PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Gene fusion in lung cancer afflicting never-smokers may be target for therapy

2011-12-23
(Press-News.org) December 22, 2011 – Smoking is a well-known risk factor for lung cancer, but nearly 25% of all lung cancer patients have never smoked. In a study published online today in Genome Research (www.genome.org), researchers have identified a previously unknown gene fusion event that could explain a significant proportion of lung cancer cases in never-smokers, and might serve as a target for new therapies.

Recent strides have been made to identify gene mutation events driving cases of lung adenocarcinoma in never-smokers, but the underlying genetic events leading to these lung cancers still remain unknown in a large number of cases. In this report, using a combination of genome sequencing and RNA sequencing, a team of researchers in South Korea has characterized a previously unknown gene fusion event in a case of lung adenocarcinoma striking a 33-year-old Korean male with no history of smoking or cancer within his family.

The group sequenced and compared the genome of the patient's cancer and normal tissue (blood), but they found no mutations in known-cancer related genes, such as EGFR, KRAS, and EML4-ALK mutations, that were likely to explain this case. Delving deeper, they also sequenced RNA isolated from the cancer cells, which when analyzed, can reveal gene rearrangement events that are difficult to detect by genome sequencing and may be driving the cancer.

From the RNA sequencing analysis they built a list of candidate gene fusions, narrowing it down to a single gene fusion that could be a cancer-causing event. A genomic inversion event occurred on chromosome 10 in the cancer, fusing the KIF5B and RET genes. This fusion was particularly interesting because RET has been previously implicated in other gene fusion events known to drive thyroid cancers, and although it is normally expressed at low levels in the lung, chimeric RET in this patient is highly expressed. Furthermore, KIF5B contains a protein domain that is necessary for activation of the fusion gene.

They then confirmed that the KIF5B-RET fusion occurs in other lung cancer cases, finding two instances in twenty additional cases of lung cancer, indicating that this fusion event is not rare. The authors suggest that the KIF5B-RET fusion occurs in about 6% of all lung adenocarcinoma cases. The authors note that although further epidemiological studies are needed to accurately define the frequency of KIF5B-RET in lung cancers, they expect that the fusion gene may be a promising molecular target for treatment.

"We showed that genome sequencing technology could reveal a previously hidden cause of human cancer, which can be used as a therapeutic target for personal cancer therapy", said Dr. Jeong-Sun Seo, director of the Genomic Medicine Institute-Seoul National University, chairman of Macrogen Inc., and senior author of the study.

###Scientists from the Genomic Medicine Institute-Seoul National University (GMI-SNU; Seoul, South Korea), Seoul St. Mary's Hospital (Seoul, South Korea), Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH; Seoul South Korea), Macrogen Inc. (Seoul, South Korea) and Psoma Therapeutics Inc. (Seoul, South Korea) contributed to this study.

This work was supported by Macrogen Inc.

Media contacts: The authors are available for more information by contacting Julie Yi, Press Officer at GMI-SNU (e-mail: nullepart@gmail.com; mobile: 82-10-8963-3652).

Interested reporters may obtain copies of the manuscript via email from Peggy Calicchia, Administrative Assistant, Genome Research (calicchi@cshl.edu).

About the article: The manuscript will be published online ahead of print on December 22, 2011. Its full citation is as follows: Ju YS, Lee W, Shin J, Lee S, Bleazard T, Won J, Kim YT, Kim J, Kang J, Seo J. Fusion of KIF5B and RET transforming gene in lung adenocarcinoma revealed from whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing. Genome Res doi: 10.1101/gr.133645.111.

About Genome Research:

Launched in 1995, Genome Research (www.genome.org) is an international, continuously published, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on research that provides novel insights into the genome biology of all organisms, including advances in genomic medicine. Among the topics considered by the journal are genome structure and function, comparative genomics, molecular evolution, genome-scale quantitative and population genetics, proteomics, epigenomics, and systems biology. The journal also features exciting gene discoveries and reports of cutting-edge computational biology and high-throughput methodologies.

About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press:

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a private, nonprofit institution in New York that conducts research in cancer and other life sciences and has a variety of educational programs. Its Press, originating in 1933, is the largest of the Laboratory's five education divisions and is a publisher of books, journals, and electronic media for scientists, students, and the general public.

Genome Research issues press releases to highlight significant research studies that are published in the journal.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

DNA mismatch repair happens only during a brief window of opportunity

2011-12-23
In eukaryotes – the group of organisms that include humans – a key to survival is the ability of certain proteins to quickly and accurately repair genetic errors that occur when DNA is replicated to make new cells. In a paper published in the December 23, 2011 issue of the journal Science, researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have solved part of the mystery of how these proteins do their job, a process called DNA mismatch repair (MMR). "One of the major questions in MMR is how MMR proteins ...

Biochemists develop promising new treatment direction for rare metabolic diseases

Biochemists develop promising new treatment direction for rare metabolic diseases
2011-12-23
AMHERST, Mass. – A research team led by biochemist Scott Garman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a key interaction at the heart of a promising new treatment for a rare childhood metabolic disorder known as Fabry disease. The discovery will help understanding of other protein-folding disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, as well. Findings are featured as the cover story in the current issue of Chemistry & Biology. People born with Fabry disease have a faulty copy of a single gene that codes for the alpha-galactosidase ...

UT-ORNL research reveals aquatic bacteria more recent move to land

2011-12-23
Research by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, faculty has discovered that bacteria's move from sea to land may have occurred much later than thought. It also has revealed that the bacteria may be especially useful in bioenergy research. Igor Jouline, UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory joint faculty professor of microbiology and researcher at ORNL's Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, performed a genome sequence analysis of the soil bacteria Azospirillum, a species' whose forbearers made the sea-to-land move. The analysis indicates the shift may have occurred ...

Long intervening non-coding RNAs play pivotal roles in brain development

2011-12-23
FINDINGS: Whitehead Institute scientists have identified conserved, long intervening non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) that play key roles during brain development in zebrafish, and went on to show that the human versions of these RNAs can substitute for the zebrafish lincRNAs. RELEVANCE: Despite their prevalence in the cell, lincRNAs have been referred to as the "dark matter" of all the transcribed RNAs because little is known of their functions or mechanisms. Until now, lincRNAs have been studied primarily in cell lines rather than at the organismal level, which has precluded ...

Unnatural disasters

2011-12-23
Global wildlife is facing an unprecedented threat from natural disasters exacerbated by climate change, warn scientists in a paper published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Hurricanes, droughts, flooding and wildfires are predicted to increase in frequency and severity – but despite being able to spot human populations at risk, there is currently no mechanism for identifying vulnerable animal populations. Now scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have come up with a method to identify populations likely to experience drastic changes in their population ...

NIH researchers uncover clues related to metal-on-metal hip implants

2011-12-23
A new study, bringing together an interdisciplinary team of physicians and engineers from the United States and Germany, made a surprising finding about implants used in hip replacement surgery: Graphite carbon is a key element in the lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant has more in common with the lubrication of a combustion engine than that of a natural joint. The study was funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health. Made possible by an ...

Carlsbad Mayor, CDOD: Positive News About WIPP 2012 Budget

2011-12-23
Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation have shown their strong support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's safety record and operational success by fighting to keep the Department of Energy facility sufficiently funded. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, is the Department of Energy's underground repository for defense-generated, transuranic (TRU) waste. Since WIPP opened in 1999, more than 10,000 shipments of TRU waste have been permanently disposed of in salt beds 2,150 feet below the surface. WIPP is located about 26 miles outside of Carlsbad, New ...

'Nanoantennas' show promise in optical innovations

2011-12-23
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Researchers have shown how arrays of tiny "plasmonic nanoantennas" are able to precisely manipulate light in new ways that could make possible a range of optical innovations such as more powerful microscopes, telecommunications and computers. The researchers at Purdue University used the nanoantennas to abruptly change a property of light called its phase. Light is transmitted as waves analogous to waves of water, which have high and low points. The phase defines these high and low points of light. "By abruptly changing the phase we ...

New Dabota Chairs and Skidmore Chairs From Rattanland

New Dabota Chairs and Skidmore Chairs From Rattanland
2011-12-23
RattanLand, a Company specializing in the import and export of home furniture, has new products to offer to its customers worldwide - Dabota Chairs and Skidmore Chairs. New Skidmore and Dabota Chairs The Company is proud to announce two new products that have been added to its already impressive product range - Skid and Dabota chairs. Skidmore chairs are classic looking chairs that come with a simple design. There are no armrests, and the chairs sit on four legs each. These chairs are ideal for the outdoor garden or porch. Dabota chairs also come in a simple ...

Blood progenitor cells receive signals from niche cells and the daughter blood cells they create

2011-12-23
Maintaining balance is crucial. In Drosophila, the common fruit fly, the creation and maintenance of the blood supply requires such balance. UCLA stem cell scientists have now uncovered that two-way signaling from two different sets of cells is necessary for that balance, both to ensure enough blood cells are made to respond to injury and infection and that the blood progenitor cell population remains available for future needs. The stem cell-like blood progenitor cells – which contribute to the cells of the adult fruit fly's blood supply – receive signals from cells ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

Mission accomplished for the “T2T” Hong Kong Bauhinia Genome Project

[Press-News.org] Gene fusion in lung cancer afflicting never-smokers may be target for therapy