Project description:In this study, we characterize the fusion protein produced by the EPC1-PHF1 translocation in Low Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma (LG-ESS) and Ossifying FibroMyxoid Tumors (OFMT). We express the fusion protein and necessary controls in K562 Cells. The fusion protein assembles a mega-complex harboring both NuA4/TIP60 and PRC2 subunits and enzymatic activities and leads to mislocalization of chromatin marks in the genome, linked to aberrant gene expression.
Project description:In this study, we characterize the fusion protein produced by the EPC1-PHF1 translocation in Low Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma (LG-ESS) and Ossifying FibroMyxoid Tumors (OFMT). We express the fusion protein and necessary controls in K562 Cells. The fusion protein assembles a mega-complex harboring both NuA4/TIP60 and PRC2 subunits and enzymatic activities and leads to mislocalization of chromatin marks in the genome, linked to aberrant gene expression.
Project description:Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common female genital malignancy and the fourth most common cancer in women in the developing world1. EC has been traditionally classified into two main groups with different clinical, pathological and molecular features2,3. Type I or endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EECs) account for about 75% of the cases and are typically estrogen-related and low-grade tumors with good prognosis that coexist or are preceded by endometrial hyperplasia, mainly diagnosed in perimenopausal women. In contrast, type II or non-endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (NEECs) are high-grade aggressive tumors associated with endometrial atrophy and poor prognosis, unrelated to estrogen and diagnosed in older women. These comprise several histological subtypes, being the most common the serous carcinomas (SEC)4. In recent years numerous large-scale studies of primary endometrioid and serous tumors have been performed5, revealing new mutated genes and establishing a new molecular subclassification based on the results obtained by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) consortium6, which implies different clinical outcomes. More recently, the genomic evolution of EC has been analyzed through a comparative study of samples from endometrial atypical hyperplasia, primary tumors and paired metastases7, revealing the presence of intratumor heterogeneity as previously described in primary EC and other tumor types8,9. However an in-depth study considering multiple regions from primary tumor and paired metastases has not been performed up to now to our knowledge. Here we analyze by whole-exome sequencing (WES), massive parallel targeted sequencing and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) the clonal evolution and intratumor heterogeneity of 7 endometrioid and 3 serous metastatic endometrial carcinomas. Different locations from the primary tumor as well as from their paired metastases were included in the study, allowing the reconstruction of the spatial and temporal phylogenetic evolution of the tumor. Different phylogenetic evolution patterns were identified, independently of the classical histological or molecular classification of the tumor, although similar patterns were found in ovarian metastasis and recurrent disease.
Project description:In this study, we characterize the fusion protein produced by the EPC1-PHF1 translocation in Low Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma (LG-ESS) and Ossifying FibroMyxoid Tumors (OFMT). We express the fusion protein and necessary controls in K562 Cells. The fusion protein assembles a mega-complex harboring both NuA4/TIP60 and PRC2 subunits and enzymatic activities and leads to mislocalization of chromatin marks in the genome, linked to aberrant gene expression.
Project description:Kynureninase is a member of a large family of catalytically diverse but structurally homologous pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes known as the aspartate aminotransferase superfamily or alpha-family. The Homo sapiens and other eukaryotic constitutive kynureninases preferentially catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine to produce 3-hydroxyanthranilate and l-alanine, while l-kynurenine is the substrate of many prokaryotic inducible kynureninases. The human enzyme was cloned with an N-terminal hexahistidine tag, expressed, and purified from a bacterial expression system using Ni metal ion affinity chromatography. Kinetic characterization of the recombinant enzyme reveals classic Michaelis-Menten behavior, with a Km of 28.3 +/- 1.9 microM and a specific activity of 1.75 micromol min-1 mg-1 for 3-hydroxy-dl-kynurenine. Crystals of recombinant kynureninase that diffracted to 2.0 A were obtained, and the atomic structure of the PLP-bound holoenzyme was determined by molecular replacement using the Pseudomonas fluorescens kynureninase structure (PDB entry 1qz9) as the phasing model. A structural superposition with the P. fluorescens kynureninase revealed that these two structures resemble the "open" and "closed" conformations of aspartate aminotransferase. The comparison illustrates the dynamic nature of these proteins' small domains and reveals a role for Arg-434 similar to its role in other AAT alpha-family members. Docking of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine into the human kynureninase active site suggests that Asn-333 and His-102 are involved in substrate binding and molecular discrimination between inducible and constitutive kynureninase substrates.
Project description:The distinction between primary and secondary ovarian tumors may be challenging for pathologists. We performed transcriptomic analysis in order to discriminate between primary ovarian tumors and ovarian metastases after primary breast cancer. We performed genomic analysis on tumor paired samples (breast/ovary) in order to know if genomic profiles could help for the discrimination of primary ovarian tumors and ovarian metastases after primary breast cancer.