Tumor heterogeneity has been implicated in tumor growth and progression as well as resistance to therapy. We present an example of genetic heterogeneity in human malignant brain tumors in which multiple closely related driver genes are amplified and activated simultaneously in adjacent intermingled cells. We have observed up to three different receptor tyrosine kinases (EGFR, MET, PDGFRA) amplified in single tumors in different cells in a mutually exclusive fashion. Each subpopulation was actively dividing, and the genetic changes resulted in protein production, and coexisting subpopulations shared common early genetic mutations indicating their derivation from a single precursor cell. The stable coexistence of different clones within the same tumor will have important clinical implications for tumor resistance to targeted therapies.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ccr.2011.11.005 | DOI Listing |
Immunol Rev
December 2024
Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
αβT cells protect vertebrates against many diseases, optimizing surveillance using mechanical force to distinguish between pathophysiologic cellular alterations and normal self-constituents. The multi-subunit αβT-cell receptor (TCR) operates outside of thermal equilibrium, harvesting energy via physical forces generated by T-cell motility and actin-myosin machinery. When a peptide-bound major histocompatibility complex molecule (pMHC) on an antigen presenting cell is ligated, the αβTCR on the T cell leverages force to form a catch bond, prolonging bond lifetime, and enhancing antigen discrimination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndocr Relat Cancer
January 2025
C Alvarez, Centro de Investigación en Medicina Molecular y Enfermedades Crónicas (CIMUS), University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
The discovery of RET mutations in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 2A (MEN2A) in 1993 ignited a revolution in our understanding of this versatile receptor. Since then, RET's influence has expanded to encompass diverse organs, including the pituitary gland. This review explores the multifaceted role of RET in somatotrophs, focusing on two opposing pathways: proliferation versus differentiation and apoptosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
Determining mutations in the kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is critical for the effectiveness of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in lung cancer. Yet, DNA-based sequencing analysis of tumor samples is time-consuming and only provides gene mutation information on EGFR, making it challenging to design effective EGFR-TKI therapeutic strategies. Here, we present a new image-based method involving the rational design of a quenched probe based on EGFR-TKI to identify mutant proteins, which permits specific and "no-wash" real-time imaging of EGFR in living cells only upon covalent targeting of the EGFR kinase.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Invest
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, and.
Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is a condition in which hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) acquire mutations seen in leukemia. While individuals with CH generally do not show signs of hematologic disease, the condition becomes more common with age and correlates with age-related diseases, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD). JAK2 mutations in HSCs can lead to CH and correlate with atherosclerosis, but the condition has been difficult to study because of challenges modeling the mutant cells at very low frequency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutophagy
January 2025
Institute for Experimental Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Lysosomes are the major cellular organelles responsible for nutrient recycling and degradation of cellular material. Maintenance of lysosomal integrity is essential for cellular homeostasis and lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) sensitizes toward cell death. Damaged lysosomes are repaired or degraded via lysophagy, during which glycans, exposed on ruptured lysosomal membranes, are recognized by galectins leading to K48- and K63-linked poly-ubiquitination (poly-Ub) of lysosomal proteins followed by recruitment of the macroautophagic/autophagic machinery and degradation.
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