ERBB2-mediated transcriptional up-regulation of the alpha5beta1 integrin fibronectin receptor promotes tumor cell survival under adverse conditions.

Oncogenic activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase ERBB2 is a key event in the development of a number of epithelial malignancies. In these tumors, high levels of ERBB2 are strongly associated with metastatic disease and poor prognosis. Paradoxically, an inherent cellular response to hypermitogenic signaling by ERBB2 and other oncogenes seems to be growth arrest, rather than proliferation.

Frequent nonrandom activation of germ-line genes in human cancer.

The growing class of cancer/germ-line genes is characterized by a unique expression pattern with transcription restricted to germ cells and cancer cells. It is not known which fraction of germ-line genes is ectopically activated in tumor cells and whether this fraction displays common features as compared with strictly germ-line genes remaining silent in cancer. Using an unbiased genome-wide scanning approach, representative samples of both cancer/germ-line genes as well as strictly germ-line-specific genes were determined.

Multiple splice variants of lactate dehydrogenase C selectively expressed in human cancer.

We applied a combined data mining and experimental validation Approach for the discovery of germ cell-specific genes aberrantly expressed in cancer. Six of 21 genes with confirmed germ cell specificity were detected in tumors, indicating that ectopic activation of testis-specific genes in cancer is a frequent phenomenon. Most surprisingly one of the genes represented lactate dehydrogenase C (LDHC), the germ cell-specific member of the lactate dehydrogenase family.

A novel tumour associated leucine zipper protein targeting to sites of gene transcription and splicing.

We describe here the definition and characterization of antigen CT-8/HOM-TES-85 encoded by a previously unknown gene and identified by serological expression screening using antibodies from a seminoma patient. Intriguingly, the leucine zipper region of CT-8/HOM-TES-85 shows an atypical amphipathy with clusters of hydrophobic residues that is exclusively shared by the N-myc proto-oncogene. CT-8/HOM-TES-85 gene is tightly silenced in normal tissues except for testis.