Lethal giant larvae gene family ( and ) functions as a tumor suppressor in mouse skin epidermis.

Loss of cell polarity and tissue disorganization occurs in majority of epithelial cancers. Studies in simple model organisms identified molecular mechanisms responsible for the establishment and maintenance of cellular polarity, which play a pivotal role in establishing proper tissue architecture. The exact role of these cell polarity pathways in mammalian cancer is not completely understood.

Replication-incompetent gammaretroviral and lentiviral vector-based insertional mutagenesis screens identify prostate cancer progression genes.

Replication-incompetent gammaretroviral (γRV) and lentiviral (LV) vectors have both been used in insertional mutagenesis screens to identify cancer drivers. In this approach the vectors stably integrate in the host cell genome and induce cancers by dysregulating nearby genes. The cells that contain a retroviral vector provirus in or near a proto-oncogene or tumor suppressor are preferentially enriched in a tumor.

Identifying Cancer Driver Genes Using Replication-Incompetent Retroviral Vectors.

Identifying novel genes that drive tumor metastasis and drug resistance has significant potential to improve patient outcomes. High-throughput sequencing approaches have identified cancer genes, but distinguishing driver genes from passengers remains challenging. Insertional mutagenesis screens using replication-incompetent retroviral vectors have emerged as a powerful tool to identify cancer genes.

A novel gammaretroviral shuttle vector insertional mutagenesis screen identifies SHARPIN as a breast cancer metastasis gene and prognostic biomarker.

Breast cancer (BC) is the second leading cause of malignancy among U.S. women.