Inhibition of mitochondrial translocase SLC25A5 and histone deacetylation is an effective combination therapy in neuroblastoma.

The mitochondrion is a gatekeeper of apoptotic processes, and mediates drug resistance to several chemotherapy agents used to treat cancer. Neuroblastoma is a common solid cancer in young children with poor clinical outcomes following conventional chemotherapy. We sought druggable mitochondrial protein targets in neuroblastoma cells.

Heterozygous loss of keratinocyte TRIM16 expression increases melanocytic cell lesions and lymph node metastasis.

Purpose: The tripartite motif (TRIM)16 acts as a tumour suppressor in both squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma. TRIM16 is known to be secreted by keratinocytes, but no studies have been reported yet to assess the relationship between TRIM16 keratinocyte expression and melanoma development.

Methods: To study the role of TRIM16 in skin cancer development, we developed a keratinocyte TRIM16-specific knockout mouse model, and used the classical two-stage skin carcinogenesis challenge method, to assess the loss of keratinocyte TRIM16 on both papilloma, SCC and melanoma development in the skin after topical carcinogen treatment.

A novel compound which sensitizes BRAF wild-type melanoma cells to vemurafenib in a TRIM16-dependent manner.

There is an urgent need for better therapeutic options for advanced melanoma patients, particularly those without the BRAFV600E/K mutation. In melanoma cells, loss of TRIM16 expression is a marker of cell migration and metastasis, while the BRAF inhibitor, vemurafenib, induces melanoma cell growth arrest in a TRIM16-dependent manner. Here we identify a novel small molecule compound which sensitized BRAF wild-type melanoma cells to vemurafenib.

Synthesis, Characterization and Anti-Cancer Activity of Hydrazide Derivatives Incorporating a Quinoline Moiety.

Identification of the novel (E)-N'-((2-chloro-7-methoxyquinolin-3-yl)methylene)-3-(phenylthio)propanehydrazide scaffold 18 has led to the development of a new series of biologically active hydrazide compounds. The parent compound 18 and new quinoline derivatives 19-26 were prepared from the corresponding quinoline hydrazones and substituted carboxylic acids using EDC-mediated peptide coupling reactions. Further modification of the parent compound 18 was achieved by replacement of the quinoline moiety with other aromatic systems.

Glutathione biosynthesis is upregulated at the initiation of MYCN-driven neuroblastoma tumorigenesis.

The MYCN gene is amplified and overexpressed in a large proportion of high stage neuroblastoma patients and has been identified as a key driver of tumorigenesis. However, the mechanism by which MYCN promotes tumor initiation is poorly understood. Here we conducted metabolic profiling of pre-malignant sympathetic ganglia and tumors derived from the TH-MYCN mouse model of neuroblastoma, compared to non-malignant ganglia from wildtype littermates.

Therapeutic targeting of the MYC signal by inhibition of histone chaperone FACT in neuroblastoma.

Amplification of the MYCN oncogene predicts treatment resistance in childhood neuroblastoma. We used a MYC target gene signature that predicts poor neuroblastoma prognosis to identify the histone chaperone FACT (facilitates chromatin transcription) as a crucial mediator of the MYC signal and a therapeutic target in the disease. FACT and MYCN expression created a forward feedback loop in neuroblastoma cells that was essential for maintaining mutual high expression.

Thymosin-β4 is a determinant of drug sensitivity for Fenretinide and Vorinostat combination therapy in neuroblastoma.

Retinoids are an important component of neuroblastoma therapy at the stage of minimal residual disease, yet 40-50% of patients treated with 13-cis-retinoic acid (13-cis-RA) still relapse, indicating the need for more effective retinoid therapy. Vorinostat, or Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), is a potent inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC) classes I & II and has antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Fenretinide (4-HPR) is a synthetic retinoid which acts on cancer cells through both nuclear retinoid receptor and non-receptor mechanisms.

TRIM16 inhibits proliferation and migration through regulation of interferon beta 1 in melanoma cells.

High basal or induced expression of the tripartite motif protein, TRIM16, leads to reduce cell growth and migration of neuroblastoma and skin squamous cell carcinoma cells. However, the role of TRIM16 in melanoma is currently unknown. TRIM16 protein levels were markedly reduced in human melanoma cell lines, compared with normal human epidermal melanocytes due to both DNA methylation and reduced protein stability.

The retinoid signalling molecule, TRIM16, is repressed during squamous cell carcinoma skin carcinogenesis in vivo and reduces skin cancer cell migration in vitro.

Retinoid therapy is used for chemo-prevention in immuno-suppressed patients at high risk of developing skin cancer. The retinoid signalling molecule, tripartite motif protein 16 (TRIM16), is a regulator of keratinocyte differentiation and a tumour suppressor in retinoid-sensitive neuroblastoma. We sought to determine the role of TRIM16 in skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) pathogenesis.

Detection of growth hormone doping by gene expression profiling of peripheral blood.

Context: GH abuse is a significant problem in many sports, and there is currently no robust test that allows detection of doping beyond a short window after administration.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate gene expression profiling in peripheral blood leukocytes in-vivo as a test for GH doping in humans.

Design: Seven men and thirteen women were administered GH, 2 mg/d sc for 8 wk.