[Interest of the bc-GenExMiner web tool in oncology]

We are taking advantage of the launch of the latest version (v4.6) of our web-based data mining tool "breast cancer gene-expression miner" (bc-GenExMiner) to take stock of its position within the oncology research landscape and to present an activity report ten years after its establishment (http://bcgenex.ico.unicancer.fr). bc-GenExMiner is an open-access, user-friendly tool for statistical mining on breast tumor transcriptomes, annotated with more than 20 clinicopathologic and molecular characteristics. The database comprises more than 16,000 patients from 64 cohorts - including TCGA, METABRIC and SCAN-B - for whom several thousands of genes have been quantified by microarrays or RNA-seq. Correlation, expression and prognostic analyses are available for targeted, exhaustive or customized explorations of queried genes. bc-GenExMiner facilitates the validation, investigation, and prioritization of discoveries and hypotheses on genes of interest. It allows users to analyse large databases, create data visualizations, and obtain robust statistical analysis, thereby accelerating biomarker discovery. Ten years after its launch, judging by the number of visits, analyses, and scientific citations of bc-GenExMiner, we conclude that this web resource serves its purpose in the international scientific community working in breast cancer research, with a never-ending rise in its use.

Gout, genetics and ABC transporters

Gout is a chronic arthritic disease associated with high levels of urate in blood. Recent advances in research have permitted the identification of several new and common genetic factors underlying the disease. Among them, a polymorphism in the ABC transporter gene ATP-binding cassette transporter isoform G2 has been highlighted. ATP-binding cassette transporter isoform G2 was found to be involved in renal urate elimination, and the presence of the Q141K polymorphism to induce a 2-fold decrease in urate efflux. The Q141K variant has been shown to have impaired trafficking, leading to its intracellular retention, whereas the wild type protein is expressed on the cell surface. Several agents are being studied for the purpose of improving folding, trafficking and function of various ABC transporters, including ATP-binding cassette transporter isoform G2. If successful, this strategy opens doors to potential new therapies for gout.