Large genomic rearrangement in BRCA1 and BRCA2 and clinical characteristics of men with breast cancer in the United States.

Purpose: Male breast cancer has been linked extensively to mutations of BRCA2 and, to a lesser extent, BRCA1. The aim of this study was to perform a comprehensive analysis of point mutations and genomic rearrangements in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in 41 men with breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: Deleterious point mutations were identified in 15 men (37%): 4 (10%) and 11 (27%) in BRCA1 and BRCA2, respectively.

Human leukocyte antigen-A2-restricted CTL responses to mutated BRAF peptides in melanoma patients.

Mutated BRAF (BRAF(V600E)) is a potential immunotherapeutic target for melanoma because of its tumor specificity and expression in the majority of these lesions derived from different patients. BRAF(V600E) is expressed intracellularly and not on the cell surface, therefore providing a target for T cells but not B cells. Demonstration of patients' T cell responses to BRAF(V600E) would suggest the feasibility of active specific immunotherapy targeting the mutation in these patients.

Constitutive mitogen-activated protein kinase activation in melanoma is mediated by both BRAF mutations and autocrine growth factor stimulation.

Dysregulated activation of Ras or its downstream effectors such as mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase and ERK has been shown to play a critical role in tumorigenesis of many cancer types. However, in melanoma, activating mutations in Ras are rarely observed and are limited to N-Ras in UV-exposed cells. In this study, we identify constitutively activated ERK in almost all melanoma cell lines and in tumor tissues tested, which is in contrast to normal melanocytes and several early stage radial growth phase melanoma lines where ERK can be activated by serum or growth factors.

BRAF and RAS mutations in human lung cancer and melanoma.

BRAF encodes a RAS-regulated kinase that mediates cell growth and malignant transformation kinase pathway activation. Recently, we have identified activating BRAF mutations in 66% of melanomas and a smaller percentage of many other human cancers. To determine whether BRAF mutations account for the MAP kinase pathway activation common in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) and to extend the initial findings in melanoma, we screened DNA from 179 NSCLCs and 35 melanomas for BRAF mutations (exons 11 and 15).