Publications by authors named "Sven Schwemmers"

Objectives: NTRK fusions result in constitutively active oncogenic TRK proteins responsible for ∼ 0.2 % of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases. Approximately 40 % of patients with advanced NSCLC develop CNS metastases; therefore, treatments with intracranial (IC) efficacy are needed.

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Activity of the transcription factor NFE2 is elevated in the majority of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), either by overexpression of the wild-type alleles or by the presence of an activating mutation. In murine models, enhanced NFE2 activity causes an MPN phenotype with spontaneous transformation to acute leukemia. However, little is known about the downstream target genes activated by augmented NFE2 levels.

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The adaptor protein linker activator of T-cells 2 (LAT2) is a known AML1/ETO target gene whose function during normal hematopoiesis is unknown. We addressed the role of LAT2 during erythroid and myeloid differentiation of normal human CD34+ hematopoietic cells. LAT2 is expressed at low levels in CD34+ cells and upregulated during cytokine-induced myeloid and erythroid differentiation.

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The molecular etiology of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) remains incompletely understood, despite recent advances incurred through the discovery of several different mutations in MPN patients. We have recently described overexpression of the transcription factor NF-E2 in MPN patients and shown that elevated NF-E2 levels in vivo cause an MPN phenotype and predispose to leukemic transformation in transgenic mice. We report the presence of acquired insertion and deletion mutations in the NF-E2 gene in MPN patients.

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The transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid-2 is over-expressed in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms irrespective of the presence of the JAK2(V617F) mutation. Our transgenic mouse model over-expressing nuclear factor erythroid-2, which recapitulates many features of myeloproliferative neoplasms including transformation to acute myeloid leukemia, clearly implicates this transcription factor in the pathophysiology of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Because the targets mediating nuclear factor erythroid-2 effects are not well characterized, we conducted microarray analysis of CD34(+) cells lentivirally transduced to over-express nuclear factor erythroid-2 or to silence this transcription factor via shRNA, in order to identify novel target genes.

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Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members are critical for the regulation of haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) survival. Little is known about the role of their pro-apoptotic antagonists, i.e.

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The carbon monoxide releasing molecule tricarbonyldichlororuthenium (CORM-2) displays protective actions like carbon monoxide. The molecular mechanism underlying this effect remains controversial. We hypothesized that CORM-2 mediates cytoprotection via induction of heat shock proteins through activation of p38 mitogen-activated kinase.

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The transcription factor NF-E2 is overexpressed in the majority of patients with polycythemia vera (PV). Concomitantly, 95% of these patients carry the JAK2(V617F) mutation. Although NF-E2 levels correlate with JAK2(V671F) allele burden in some PV cohorts, the molecular mechanism causing aberrant NF-E2 expression has not been described.

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Objective: Presence of the JAK2V617F mutation in only 40% to 60% of patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) underscores the heterogeneity of this myeloproliferative disorder (MPD). Several distinct mutations, either in JAK2 (exon 12) or in c-Mpl (W515L) have been described in subsets of other MPDs, polycythemia vera, and idiopathic myelofibrosis. Analogous to JAK2,V617F these mutations cause constitutive JAK2 and signal transducer and activation of transcription (STAT) activation.

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