Beyond transcription factors: how oncogenic signalling reshapes the epigenetic landscape
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 359 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.41
Authors: Fan Liu, Lan Wang, Fabiana Perna & Stephen D. Nimer
Cancer, once thought to be caused largely by genetic alterations, is now considered to be a mixed genetic and epigenetic disease. The epigenetic landscape, which is dictated by covalent DNA and histone modifications, is profoundly altered in transformed cells. These abnormalities may arise from mutations (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - May 24, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Fan LiuLan WangFabiana PernaStephen D. Nimer Tags: Review Source Type: research
Targeted therapy: RAS mimetic revealed
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 342 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.59
Author: Alexandra Flemming
The small-molecule inhibitor rigosertib acts as a RAS mimetic — by disrupting the association of RAS with RAF and other effector proteins, it inactivates RAS downstream signalling. (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - May 24, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Alexandra Flemming Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Tumour microenvironment: Genotype puts tension on a tumour
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 341 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.57
Author: Anna Dart
SMAD4-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) with impaired transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signalling initiate a signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)-dependent signalling pathway that leads to increased stromal stiffening and aggressive disease. (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - May 24, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Anna Dart Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Mechanisms of cancer dissemination along nerves
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 399 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.38
Authors: Moran Amit, Shorook Na'ara & Ziv Gil
The local extension of cancer cells along nerves is a frequent clinical finding for various tumours. Traditionally, nerve invasion was assumed to occur via the path of least resistance; however, recent animal models and human studies have revealed that cancer cells have an innate ability (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - May 5, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Moran AmitShorook Na'araZiv Gil Tags: Perspectives Source Type: research
Tumour microenvironment: As time goes by
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 342 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.53
Author: Safia Danovi
Kaur et al. show that in older patients, fibroblasts in the melanoma microenvironment produce the WNT–β-catenin inhibitor secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2), which increases oxidative stress in melanoma cells, driving metastasis and therapeutic resistance. (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - May 5, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Safia Danovi Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
From melanocytes to melanomas
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 345 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.37
Authors: A. Hunter Shain & Boris C. Bastian
Melanomas on sun-exposed skin are heterogeneous tumours, which can be subtyped on the basis of their cumulative levels of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A melanocytic neoplasm can also be staged by how far it has progressed, ranging from a benign neoplasm, such as a (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 28, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: A. Hunter ShainBoris C. Bastian Tags: Review Source Type: research
Chemotherapy: Clocking up resistance
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 343 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.50
Author: Elizabeth Zuccala
Paek et al. report that the level of p53 required to induce apoptosis in human colon cancer cells increases with time following treatment with DNA damage-inducing agents. (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 28, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Elizabeth Zuccala Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Defining actionable mutations for oncology therapeutic development
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 319 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.35
Authors: T. Hedley Carr, Robert McEwen, Brian Dougherty, Justin H. Johnson, Jonathan R. Dry, Zhongwu Lai, Zara Ghazoui, Naomi M. Laing, Darren R. Hodgson, Francisco Cruzalegui, Simon J. Hollingsworth & J. Carl Barrett
Genomic profiling of tumours in patients in clinical trials enables rapid testing of multiple hypotheses to confirm which genomic events determine likely responder groups for targeted agents. A key challenge of this new capability is defining which specific genomic events should be classified as 'actionable' (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 25, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: T. Hedley CarrRobert McEwenBrian DoughertyJustin H. JohnsonJonathan R. DryZhongwu LaiZara GhazouiNaomi M. LaingDarren R. HodgsonFrancisco CruzaleguiSimon J. HollingsworthJ. Carl Barrett Tags: Perspectives Source Type: research
Oesophageal adenocarcinoma and gastric cancer: should we mind the gap?
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 305 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.24
Authors: Yoku Hayakawa, Nilay Sethi, Antonia R. Sepulveda, Adam J. Bass & Timothy C. Wang
Over recent decades we have witnessed a shift in the anatomical distribution of gastric cancer (GC), which increasingly originates from the proximal stomach near the junction with the oesophagus. In parallel, there has been a dramatic rise in the incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) in (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 25, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Yoku HayakawaNilay SethiAntonia R. SepulvedaAdam J. BassTimothy C. Wang Tags: Review Source Type: research
New frontiers in translational control of the cancer genome
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 288 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.27
Authors: Morgan L. Truitt & Davide Ruggero
The past several years have seen dramatic leaps in our understanding of how gene expression is rewired at the translation level during tumorigenesis to support the transformed phenotype. This work has been driven by an explosion in technological advances and is revealing previously unimagined regulatory (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 25, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Morgan L. TruittDavide Ruggero Tags: Review Source Type: research
Translocations: Circular RNAs from translocations
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 273 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.48
Author: Gemma K. Alderton
Guarnerio et al. show that oncogenic translocations also give rise to fusion-circular RNAs (f-circRNAs). The authors went on to demonstrate that f-circRNAs derived from the mixed lineage leukaemia (MLL)–AF9 (also known as MLLT3) fusion gene were able to induce (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 25, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Gemma K. Alderton Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Tumour immunology: Another string to the MYC bow
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 273 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.47
Author: Gemma K. Alderton
Casey et al. show that MYC regulates the transcription of the immunoregulatory molecules CD47 and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PDL1). MYC bound to the promoters of CD47 and PDL1, and suppression of MYC resulted in reduced expression of CD47 and PDL1 (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 25, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Gemma K. Alderton Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Prostate cancer: Connecting androgen receptor and immunity
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 273 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.46
Author: Sarah Seton-Rogers
Surgical androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has activating effects on the immune system. However, whether medical ADT (with androgen receptor (AR) antagonists) has similar effects is not clear. Pu et al. report the unexpected finding that AR antagonists suppress immune responses by inhibiting T cell (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 25, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Sarah Seton-Rogers Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Genetics: p53 variant increases cancer risk
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 273 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.45
Author: Sarah Seton-Rogers
The single nucleotide polymorphism P47S (rs1800371) in TP53 is specific to populations of African descent. Jennis et al. reasoned that P47S might contribute to the increased risk of cancer in African American populations. P47S did not affect most p53 functions, but did impair (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 25, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Sarah Seton-Rogers Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Cell migration: Nuclear envelope ruptures as cells squeeze through tight spaces
Nature Reviews Cancer 16, 272 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.42
Author: Kim Baumann
Two studies report that the nuclear envelope undergoes rupture and resealing when migrating cells pass through tight spaces. (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer)
Source: Nature Reviews Cancer - April 25, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Kim Baumann Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
