Sensitivity to the MEK inhibitor E6201 in melanoma cells is associated with mutant BRAF and wildtype PTEN status.

Background: Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer, but recent advances in molecularly targeted agents against the Ras/Raf/MAPK pathway demonstrate promise as effective therapies. Despite these advances, resistance remains an issue, as illustrated recently by the clinical experience with vemurafenib. Such acquired resistance appears to be the result of parallel pathway activation, such as PI3K, to overcome single-agent inhibition.

FGFR2 point mutations in 466 endometrioid endometrial tumors: relationship with MSI, KRAS, PIK3CA, CTNNB1 mutations and clinicopathological features.

Mutations in multiple oncogenes including KRAS, CTNNB1, PIK3CA and FGFR2 have been identified in endometrial cancer. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the clinicopathological features associated with patterns of mutation in these genes, a necessary step in planning targeted therapies for endometrial cancer. 466 endometrioid endometrial tumors were tested for mutations in FGFR2, KRAS, CTNNB1, and PIK3CA.

FGFR2 mutations are rare across histologic subtypes of ovarian cancer.

Objective: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancies in the Western world. Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling has been implicated to play a role in ovarian tumorigenesis. Mutational activation of one member of this receptor family, FGFR2, is a frequent event in endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Loss-of-function fibroblast growth factor receptor-2 mutations in melanoma.

We report that 10% of melanoma tumors and cell lines harbor mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) gene. These novel mutations include three truncating mutations and 20 missense mutations occurring at evolutionary conserved residues in FGFR2 as well as among all four FGFRs. The mutation spectrum is characteristic of those induced by UV radiation.

Inhibition of activated fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 in endometrial cancer cells induces cell death despite PTEN abrogation.

KRAS activation and PTEN inactivation are frequent events in endometrial tumorigenesis, occurring in 10% to 30% and 26% to 80% of endometrial cancers, respectively. Because we have recently shown activating mutations in fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) in 16% of endometrioid endometrial cancers, we sought to determine the genetic context in which FGFR2 mutations occur. Analysis of 116 primary endometrioid endometrial cancers revealed that FGFR2 and KRAS mutations were mutually exclusive, whereas FGFR2 mutations were seen concomitantly with PTEN mutations.

Plant based HIV-1 vaccine candidate: Tat protein produced in spinach.

The HIV-1 Tat protein has been recently explored as a prospective vaccine candidate with broad, subtype non-specific action. We approached the problem of delivery of Tat through the mucosal route by expressing Tat in an edible plant. The tat gene was assembled from synthetic overlapping oligonucleotides, and was subsequently cloned into a plant virus-based vector tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).