Project description:PRAME is a CUL2 ubiquitin ligase subunit that is normally expressed in the testis but becomes aberrantly overexpressed in many cancer types in association with aneuploidy and metastasis. Here, we show that PRAME is expressed predominantly in spermatogonia around the time of meiotic crossing-over in coordination with genes mediating DNA double strand break repair. Expression of PRAME in somatic cells upregulates pathways involved in meiosis, chromosome segregation and DNA repair, and it leads to increased DNA double strand breaks, telomere dysfunction and aneuploidy in neoplastic and non-neoplastic cells. This effect is mediated at least in part by ubiquitination of SMC1A and altered cohesin function. PRAME expression renders cells susceptible to inhibition of PARP1/2, suggesting increased dependence on alternative base excision repair pathways. These findings reveal a distinct oncogenic function of PRAME than can be targeted therapeutically in cancer.
Project description:Karyotyping by SNP array of primary uveal melanoma samples, uveal melanoma cell lines and normal controls The Human660WQuad v1.0 DNA Analysis Bead Chip and kit were used for high resolution molecular karyotyping of DNA isolated from snap-frozen primary uveal melanoma tissue isolated from enucleated eyes.
Project description:Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of primary uveal melanoma cells, normal uveal melanocytes, neural crest stem cells, embryonic stem cells and uveal melanoma cell lines. The Illumina Infinium 27k Human DNA methylation Beadchip Rev B was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 27,000 CpGs in the samples. Samples included 58 primary UM, 3 NUM and NCSC controls and 2 cell lines. Bisulphite converted DNA from the 63 samples were hybridised to the Illumina Infinium 27k Human Methylation Beadchip Rev B
Project description:Despite advances in surgery and radiotherapy of uveal melanoma (UM), many patients develop distant metastases that poorly respond to therapy. Improved therapies for the metastatic disease are therefore urgently needed. Expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a target of kinase inhibitors and humanized antibodies in use for several cancers, had been reported. 48 human UMs were analyzed by expression profiling. Evidence for signaling in tumors was obtained through the application of a UM-specific EGF signature. The EGFR specific kinase inhibitor, Gefitinib, and the humanized monoclonal antibody, Cetuximab, were tested for their effect on EGFR signaling. Natural killer cell mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and TNF-alpha release was analyzed for Cetuximab. EGFR appears suited as a novel molecular drug target for therapy of uveal melanoma. Gene expression profiles of 19 unique samples from uveal melanoma patients were measured.
Project description:G protein alpha q and 11 are mutated in 80% of uveal melanoma. We observed that treatment with the BRD4 inhibitor JQ1 resulted in different phenotypic responses in G-protein mutant uveal melanoma cell lines and wild type uveal melanoma cell lines. We used microarrarys to profile the gene expression changes occuring in wild type and mutant cell lines in response to treament with JQ1 Uveal melanoma cells were profiled in triplicate on Affymetrix Human Genome U133A 2.0 Array arrays per manufacturer's instructions
Project description:Gene expression in primary uveal melanoma cells and normal cell controls The HumanHT-12 v3 gene expression microarray (Illumina) was used to analyze RNA isolated from snap-frozen primary uveal melanoma tissue isolated from enucleated eyes and from normal cell controls.
