(Press-News.org) HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.
Recent developments include overlooked proteins from long noncoding RNAs that likely play a functional role in breast cancer, inhibiting tumor-associated neuronal cells to improve treatment response in pancreatic cancer, a novel and highly specific marker to identify metastatic tumors of gynecological origin, and a potential target to overcome treatment resistance in acute myeloid leukemia.
“Hidden” proteins from long noncoding RNAs might play functional role in cancer
The GENCODE project showed that roughly 70% of the human genome is transcribed into RNA, including many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), defined as RNA molecules longer than 200 nucleotides that lack protein-coding potential. However, recent evidence suggests some lncRNAs may produce “hidden” proteins whose potential role in cancer remains unknown. To investigate this, researchers led by Yiwen Chen, Ph.D., used an integrative genomic strategy combining CRISPR/Cas9 knockout screens with data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The researchers uncovered lncRNA-encoded proteins that might be involved in estrogen receptor α-positive luminal breast cancer, the most common breast cancer subtype. They confirmed the in vivo tumor-promoting function of a hidden protein encoded by a lncRNA whose expression is associated with poor prognosis. These findings suggest that the hidden lncRNA-encoded proteins should be further studied for potential therapeutic targets. Learn more in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Inhibiting specific neuronal cells improves responses in pancreatic cancer in vivo
Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, partly due to a tumor microenvironment that is highly resistant to immunotherapy. Data for nonmyelinating Schwann cells, which wrap around small neuronal axons to provide support and to promote new sprouting, suggests these cells may facilitate pancreatic tumor invasion into the nervous system. To further understand the role of these cells, researchers led by Liuqing Yang, Ph.D., and Chunru Lin, Ph.D., characterized the gene signature of tumor-associated nonmyelinating Schwann cells (TASc). The researchers found that the abundance of TASc was correlated with poor patient outcomes. More specifically, TASc express a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) named PVT1, which triggers a signal pathway that promotes tumor growth. Using a TASc inhibitor in vivo improved treatment response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, highlighting TASc and lncRNAs as potential therapeutic targets for pancreatic cancer. Learn more in Science Advances.
Study finds novel biomarker for ovarian and endometrial origins of metastatic cancer
To determine the appropriate treatment approach for metastatic cancer, it is critical to identify a tumor’s primary site of origin. Specific biomarkers to assist with proper diagnosis could benefit clinicians and patients. PAX8 is commonly used to determine if a tumor is of gynecologic origin, but it also is highly expressed in other cancers such as thyroid and renal carcinomas, making it difficult to reliably diagnose tumors with ovarian and endometrial origin. To identify a more specific biomarker, researchers led by Jinsong Liu, M.D., Ph.D., and Qingqing Ding, M.D., Ph.D., mined mRNA expression profile data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and performed immunological staining in a large cohort of ovarian and endometrial cancer along with samples from other cancer types. They found SOX17 was highly expressed in different subtypes of ovarian and endometrial carcinomas but was not expressed in thyroid or renal carcinomas. In addition, SOX17 is not expressed in peritoneal mesothelioma and breast cancer, whose tumors often are confused with ovarian cancer. The data suggest SOX17 represents a sensitive and specific marker for identifying tumors of gynecological origin. Learn more in Modern Pathology.
Targeting ULK1 overcomes adaptive drug resistance in acute myeloid leukemia
Adaptive resistance in leukemic stem cells (LSCs) remains an obstacle in successfully treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Previous research found LSCs are addicted to autophagy induction as a key mechanism for adaptive resistance, helping cells maintain stability and survive under stress. At diagnosis, LSCs express higher levels of the enzyme ULK1, which initiates autophagy, compared to normal cells. ULK1 also is upregulated when exposed to chemotherapy and targeted agents, making it a potential therapeutic target. Researchers led by Gautam Borthakur, M.D., demonstrated that targeting ULK1 in lab models suppresses treatment-induced autophagy, overcomes adaptive drug resistance, and improves response to chemotherapy and emerging anti-leukemia agents. The data support further investigation of ULK1 as a candidate target for combination therapies in clinical trials of AML. Learn more in Molecular Cancer Research.
Recent awards and honors
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was awarded the DeWitt C. Baldwin, Jr. Award, presented by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation
In case you missed it
Read below to catch up on recent MD Anderson press releases.
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy improves outlook in high-risk melanoma
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Nearly two dozen experimental therapies targeting the immune system are in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, a reflection of the growing recognition that immune processes play a key role in driving the brain damage that leads to confusion, memory loss and other debilitating symptoms.
Many of the immunity-focused Alzheimer’s drugs under development are aimed at microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, which can injure brain tissue if they’re activated at the wrong time or in the wrong way. A new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis ...
About The Study: Researchers found in this examination of newborn drug testing at a Midwestern academic medical center before and after statewide legalization of recreational cannabis that clinicians ordered newborn drug tests more frequently for Black newborns when no drug testing was done during pregnancy. These findings call for further exploration of how structural and institutional racism contribute to disproportionate testing and subsequent Child Protective Services investigation, surveillance, and criminalization of Black parents.
Authors: Lauren Oshman, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Michigan ...
The Bakken Shale Formation—a 200,000-square-mile shale deposit below parts of Canada and North Dakota—has supplied billions of barrels of oil and natural gas to North America for 70 years. A new discovery reveals that the rocks also open a uniquely informative window into Earth’s complicated geological history.
A research team, which included geologists from the University of Maryland, George Mason University and the Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor, developed a new framework for analyzing paleontological and biogeochemical data extracted from the formation’s rock. Using this technique, the team pinpointed a major trigger of several closely spaced ...
New insights into the effects of a hormonal treatment for transgender men, discovered by Cedars-Sinai investigators, could have implications for the treatment of breast cancer.
Transgender men who were assigned female at birth and identify today as male may take hormones called androgens to induce physical changes that help them align their physical appearance with their identified gender. Androgens such as testosterone are involved primarily in the development of male traits, although females also produce androgens.
Molecular changes observed in the breast tissue of transgender men undergoing androgen therapy may signal the potential ...
At a glance:
A small population of airway neurons alerts the brain about a flu infection, according to a new study in mice
The results help explain how drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin reduce flu symptoms
The findings could help scientists develop more-effective flu therapies
A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School illuminates how the brain becomes aware that there is an infection in the body.
Studying mice, the team discovered that a small group of neurons in the airway plays a pivotal role in alerting the brain about ...
Scientists studying a nearby protostar have detected the presence of water in its circumstellar disk. The new observations made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) mark the first detection of water being inherited into a protoplanetary disk without significant changes to its composition. These results further suggest that the water in our Solar System formed billions of years before the Sun. The new observations are published today in Nature.
V883 Orionis is a protostar located roughly 1,305 light-years from Earth in the constellation Orion. ...
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – If a newborn tests positive for certain drugs after birth, mandated reporters in many states – including health care professionals and social workers – are required to report it to Child Protective Services.
But guidelines on what should trigger these tests are often unclear and inconsistent, which studies have shown may contribute to racial inequities in who gets tested.
Residents, faculty, medical students and researchers at Michigan Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine and Antiracism and Health Equity Program wanted to determine rates of newborn drug testing and if these rates varied by ...
EMBARGOED UNTIL 11:00 AM EST Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Contact:
Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu
Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu
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Gun violence—and racial disparities in gun violence—have increased substantially during the pandemic, particularly among children. Now a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher shows just how stark these differences in risk of firearm injury are between White and non-White children.
Published as a research letter in JAMA Network Open, the study examined gun injuries among children in four major US cities—New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia—and ...
Rice is one of the most important crops in the world and constitutes the primary food source for over half of Earth’s population. Protecting rice plantations from disease is therefore an essential endeavor in modern agriculture. Of the many pathogens that can infect rice plants, the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae, which is responsible for bacterial blight (BB), is among the worst. Hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of crops are lost each year due to BB, and millions of dollars are spent in preventive measures and research.
One of the most fruitful strategies to control BB and other crop diseases is to grow genetically resistant cultivars. However, as pathogens can ...
BOSTON – Mass General researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism responsible for the most common forms of acquired hydrocephalus, potentially opening the door to the first-ever nonsurgical treatment for a life-threatening disease that affects about a million Americans. As reported in the journal Cell, the team uncovered in animal models the pathway through which infection or bleeding in the brain triggers a massive neuroinflammatory response that results in increased production of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ...
