Publications by authors named "I Stamenkovic"

EWS fusion oncoproteins underlie several human malignancies including Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor (DSRCT), an aggressive cancer driven by EWS-WT1 fusion proteins. Here we combine chromatin occupancy and 3D profiles to identify EWS-WT1-dependent gene regulation networks and target genes. We show that EWS-WT1 is a powerful chromatin activator controlling an oncogenic gene expression program that characterizes primary tumors.

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The development of targeted therapies offers new hope for patients affected by incurable cancer. However, multiple challenges persist, notably in controlling tumor cell plasticity in patients with refractory and metastatic illness. Neuroblastoma (NB) is an aggressive pediatric malignancy originating from defective differentiation of neural crest-derived progenitors with oncogenic activity due to genetic and epigenetic alterations and remains a clinical challenge for high-risk patients.

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CIC-DUX4-rearranged sarcoma (CDS) is a rare and aggressive soft tissue tumor that occurs most frequently in young adults. The key oncogenic driver of this disease is the expression of the CIC-DUX4 fusion protein as a result of chromosomal rearrangements. CIC-DUX4 displays chromatin binding properties, and is therefore believed to function as an aberrant transcription factor.

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Article Synopsis
  • Scientists studied how cells change during early development and wanted to see if similar changes happen in cancer cells, specifically in a type of pediatric cancer called Ewing sarcoma.
  • They found that a protein called EWS-FLI1 creates special connections in the cell’s DNA that help the cancer cells grow.
  • When they took away EWS-FLI1, the DNA connections changed back to a more normal state, which might allow the cells to behave more like healthy stem cells.
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