Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy.

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding.

The amplified cancer gene LAPTM4B promotes tumor growth and tolerance to stress through the induction of autophagy.

Autophagy is a fundamental salvage pathway that encapsulates damaged cellular components and delivers them to the lysosome for degradation and recycling. This pathway usually conducts a protective cellular response to nutrient deprivation and various stresses. Tumor cells live with metabolic stress and use autophagy for their survival during tumor progression and metastasis.

Lysosomal transmembrane protein LAPTM4B promotes autophagy and tolerance to metabolic stress in cancer cells.

Amplification of chromosome 8q22, which includes the gene for lysosomal associated transmembrane protein LAPTM4B, has been linked to de novo anthracycline resistance in primary breast cancers with poor prognosis. LAPTM4B overexpression can induce cytosolic retention of anthracyclines and decrease drug-induced DNA damage. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that LAPTM4B may contribute to tumor cell growth or survival in the absence of a chemotherapeutic exposure.

Amplification of LAPTM4B and YWHAZ contributes to chemotherapy resistance and recurrence of breast cancer.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer after surgery has effectively lowered metastatic recurrence rates. However, a considerable proportion of women suffer recurrent cancer at distant metastatic sites despite adjuvant treatment. Identification of the genes crucial for tumor response to specific chemotherapy drugs is a challenge but is necessary to improve outcomes.

Allorecognition of an HLA-A*01 aberrant allele by an HLA identical family member carrying the HLA-A*0101 allele.

We identified and characterized an HLA-A1 aberrant allele (A*0118N) resulting from a novel molecular mechanism; this allele was present in an unusually informative family with a near identical parental HLA haplotype (c d) differing only by one nucleotide substitution in one HLA-A allele, A*0118N, of the maternal HLA haplotype (c) and not of the paternal HLA haplotype (a). Although serologic HLA typing showed a "blank," DNA molecular HLA typing detected a HLA-A*0118N allele. Sequence based typing identified the substitution of guanine by cytosine at the nucleotide position 215, which resulted in the replacement of arginine by proline at position 48 of the HLA-A1 H chain.

Genome-wide analysis for loss of heterozygosity in primary and recurrent phyllodes tumor and fibroadenoma of breast using single nucleotide polymorphism arrays.

Phyllodes tumors of the breast are biphasic stromal and epithelial tumors histologically similar to benign fibroadenomas, but with a neoplastic stromal component. In contrast to fibroadenoma, phyllodes tumors can recur and be locally aggressive or be malignant. This study uses SNP array analysis to present a genome-wide map of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in a cohort of phyllodes tumors and fibroadenomas.