinsically autoinhibited state via tight HVR-catalytic domain interactions. The looser association in K-Ras4BWT-GTP may release the HVR. Some of the oncogenic mutations weaken the HVR-catalytic domain association in the K-Ras4B-GDP/-GTP bound states, which may facilitate the HVR disassociation in a nucleotide-independent manner, thereby up-regulating oncogenic Ras signaling. Thus, our results suggest that mutations can exert their effects in more than one way, abolishing GTP hydrolysis and facilitating effector binding. PMID:26453300

Mitochondrial clearance by the STK38 kinase supports oncogenic Ras-induced cell transformation

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Bettoun, Audrey; Surdez, Didier; Vallerand, David; Gundogdu, Ramazan; Sharif, Ahmad A.D.; Gomez, Marta; Cascone, Ilaria; Meunier, Brigitte; White, Michael A.; Codogno, Patrice; Parrini, Maria Carla; Camonis, Jacques H.; Hergovich, Alexander

2016-01-01

Oncogenic Ras signalling occurs frequently in many human cancers. However, no effective targeted therapies are currently available to treat patients suffering from Ras-driven tumours. Therefore, it is imperative to identify downstream effectors of Ras signalling that potentially represent promising new therapeutic options. Particularly, considering that autophagy inhibition can impair the survival of Ras-transformed cells in tissue culture and mouse models, an understanding of factors regulating the balance between autophagy and apoptosis in Ras-transformed human cells is needed. Here, we report critical roles of the STK38 protein kinase in oncogenic Ras transformation. STK38 knockdown impaired anoikis resistance, anchorage-independent soft agar growth, and in vivo xenograft growth of Ras-transformed human cells. Mechanistically, STK38 supports Ras-driven transformation through promoting detachment-induced autophagy. Even more importantly, upon cell detachment STK38 is required to sustain the removal of damaged mitochondria by mitophagy, a selective autophagic process, to prevent excessive mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production that can negatively affect cancer cell survival. Significantly, knockdown of PINK1 or Parkin, two positive regulators of mitophagy, also impaired anoikis resistance and anchorage-independent growth of Ras-transformed human cells, while knockdown of USP30, a negative regulator of PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy, restored anchorage-independent growth of STK38-depleted Ras-transformed human cells. Therefore, our findings collectively reveal novel molecular players that determine whether Ras-transformed human cells die or survive upon cell detachment, which potentially could be exploited for the development of novel strategies to target Ras-transformed cells. PMID:27283898

Relationship of ultrasonic shear wave velocity with oncogene and tumor suppressor gene expression in primary liver cancer lesions as well as angiogenesis factor contents

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Xing Yin1

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Objective: To discuss the relationship of ultrasonic shear wave velocity (SWV with oncogene and tumor suppressor gene expression in primary liver cancer lesions as well as angiogenesis factor contents. Methods: 100 patients with primary liver cancer who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital between March 2014 and September 2016 were collected as observation group, and 50 healthy subjects who received physical examination in our hospital during the same period were collected as normal control group. The ultrasonic SWV levels of two groups of subjects were measured before the operation, and the observation groups were further divided into high SWV group and low SWV group, 50 cases in each group. Intraoperative tumor tissue samples were kept and fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to determine the mRNA expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Enzymelinked immunosorbent assay was used to determine serum contents of angiogenesis factors in observation group before operation. Results: Hepatic ultrasonic SWV level in observation group was significantly higher than that in normal control group; proto-oncogene CK, Ki67, Gly-3, Survivin and Pokemon mRNA expression in tumor tissue of high SWV group were higher than those of low SWV group while tumor suppressor genes Tg737, p16, p27, PTEN and runx3 mRNA expression were lower than those of low SWV group; serum angiogenesis factors VEGF, MMP-9 and IGF-1R contents were higher than those in low SWV group. Conclusion: The hepatic ultrasonic SWV level increases in patients with primary liver cancer, and the SWV level is directly correlated with oncogene and tumor suppressor gene expression as well as angiogenesis factor contents.

FOXP3 is a novel transcriptional repressor for the breast cancer oncogene SKP2

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Zuo, Tao; Liu, Runhua; Zhang, Huiming; Chang, Xing; Liu, Yan; Wang, Lizhong; Zheng, Pan; Liu, Yang

2007-01-01

S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2) is a component of the E3 ubiquitin ligase SKP1-Cul1-Fbox complex. Overexpression of SKP2 results in cell cycle dysregulation and carcinogenesis; however, the genetic lesions that cause this upregulation are poorly understood. We recently demonstrated that forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) is an X-linked breast cancer suppressor and an important repressor of the oncogene ERBB2/HER2. Since FOXP3 suppresses tumor growth regardless of whether the tumors overexpres...

Formal modeling and analysis of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway: role of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase in oncogenesis and cancer progression

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Muhammad Tariq Saeed

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The alteration of glucose metabolism, through increased uptake of glucose and glutamine addiction, is essential to cancer cell growth and invasion. Increased flux of glucose through the Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway (HBP drives increased cellular O-GlcNAcylation (hyper-O-GlcNAcylation and contributes to cancer progression by regulating key oncogenes. However, the association between hyper-O-GlcNAcylation and activation of these oncogenes remains poorly characterized. Here, we implement a qualitative modeling framework to analyze the role of the Biological Regulatory Network in HBP activation and its potential effects on key oncogenes. Experimental observations are encoded in a temporal language format and model checking is applied to infer the model parameters and qualitative model construction. Using this model, we discover step-wise genetic alterations that promote cancer development and invasion due to an increase in glycolytic flux, and reveal critical trajectories involved in cancer progression. We compute delay constraints to reveal important associations between the production and degradation rates of proteins. O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT, an enzyme used for addition of O-GlcNAc during O-GlcNAcylation, is identified as a key regulator to promote oncogenesis in a feedback mechanism through the stabilization of c-Myc. Silencing of the OGT and c-Myc loop decreases glycolytic flux and leads to programmed cell death. Results of network analyses also identify a significant cycle that highlights the role of p53-Mdm2 circuit oscillations in cancer recovery and homeostasis. Together, our findings suggest that the OGT and c-Myc feedback loop is critical in tumor progression, and targeting these mediators may provide a mechanism-based therapeutic approach to regulate hyper-O-GlcNAcylation in human cancer.

A role for HB-EGF/EGFR and MAPK signaling in the development of intestinal serrated polyps in mice

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Bongers, G.M.; Muniz, L. R.; Pacer, M.; Thirunarayanan, N.; Smit, M.J.; Reddy, E.P.; Mayer, L.; Furtado, G.C.; Harpaz, N.; Lira, SA

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Epithelial cancers can be initiated by activating mutations in components of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway such as v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF), v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS), or epidermal growth

Role of cannabinoid receptor CB2 in HER2 pro-oncogenic signaling in breast cancer.

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Pérez-Gómez, Eduardo; Andradas, Clara; Blasco-Benito, Sandra; Caffarel, María M; García-Taboada, Elena; Villa-Morales, María; Moreno, Estefanía; Hamann, Sigrid; Martín-Villar, Ester; Flores, Juana M; Wenners, Antonia; Alkatout, Ibrahim; Klapper, Wolfram; Röcken, Christoph; Bronsert, Peter; Stickeler, Elmar; Staebler, Annette; Bauer, Maret; Arnold, Norbert; Soriano, Joaquim; Pérez-Martínez, Manuel; Megías, Diego; Moreno-Bueno, Gema; Ortega-Gutiérrez, Silvia; Artola, Marta; Vázquez-Villa, Henar; Quintanilla, Miguel; Fernández-Piqueras, José; Canela, Enric I; McCormick, Peter J; Guzmán, Manuel; Sánchez, Cristina

2015-06-01

Pharmacological activation of cannabinoid receptors elicits antitumoral responses in different cancer models. However, the biological role of these receptors in tumor physio-pathology is still unknown. We analyzed CB2 cannabinoid receptor protein expression in two series of 166 and 483 breast tumor samples operated in the University Hospitals of Kiel, Tübingen, and Freiburg between 1997 and 2010 and CB2 mRNA expression in previously published DNA microarray datasets. The role of CB2 in oncogenesis was studied by generating a mouse line that expresses the human V-Erb-B2 Avian Erythroblastic Leukemia Viral Oncogene Homolog 2 (HER2) rat ortholog (neu) and lacks CB2 and by a variety of biochemical and cell biology approaches in human breast cancer cells in culture and in vivo, upon modulation of CB2 expression by si/shRNAs and overexpression plasmids. CB2-HER2 molecular interaction was studied by colocalization, coimmunoprecipitation, and proximity ligation assays. Statistical tests were two-sided. We show an association between elevated CB2 expression in HER2+ breast tumors and poor patient prognosis (decreased overall survival, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.09 to 0.71, P = .009) and higher probability to suffer local recurrence (HR = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.049 to 0.54, P = .003) and to develop distant metastases (HR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.75, P = .009). We also demonstrate that genetic inactivation of CB2 impairs tumor generation and progression in MMTV-neu mice. Moreover, we show that HER2 upregulates CB2 expression by activating the transcription factor ELK1 via the ERK cascade and that an increased CB2 expression activates the HER2 pro-oncogenic signaling at the level of the tyrosine kinase c-SRC. Finally, we show HER2 and CB2 form heteromers in cancer cells. Our findings reveal an unprecedented role of CB2 as a pivotal regulator of HER2 pro-oncogenic signaling in breast cancer, and they suggest that CB2 may be a biomarker with

A Genomics-Based Classification of Human Lung Tumors

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Seidel, Danila; Zander, Thomas; Heukamp, Lukas C.; Peifer, Martin; Bos, Marc; Fernandez-Cuesta, Lynnette; Leenders, Frauke; Lu, Xin; Ansen, Sascha; Gardizi, Masyar; Nguyen, Chau; Berg, Johannes; Russell, Prudence; Wainer, Zoe; Schildhaus, Hans-Ulrich; Rogers, Toni-Maree; Solomon, Benjamin; Pao, William; Carter, Scott L.; Getz, Gad; Hayes, D. Neil; Wilkerson, Matthew D.; Thunnissen, Erik; Travis, William D.; Perner, Sven; Wright, Gavin; Brambilla, Elisabeth; Buettner, Reinhard; Wolf, Juergen; Thomas, Roman; Gabler, Franziska; Wilkening, Ines; Mueller, Christian; Dahmen, Ilona; Menon, Roopika; Koenig, Katharina; Albus, Kerstin; Merkelbach-Bruse, Sabine; Fassunke, Jana; Schmitz, Katja; Kuenstlinger, Helen; Kleine, Michaela; Binot, Elke; Querings, Silvia; Altmueller, Janine; Boessmann, Ingelore; Nuemberg, Peter; Schneider, Peter; Groen, Harry; Timens, Wim

2013-01-01

We characterized genome alterations in 1255 clinically annotated lung tumors of all histological subgroups to identify genetically defined and clinically relevant subtypes. More than 55% of all cases had at least one oncogenic genome alteration potentially amenable to specific therapeutic

Roles of Ubiquitination and SUMOylation on Prostate Cancer: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications

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Zhenbang Chen

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The initiation and progression of human prostate cancer are highly associated with aberrant dysregulations of tumor suppressors and proto-oncogenes. Despite that deletions and mutations of tumor suppressors and aberrant elevations of oncogenes at the genetic level are reported to cause cancers, emerging evidence has revealed that cancer progression is largely regulated by posttranslational modifications (PTMs and epigenetic alterations. PTMs play critical roles in gene regulation, cellular functions, tissue development, diseases, malignant progression and drug resistance. Recent discoveries demonstrate that ubiquitination and SUMOylation are complicated but highly-regulated PTMs, and make essential contributions to diseases and cancers by regulation of key factors and signaling pathways. Ubiquitination and SUMOylation pathways can be differentially modulated under various stimuli or stresses in order to produce the sustained oncogenic potentials. In this review, we discuss some new insights about molecular mechanisms on ubiquitination and SUMOylation, their associations with diseases, oncogenic impact on prostate cancer (PCa and clinical implications for PCa treatment.

Improvement of Bioactive Compound Classification through Integration of Orthogonal Cell-Based Biosensing Methods

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Goran N. Jovanovic

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Lack of specificity for different classes of chemical and biological agents, and false positives and negatives, can limit the range of applications for cell-based biosensors. This study suggests that the integration of results from algal cells (Mesotaenium caldariorum and fish chromatophores (Betta splendens improves classification efficiency and detection reliability. Cells were challenged with paraquat, mercuric chloride, sodium arsenite and clonidine. The two detection systems were independently investigated for classification of the toxin set by performing discriminant analysis. The algal system correctly classified 72% of the bioactive compounds, whereas the fish chromatophore system correctly classified 68%. The combined classification efficiency was 95%. The algal sensor readout is based on fluorescence measurements of changes in the energy producing pathways of photosynthetic cells, whereas the response from fish chromatophores was quantified using optical density. Change in optical density reflects interference with the functioning of cellular signal transduction networks. Thus, algal cells and fish chromatophores respond to the challenge agents through sufficiently different mechanisms of action to be considered orthogonal.

Changing tides: increasing evidence to embrace a patient classification system.

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Malloch, Kathy

2012-01-01

The effective use of a patient classification system (PCS) in a way that provides value to all health care organizations has yet to be realized given the challenging developmental pathway of these systems. As the science and technology of workforce management emerges along with evidence to support the relationships between nurse work and patient care needs, it is no longer appropriate to rely on systems that provide aggregated and minimal data to address the need for safer patient care and retention of nurses. Specificity about patient care needs in a valid and reliable PCS is essential on our pathway to improved resource utilization, improved decision making, integration of nurse cognitive and knowledge work, and management of variances from planned resource use. Advancements with technology, the ability to create and monitor equitable nurse-patient assignments, conceptual clarity, evidence, regulatory requirements, and professional role development point to a new receptiveness for PCSs.

Proteome-wide analysis of protein abundance and turnover remodelling during oncogenic transformation of human breast epithelial cells [version 1; referees: 2 approved, 1 approved with reservations

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Tony Ly

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Viral oncogenes and mutated proto-oncogenes are potent drivers of cancer malignancy. Downstream of the oncogenic trigger are alterations in protein properties that give rise to cellular transformation and the acquisition of malignant cellular phenotypes. Developments in mass spectrometry enable large-scale, multidimensional characterisation of proteomes. Such techniques could provide an unprecedented, unbiased view of how oncogene activation remodels a human cell proteome. Methods: Using quantitative MS-based proteomics and cellular assays, we analysed how transformation induced by activating v-Src kinase remodels the proteome and cellular phenotypes of breast epithelial (MCF10A cells. SILAC MS was used to comprehensively characterise the MCF10A proteome and to measure v-Src-induced changes in protein abundance across seven time-points (1-72 hrs. We used pulse-SILAC MS (Boisvert et al., 2012, to compare protein synthesis and turnover in control and transformed cells. Follow-on experiments employed a combination of cellular and functional assays to characterise the roles of selected Src-responsive proteins. Results: Src-induced transformation changed the expression and/or turnover levels of ~3% of proteins, affecting ~1.5% of the total protein molecules in the cell. Transformation increased the average rate of proteome turnover and disrupted protein homeostasis. We identify distinct classes of protein kinetics in response to Src activation. We demonstrate that members of the polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1 are important regulators of invasion and migration in MCF10A cells. Many Src-regulated proteins are present in low abundance and some are regulated post-transcriptionally. The signature of Src-responsive proteins is highly predictive of poor patient survival across multiple cancer types. Open access to search and interactively explore all these proteomic data is provided via the EPD database (www.peptracker.com/epd. Conclusions

Graph-based semi-supervised learning with genomic data integration using condition-responsive genes applied to phenotype classification.

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Doostparast Torshizi, Abolfazl; Petzold, Linda R

2018-01-01

Data integration methods that combine data from different molecular levels such as genome, epigenome, transcriptome, etc., have received a great deal of interest in the past few years. It has been demonstrated that the synergistic effects of different biological data types can boost learning capabilities and lead to a better understanding of the underlying interactions among molecular levels. In this paper we present a graph-based semi-supervised classification algorithm that incorporates latent biological knowledge in the form of biological pathways with gene expression and DNA methylation data. The process of graph construction from biological pathways is based on detecting condition-responsive genes, where 3 sets of genes are finally extracted: all condition responsive genes, high-frequency condition-responsive genes, and P-value-filtered genes. The proposed approach is applied to ovarian cancer data downloaded from the Human Genome Atlas. Extensive numerical experiments demonstrate superior performance of the proposed approach compared to other state-of-the-art algorithms, including the latest graph-based classification techniques. Simulation results demonstrate that integrating various data types enhances classification performance and leads to a better understanding of interrelations between diverse omics data types. The proposed approach outperforms many of the state-of-the-art data integration algorithms. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Constitutive activation of a variant of the env-mpl oncogene product by disulfide-linked homodimerization.

OpenAIRE

Courtois, G; Bénit, L; Mikaeloff, Y; Pauchard, M; Charon, M; Varlet, P; Gisselbrecht, S

1995-01-01

The myeloproliferative leukemia retrovirus (MPLV) has the v-mpl cellular sequences transduced in frame with the deleted and rearranged Friend murine leukemia virus env gene. The resulting env-mpl fusion oncogene is responsible for an acute myeloproliferative disorder induced in mice by MPLV. v-mpl is a truncated form of the c-mpl gene which encodes the receptor for thrombopoietin. We investigated the contribution of the Env-Mpl extracellular domain in the constitutive activation of this trunc...

Classification, disease, and diagnosis.

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Jutel, Annemarie

2011-01-01

Classification shapes medicine and guides its practice. Understanding classification must be part of the quest to better understand the social context and implications of diagnosis. Classifications are part of the human work that provides a foundation for the recognition and study of illness: deciding how the vast expanse of nature can be partitioned into meaningful chunks, stabilizing and structuring what is otherwise disordered. This article explores the aims of classification, their embodiment in medical diagnosis, and the historical traditions of medical classification. It provides a brief overview of the aims and principles of classification and their relevance to contemporary medicine. It also demonstrates how classifications operate as social framing devices that enable and disable communication, assert and refute authority, and are important items for sociological study.

Antineoplastic Effects of siRNA against TMPRSS2-ERG Junction Oncogene in Prostate Cancer.

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Giorgia Urbinati

Full Text Available TMPRSS2-ERG junction oncogene is present in more than 50% of patients with prostate cancer and its expression is frequently associated with poor prognosis. Our aim is to achieve gene knockdown by siRNA TMPRSS2-ERG and then to assess the biological consequences of this inhibition. First, we designed siRNAs against the two TMPRSS2-ERG fusion variants (III and IV, most frequently identified in patients' biopsies. Two of the five siRNAs tested were found to efficiently inhibit mRNA of both TMPRSS2-ERG variants and to decrease ERG protein expression. Microarray analysis further confirmed ERG inhibition by both siRNAs TMPRSS2-ERG and revealed one common down-regulated gene, ADRA2A, involved in cell proliferation and migration. The siRNA against TMPRSS2-ERG fusion variant IV showed the highest anti-proliferative effects: Significantly decreased cell viability, increased cleaved caspase-3 and inhibited a cluster of anti-apoptotic proteins. To propose a concrete therapeutic approach, siRNA TMPRSS2-ERG IV was conjugated to squalene, which can self-organize as nanoparticles in water. The nanoparticles of siRNA TMPRSS2-ERG-squalene injected intravenously in SCID mice reduced growth of VCaP xenografted tumours, inhibited oncoprotein expression and partially restored differentiation (decrease in Ki67. In conclusion, this study offers a new prospect of treatment for prostate cancer based on siRNA-squalene nanoparticles targeting TMPRSS2-ERG junction oncogene.

FOXP3 is a novel transcriptional repressor for the breast cancer oncogene SKP2.

Science.gov (United States)

Zuo, Tao; Liu, Runhua; Zhang, Huiming; Chang, Xing; Liu, Yan; Wang, Lizhong; Zheng, Pan; Liu, Yang

2007-12-01

S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2) is a component of the E3 ubiquitin ligase SKP1-Cul1-Fbox complex. Overexpression of SKP2 results in cell cycle dysregulation and carcinogenesis; however, the genetic lesions that cause this upregulation are poorly understood. We recently demonstrated that forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) is an X-linked breast cancer suppressor and an important repressor of the oncogene ERBB2/HER2. Since FOXP3 suppresses tumor growth regardless of whether the tumors overexpress ERBB2/HER2, additional FOXP3 targets may be involved in its tumor suppressor activity. Here, we show that mammary carcinomas from mice heterozygous for a Foxp3 mutation exhibited increased Skp2 expression. Ectopic expression of FOXP3 in mouse mammary cancer cells repressed SKP2 expression with a corresponding increase in p27 and polyploidy. Conversely, siRNA silencing of the FOXP3 gene in human mammary epithelial cells increased SKP2 expression. We also show that Foxp3 directly interacted with and repressed the Skp2 promoter. Moreover, the analysis of over 200 primary breast cancer samples revealed an inverse correlation between FOXP3 and SKP2 levels. Finally, we demonstrated that downregulation of SKP2 was critical for FOXP3-mediated growth inhibition in breast cancer cells that do not overexpress ERBB2/HER2. Our data provide genetic, biochemical, and functional evidence that FOXP3 is a novel transcriptional repressor for the oncogene SKP2.

EphrinB1 expression is dysregulated and promotes oncogenic signaling in medulloblastoma.

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