The biology behind combining poly [ADP ribose] polymerase and androgen receptor inhibition for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

For about a decade, poly [ADP ribose] polymerases (PARP) inhibitors have been used almost exclusively to treat tumours that are deficient in one of the BRCA genes. In advanced prostate cancer, which is largely driven by the activity of the androgen receptor (AR), accumulating preclinical evidence has suggested an interplay between the AR and PARP, which could be therapeutically exploited independently of defects in the tumour's DNA homologous recombination repair (HRR) machinery. This includes the regulation of HRR genes by the AR, a mutual influence between the activities of PARP and the AR, and the co-localisation of BRCA2 to the retinoblastoma gene in the human genome.

Efficacy and safety of avelumab treatment in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma: experience from a global expanded access program.

Background: Avelumab, a human anti-programmed death-ligand 1 immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody, showed favorable efficacy and safety in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC) in the phase II JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial, leading to approval in multiple countries. We describe real-world experience with avelumab in patients with mMCC from an expanded access program.

Methods: Eligible patients had mMCC and progressive disease during or after chemotherapy or were ineligible for chemotherapy or clinical trial participation.

Management of crizotinib therapy for ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung carcinoma: an expert consensus.

Within 4 years of the discovery of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the ALK inhibitor crizotinib gained US and European approval for the treatment of advanced ALK-positive NSCLC. This was due to the striking response data observed with crizotinib in phase I and II trials in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC, as well as the favorable tolerability and safety profile observed. Recently published phase III data established crizotinib as a new standard of care for this NSCLC molecular subset.

Different motifs regulate trafficking of SorCS1 isoforms.

The type I transmembrane protein SorCS1 is a member of the Vps10p-domain receptor family comprised of Sortilin, SorLA and SorCS1, -2 and -3. Current information indicates that Sortilin and SorLA mediate intracellular protein trafficking and sorting, but little is known about the cellular functions of the SorCS subgroup. SorCS1 binds platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and is expressed in isoforms differing only in their cytoplasmic domains.

Arc/Arg3.1 is essential for the consolidation of synaptic plasticity and memories.

Arc/Arg3.1 is robustly induced by plasticity-producing stimulation and specifically targeted to stimulated synaptic areas. To investigate the role of Arc/Arg3.

The N-terminus of the serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase Sgk1 specifies mitochondrial localization and rapid turnover.

The serine/threonine protein kinase Sgk1 (serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1) is characterized by a short half-life and has been implicated in the control of a large variety of functions in different subcellular compartments and tissues. Here, we analysed the influence of the N-terminus of Sgk1 on protein turnover and subcellular localization. Using green fluorescent protein-tagged Sgk1 deletion variants, we identified amino acids 17-32 to function as an anchor for the OMM (outer mitochondrial membrane).

EBAG9 adds a new layer of control on large dense-core vesicle exocytosis via interaction with Snapin.

Regulated exocytosis is subject to several modulatory steps that include phosphorylation events and transient protein-protein interactions. The estrogen receptor-binding fragment-associated gene9 (EBAG9) gene product was recently identified as a modulator of tumor-associated O-linked glycan expression in nonneuronal cells; however, this molecule is expressed physiologically in essentially all mammalian tissues. Particular interest has developed toward this molecule because in some human tumor entities high expression levels correlated with clinical prognosis.

The Golgi protein RCAS1 controls cell surface expression of tumor-associated O-linked glycan antigens.

Tumor immunology has received a large impetus from the identification of tumor-associated antigens. Among them, a monoclonal antibody, 22.1.

5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine-induced expression of functional cancer testis antigens in human renal cell carcinoma: immunotherapeutic implications.

Purpose: Limited therapeutic options are presently available for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study was designed to define the clinical potential of the DNA hypomethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA-CdR) in human RCC, through its control of the expression of "therapeutic targets" of the cancer testis antigen (CTA) family, and of the tumor-associated antigen RAGE-1, in RCC cells.

Experimental Design: Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assays of a panel of RCC cells treated with 5-AZA-CdR, investigated the induction of the expression of several CTAs and of RAGE-1.