Publications by authors named "Perla Pucci"

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), HAR1A is emerging as a putative tumour suppressor. In non-neoplastic brain cells, REST suppresses HAR1A expression. In gliomas REST acts as an oncogene and is a potential therapeutic target.

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Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial childhood cancer, caused by the improper differentiation of developing trunk neural crest cells (tNCC) in the sympathetic nervous system. The N-methyladenosine (mA) epitranscriptomic modification controls post-transcriptional gene expression but the mechanism by which the mA methyltransferase complex METTL3/METTL14/WTAP is recruited to specific loci remains to be fully characterized. We explored whether the mA epitranscriptome could fine-tune gene regulation in migrating/differentiating tNCC.

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Targeting Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a promising therapeutic strategy for aberrant ALK-expressing malignancies including neuroblastoma, but resistance to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK TKI) is a distinct possibility necessitating drug combination therapeutic approaches. Using high-throughput, genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens, we identify miR-1304-5p loss as a desensitizer to ALK TKIs in aberrant ALK-expressing neuroblastoma; inhibition of miR-1304-5p decreases, while mimics of this miRNA increase the sensitivity of neuroblastoma cells to ALK TKIs. We show that miR-1304-5p targets NRAS, decreasing cell viability via induction of apoptosis.

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Aim: Neuroblastoma is a heterogeneous childhood cancer derived from the neural crest. The dual cell identities of neuroblastoma include Mesenchymal (MES) and Adrenergic (ADRN). These identities are conferred by a small set of tightly-regulated transcription factors (TFs) binding super enhancers, collectively forming core regulatory circuitries (CRCs).

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Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a T-cell malignancy driven in many cases by the product of a chromosomal translocation, nucleophosmin-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (NPM-ALK). NPM-ALK activates a plethora of pathways that drive the hallmarks of cancer, largely signalling pathways normally associated with cytokine and/or T-cell receptor-induced signalling. However, NPM-ALK is also located in the nucleus and its functions in this cellular compartment for the most part remain to be determined.

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Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a wide range of functions in health and disease, but many remain uncharacterized because of their complex expression patterns and structures. The genetic loci encoding lncRNAs can be subject to accelerated evolutionary changes within the human lineage.  is a region that has a significantly altered sequence compared to other primates and is a component of two overlapping lncRNA loci, and .

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MYC is a target of the Wnt signalling pathway and governs numerous cellular and developmental programmes hijacked in cancers. The amplification of MYC is a frequently occurring genetic alteration in cancer genomes, and this transcription factor is implicated in metabolic reprogramming, cell death, and angiogenesis in cancers. In this review, we analyse MYC gene networks in solid cancers.

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Cancer stem cells (CSCs) possess properties such as self-renewal, resistance to apoptotic cues, quiescence, and DNA-damage repair capacity. Moreover, CSCs strongly influence the tumour microenvironment (TME) and may account for cancer progression, recurrence, and relapse. CSCs represent a distinct subpopulation in tumours and the detection, characterisation, and understanding of the regulatory landscape and cellular processes that govern their maintenance may pave the way to improving prognosis, selective targeted therapy, and therapy outcomes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Metastatic neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is an aggressive form of cancer with increasing incidence, and the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in its development is not well understood.
  • Researchers identified conserved lncRNAs involved in NEPC by analyzing patient-derived models, finding LINC00261 significantly upregulated in NEPC cases.
  • LINC00261 enhances cancer growth and spread by affecting other genes (CBX2 and FOXA2) through two different mechanisms, making it a potential target for new treatments and a marker for diagnosis.
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Article Synopsis
  • Soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP) shows potential as a biomarker for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), but its accuracy is influenced by various confounding factors that need to be identified for better diagnostic performance.
  • This study focused on a 1,000 base pair region of the gene's minimal promoter to find expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) that impact SMRP levels, examining four promoter variants in a group of 72 MPM and 677 non-MPM individuals.
  • The findings reveal that the rs2235503 variant acts as an eQTL linked to higher SMRP levels in non-MPM subjects, suggesting that genetic background is crucial for improving the specificity of SM
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Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is an incurable malignancy. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play key roles in drug resistance. LncRNA role in cabazitaxel resistance (i.

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Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the treatment of choice for metastatic prostate cancer (PCa). After an initial response to ADT, PCa cells can generate castration resistant (CRPC) or neuroendocrine (NEPC) malignancies, which are incurable. T-type calcium channels (TTCCs) are emerging as promising therapeutic targets for several cancers, but their role in PCa progression has never been investigated.

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Current cancer therapies are often associated with treatment failure and reduced patients' survival due to drug resistance. There are various mechanisms involved in the acquisition of cancer drug resistance, including the selection of advantageous mutations, overexpression of transporter proteins and epigenetic alterations. In this context, epigenetic alterations refer to chromatin-mediated regulation of gene expression that results in heritable changes in the cellular phenotype.

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Prostate cancer (PCa) is driven by the androgen receptor (AR)-signaling axis. Hormonal therapy often mitigates PCa progression, but a notable number of cases progress to castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). CRPC retains AR activity and is incurable.

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Taxanes are chemotherapeutic drugs employed in the clinic to treat a variety of malignancies. Despite their overall efficacy, cancer cells often display resistance to taxanes. Therefore, new strategies to increase the effectiveness of taxane-based chemotherapeutics are urgently needed.

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Background: Soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP) is a promising diagnostic biomarker for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), but various confounders hinder its usefulness in surveillance programmes. We previously showed that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of the () gene could affect the levels of SMRP.

Objectives: To focus on SNPs located within promoter as possible critical genetic variables in determining SMRP levels.

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