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Catarino TA, Pacheco-Leyva I, Al-Dalali F, Ghezzo MN, Fernandes MT, Costa T, Dos Santos NR. Cdkn2a inactivation promotes malignant transformation of mouse immature thymocytes before the β-selection checkpoint. Exp Hematol 2022; 116:30-36. [PMID: 36240953 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2022.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Telmo A Catarino
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ivette Pacheco-Leyva
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Faiza Al-Dalali
- Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | | | | | - Telma Costa
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno R Dos Santos
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
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Non-Canonical Functions of the ARF Tumor Suppressor in Development and Tumorigenesis. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11010086. [PMID: 33445626 PMCID: PMC7827855 DOI: 10.3390/biom11010086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
P14ARF (ARF; Alternative Reading Frame) is an extensively characterized tumor suppressor which, in response to oncogenic stimuli, mediates cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via p53-dependent and independent routes. ARF has been shown to be frequently lost through CpG island promoter methylation in a wide spectrum of human malignancies, such as colorectal, prostate, breast, and gastric cancers, while point mutations and deletions in the p14ARF locus have been linked with various forms of melanomas and glioblastomas. Although ARF has been mostly studied in the context of tumorigenesis, it has been also implicated in purely developmental processes, such as spermatogenesis, and mammary gland and ocular development, while it has been additionally involved in the regulation of angiogenesis. Moreover, ARF has been found to hold important roles in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. As is often the case with tumor suppressors, ARF functions as a pleiotropic protein regulating a number of different mechanisms at the crossroad of development and tumorigenesis. Here, we provide an overview of the non-canonical functions of ARF in cancer and developmental biology, by dissecting the crosstalk of ARF signaling with key oncogenic and developmental pathways.
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González-Gil C, Ribera J, Ribera JM, Genescà E. The Yin and Yang-Like Clinical Implications of the CDKN2A/ARF/CDKN2B Gene Cluster in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12010079. [PMID: 33435487 PMCID: PMC7827355 DOI: 10.3390/genes12010079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignant clonal expansion of lymphoid hematopoietic precursors that exhibit developmental arrest at varying stages of differentiation. Similar to what occurs in solid cancers, transformation of normal hematopoietic precursors is governed by a multistep oncogenic process that drives initiation, clonal expansion and metastasis. In this process, alterations in genes encoding proteins that govern processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and growth provide us with some of the clearest mechanistic insights into how and why cancer arises. In such a scenario, deletions in the 9p21.3 cluster involving CDKN2A/ARF/CDKN2B genes arise as one of the oncogenic hallmarks of ALL. Deletions in this region are the most frequent structural alteration in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and account for roughly 30% of copy number alterations found in B-cell-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). Here, we review the literature concerning the involvement of the CDKN2A/B genes as a prognosis marker of good or bad response in the two ALL subtypes (BCP-ALL and T-ALL). We compare frequencies observed in studies performed on several ALL cohorts (adult and child), which mainly consider genetic data produced by genomic techniques. We also summarize what we have learned from mouse models designed to evaluate the functional involvement of the gene cluster in ALL development and in relapse/resistance to treatment. Finally, we examine the range of possibilities for targeting the abnormal function of the protein-coding genes of this cluster and their potential to act as anti-leukemic agents in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia González-Gil
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Campus ICO-Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (C.G.-G.); (J.R.); (J.M.R.)
| | - Jordi Ribera
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Campus ICO-Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (C.G.-G.); (J.R.); (J.M.R.)
| | - Josep Maria Ribera
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Campus ICO-Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (C.G.-G.); (J.R.); (J.M.R.)
- Clinical Hematology Department, ICO-Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, 08916 Badalona, Spain
| | - Eulàlia Genescà
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Campus ICO-Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (C.G.-G.); (J.R.); (J.M.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-93-557-28-08
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Li X, Lu H, Fan G, He M, Sun Y, Xu K, Shi F. A novel interplay between HOTAIR and DNA methylation in osteosarcoma cells indicates a new therapeutic strategy. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2017; 143:2189-2200. [DOI: 10.1007/s00432-017-2478-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism conserved in eukaryotes, including fungi, that represses gene expression by means of small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) of about 20 to 30 nucleotides. Its discovery is one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of the past 20 years, and it has revolutionized our perception of the functioning of the cell. Initially described and characterized in Neurospora crassa, the RNAi is widespread in fungi, suggesting that it plays important functions in the fungal kingdom. Several RNAi-related mechanisms for maintenance of genome integrity, particularly protection against exogenous nucleic acids such as mobile elements, have been described in several fungi, suggesting that this is the main function of RNAi in the fungal kingdom. However, an increasing number of fungal sRNAs with regulatory functions generated by specific RNAi pathways have been identified. Several mechanistic aspects of the biogenesis of these sRNAs are known, but their function in fungal development and physiology is scarce, except for remarkable examples such as Mucor circinelloides, in which specific sRNAs clearly regulate responses to environmental and endogenous signals. Despite the retention of RNAi in most species, some fungal groups and species lack an active RNAi mechanism, suggesting that its loss may provide some selective advantage. This article summarizes the current understanding of RNAi functions in the fungal kingdom.
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Peirs S, Van der Meulen J, Van de Walle I, Taghon T, Speleman F, Poppe B, Van Vlierberghe P. Epigenetics in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Immunol Rev 2015; 263:50-67. [PMID: 25510271 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Normal T-cell development is a strictly regulated process in which hematopoietic progenitor cells migrate from the bone marrow to the thymus and differentiate from early T-cell progenitors toward mature and functional T cells. During this maturation process, cooperation between a variety of oncogenes and tumor suppressors can drive immature thymocytes into uncontrolled clonal expansion and cause T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Despite improved insights in T-ALL disease biology and comprehensive characterization of its genetic landscape, clinical care remained largely similar over the past decades and still consists of high-dose multi-agent chemotherapy potentially followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Even with such aggressive treatment regimens, which are often associated with considerable side effects, clinical outcome is still extremely poor in a significant subset of T-ALL patients as a result of therapy resistance or hematological relapses. Recent genetic studies have identified recurrent somatic alterations in genes involved in DNA methylation and post-translational histone modifications in T-ALL, suggesting that epigenetic homeostasis is critically required in restraining tumor development in the T-cell lineage. In this review, we provide an overview of the epigenetic regulators that could be implicated in T-ALL disease biology and speculate how the epigenetic landscape of T-ALL could trigger the development of epigenetic-based therapies to further improve the treatment of human T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Peirs
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Durinck K, Goossens S, Peirs S, Wallaert A, Van Loocke W, Matthijssens F, Pieters T, Milani G, Lammens T, Rondou P, Van Roy N, De Moerloose B, Benoit Y, Haigh J, Speleman F, Poppe B, Van Vlierberghe P. Novel biological insights in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Exp Hematol 2015; 43:625-39. [PMID: 26123366 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2015.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive type of blood cancer that accounts for about 15% of pediatric and 25% of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases. It is considered as a paradigm for the multistep nature of cancer initiation and progression. Genetic and epigenetic reprogramming events, which transform T-cell precursors into malignant T-ALL lymphoblasts, have been extensively characterized over the past decade. Despite our comprehensive understanding of the genomic landscape of human T-ALL, leukemia patients are still treated by high-dose multiagent chemotherapy, potentially followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Even with such aggressive treatment regimens, which are often associated with considerable acute and long-term side effects, about 15% of pediatric and 40% of adult T-ALL patients still relapse, owing to acquired therapy resistance, and present with very dismal survival perspectives. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms by which residual T-ALL tumor cells survive chemotherapy and act as a reservoir for leukemic progression and hematologic relapse remain poorly understood. Nevertheless, it is expected that enhanced molecular understanding of T-ALL disease biology will ultimately facilitate a targeted therapy driven approach that can reduce chemotherapy-associated toxicities and improve survival of refractory T-ALL patients through personalized salvage therapy. In this review, we summarize recent biological insights into the molecular pathogenesis of T-ALL and speculate how the genetic landscape of T-ALL could trigger the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of human T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaat Durinck
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Steven Goossens
- Department for Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Unit for Molecular Oncology, VIB Inflammation Research Center, Ghent, Belgium; Mammalian Functional Genetics Laboratory, Division of Blood Cancers, Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sofie Peirs
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annelynn Wallaert
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wouter Van Loocke
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Tim Pieters
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium; Department for Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Unit for Molecular Oncology, VIB Inflammation Research Center, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gloria Milani
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tim Lammens
- Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Pieter Rondou
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nadine Van Roy
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Barbara De Moerloose
- Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yves Benoit
- Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jody Haigh
- Mammalian Functional Genetics Laboratory, Division of Blood Cancers, Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Frank Speleman
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bruce Poppe
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department for Pediatrics, Ghent, Belgium
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Cai Q, Chen K, Young KH. Epstein-Barr virus-positive T/NK-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Exp Mol Med 2015; 47:e133. [PMID: 25613730 PMCID: PMC4314580 DOI: 10.1038/emm.2014.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 10/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Epstein–Barr virus, a ubiquitous human herpesvirus, can induce both lytic and latent infections that result in a variety of human diseases, including lymphoproliferative disorders. The oncogenic potential of Epstein–Barr virus is related to its ability to infect and transform B lymphocytes into continuously proliferating lymphoblastoid cells. However, Epstein–Barr virus has also been implicated in the development of T/natural killer cell lymphoproliferative diseases. Epstein–Barr virus encodes a series of products that mimic several growth, transcription and anti-apoptotic factors, thus usurping control of pathways that regulate diverse homeostatic cellular functions and the microenvironment. However, the exact mechanism by which Epstein–Barr virus promotes oncogenesis and inflammatory lesion development remains unclear. Epstein–Barr virus-associated T/natural killer cell lymphoproliferative diseases often have overlapping clinical symptoms as well as histologic and immunophenotypic features because both lymphoid cell types derive from a common precursor. Accurate classification of Epstein–Barr virus-associated T/natural killer cell lymphoproliferative diseases is a prerequisite for appropriate clinical management. Currently, the treatment of most T/natural killer cell lymphoproliferative diseases is less than satisfactory. Novel and targeted therapies are strongly required to satisfy clinical demands. This review describes our current knowledge of the genetics, oncogenesis, biology, diagnosis and treatment of Epstein–Barr virus-associated T/natural killer cell lymphoproliferative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Cai
- 1] Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China [2] Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kailin Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ken H Young
- 1] Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA [2] The University of Texas School of Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
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