Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maxim Igaev, Helmut Grubmuller
Summary: This study uses atomistic simulations to investigate the bending and relaxation behavior of microtubule tips, revealing the dominance of viscoelastic dynamics. The posthydrolysis microtubule tip is unable to elongate due to higher activation energy barriers for straight lattice formation. This research provides an information-driven mechanism for the elastic energy conversion and release by microtubule tips.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julie Miesch, Robert T. Wimbish, Marie- Claire Velluz, Charlotte Aumeier
Summary: This study reveals that microtubule end-binding proteins CLIP-170 and EB3 undergo phase separation to form dense liquid networks, which can concentrate tubulin and regulate microtubule growth dynamics.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Yunfeng Hu, Qiu Xie, Xiang Wu, Weizhen Liu, DongFang Li, Chen Li, WangXing Zhao, LinLin Chen, Zihui Zheng, GuangMing Li, Jun Guo
Summary: Clip170 tension is closely associated with breast cancer invasion and migration. It can be regulated by alpha-tubulin detyrosination-induced MT disassembly and increased by Clip170 phosphorylation induced by RSK. Enhanced Clip170 tension promotes tumor cell invasion and metastasis and is correlated with the distribution variation of other proteins. Tension of Clip170 could be a potential drug target for breast cancer therapy.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Maria M. Haykal, Sylvie Rodrigues-Ferreira, Clara Nahmias
Summary: Breast cancer is the leading cause of death by malignancy among women worldwide, and there is a need to identify new companion biomarkers for personalized therapy. ATIP3 protein, significantly down-regulated in breast cancer, plays important roles in prognosis and response to taxane-based chemotherapy in breast tumors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yueh-Fu O. Wu, Annamarie T. Bryant, Nora T. Nelson, Alexander G. Madey, Gail F. Fernandes, Holly V. Goodson
Summary: The study examines the role of +TIPs in microtubule regulation and suggests that the +TIP network may form biomolecular condensates. This is supported by the observation of phase-separated liquid condensates induced by CLIP-170 in cells, which contain +TIP proteins and exhibit characteristics indicative of biomolecular condensates.
Article
Biology
Joshua M. Sopp, Shirley J. Peters, Tania F. Rowley, Robert J. Oldham, Sonya James, Ian Mockridge, Ruth R. French, Alison Turner, Stephen A. Beers, David P. Humphreys, Mark S. Cragg
Summary: The study describes a method that enhances hexamerisation of IgG by exploiting the tailpiece of naturally multimeric IgM, resulting in a newly designed antibody format for promoting hexamerisation and enhanced complement-dependent cytotoxicity when bound to the cell surface. This C575S-tailpiece technology represents an alternative format for promoting on-target hexamerisation and enhanced CDC, maintaining efficient in-vivo efficacy and augmented target cell killing in the lymph node.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Paola Marzullo, Zlata Boiarska, Helena Perez-Pena, Anne-Catherine Abel, Beatriz Alvarez-Bernad, Daniel Lucena-Agell, Francesca Vasile, Maurizio Sironi, Karl-Heinz Altmann, Andrea E. Prota, J. Fernando Diaz, Stefano Pieraccini, Daniele Passarella
Summary: Maytansinol is a valuable precursor for the preparation of maytansine derivatives, and a series of novel derivatives with modifications of the maytansine scaffold were successfully obtained through acylation reaction. Characterization of these molecules by docking studies, biochemical evaluation, and determination of crystal structures in complex with tubulin shed further light on the chemical behavior of maytansinoids and confirm their relevance in the scenario of tubulin binders.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Urko Del Castillo, Rosalind Norkett, Wen Lu, Anna Serpinskaya, Vladimir Gelfand
Summary: Ataxin-2 plays a crucial role in regulating neuronal cytoskeletal dynamics and organelle trafficking, as evidenced by fruit fly models, where its loss led to defects in nervous system development and survival.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Giuseppe Campiani, Tuhina Khan, Cristina Ulivieri, Leopoldo Staiano, Chiara Papulino, Stefania Magnano, Seema Nathwani, Anna Ramunno, Daniel Lucena-Agell, Nicola Relitti, Stefano Federico, Luca Pozzetti, Gabriele Carullo, Alice Casagni, Simone Brogi, Francesca Vanni, Paola Galatello, Magda Ghanim, Niamh McCabe, Stefania Lamponi, Massimo Valoti, Ola Ibrahim, Jeffrey O'Sullivan, Richard Turkington, Vincent P. Kelly, Ruben VanWemmel, J. Fernando Diaz, Sandra Gemma, Daniela Zisterer, Lucia Altucci, Antonella De Matteis, Stefania Butini, Rosaria Benedetti
Summary: Autophagy, a crucial mechanism for maintaining organismal homeostasis, has become a focus in cancer therapy. In this study, new multifunctional agents with both pro-apoptotic and autophagy-inhibiting effects were designed and their therapeutic potential was demonstrated through experiments.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Christian Paul Bold, Daniel Lucena-Agell, Maria Angela Oliva, Jose Fernando Diaz, Karl-Heinz Altmann
Summary: This study describes a new method for the total synthesis of the macrodiolide C(13)/C(13 ')-bis(desmethyl)disorazole Z, and demonstrates its binding to tubulin and inhibition of tubulin assembly, indicating a stronger cell growth inhibitory effect.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Josep Tabernero, Paulo M. Hoff, Lin Shen, Atsushi Ohtsu, Manish A. Shah, Asna Siddiqui, Sarah Heeson, Astrid Kiermaier, Harrison Macharia, Eleonora Restuccia, Yoon-Koo Kang
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of pertuzumab plus trastuzumab and chemotherapy in previously untreated HER2-positive metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer. The results showed increased overall survival and progression-free survival, higher objective response rate, and comparable safety in the pertuzumab arm.
Article
Oncology
Manish A. Shah, Takayuki Yoshino, Niall C. Tebbutt, Axel Grothey, Josep Tabernero, Rui-Hua Xu, Andres Cervantes, Sang Cheul Oh, Kensei Yamaguchi, Marwan Fakih, Alfredo Falcone, Christina Wu, Vi K. Chiu, Jiri Tomasek, Johanna Bendell, Marilyn Fontaine, Matthew Hitron, Bo Xu, Julien Taieb, Eric Van Cutsem
Summary: In this study, patients with colorectal cancer were divided into two groups, one receiving combination therapy of napabucasin and FOLFIRI, and the other receiving FOLFIRI alone. The results showed that the addition of napabucasin to FOLFIRI did not significantly improve overall survival compared to the control group.
CLINICAL COLORECTAL CANCER
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Manish A. Shah, Erin B. Kennedy, Ashley E. Alarcon-Rozas, Thierry Alcindor, Angela N. Bartley, Aubrey Belk Malowany, Nishin A. Bhadkamkar, Dana C. Deighton, Yelena Janjigian, Asha Karippot, Uqba Khan, Daniel A. King, Kelsey Klute, Jill Lacy, James J. Lee, Rutika Mehta, Sarbajit Mukherjee, Arun Nagarajan, Haeseong Park, Anwaar Saeed, Thomas J. Semrad, Kohei Shitara, Elizabeth Smyth, Nataliya Uboha, Melani Vincelli, Zev Wainberg, Lakshmi Rajdev
Summary: The purpose of this study is to develop recommendations for targeted therapies in advanced gastroesophageal cancer. A systematic review was conducted, and 18 randomized controlled trials were included. The recommendations include first-line therapy with nivolumab and chemotherapy for HER2-negative patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and PD-L1 CPS >= 5, and pembrolizumab and chemotherapy for HER2-negative patients with esophageal or gastroesophageal junction AC and PD-L1 CPS >= 10. Clinical trials are recommended as targeted treatment options for gastroesophageal cancer are expected to evolve.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Walid K. Chatila, Henry Walch, Jaclyn F. Hechtman, Sydney M. Moyer, Valeria Sgambati, David M. Faleck, Amitabh Srivastava, Laura Tang, Jamal Benhamida, Dorina Ismailgeci, Carl Campos, Fan Wu, Qing Chang, Efsevia Vakiani, Elisa de Stanchina, Martin R. Weiser, Maria Widmar, Rhonda K. Yantiss, Manish A. Shah, Adam J. Bass, Zsofia K. Stadler, Lior H. Katz, Ingo K. Mellinghoff, Nilay S. Sethi, Nikolaus Schultz, Karuna Ganesh, David Kelsen, Rona Yaeger
Summary: Inflammation is recognized as a contributing factor to cancer development, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, the clinical features, genomic landscape, and germline alterations of colitis-associated cancers were defined. TP53 alterations were a common event in colitis-associated cancers, occurring in half of dysplasia, while Wnt pathway alterations were infrequent. The sequencing results from multiple dysplasia/cancer lesions suggest that these lesions largely occur as genetically independent events with lineage plasticity away from Wnt activation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Maria Angela Oliva, Federico Gago, Shinji Kamimura, J. Fernando Diaz
Summary: Microtubules are cellular machines with essential functions in cell shape, division, and intracellular transport. They are regulated chemically through GTP binding and hydrolysis, resulting in a cascade of structural changes known as MT maturation. Traditional structural biology methods, such as crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, can be complemented by time-resolved fiber diffraction and computational modeling to gain a better understanding of MT assembly and dynamics. Studies on structurally similar tubulins from prokaryotes can also contribute novel insights.
Article
Oncology
Olivia Fankuchen, Jennifer Lau, Mangala Rajan, Brandon Swed, Peter Martin, Manuel Hidalgo, Samuel Yamshon, Laura Pinheiro, Manish A. Shah
Summary: This study examined the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection in cancer patients and found that cancer patients had higher mortality rates after hospital discharge. Additionally, approximately one-third of all patients experienced long COVID symptoms.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY-CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tobias M. Bruetsch, Etienne Cotter, Daniel Lucena-Agell, Mariano Redondo-Horcajo, Carolina Davies, Bernhard Pfeiffer, Sandro Pagani, Simone Berardozzi, J. Fernando Diaz, John H. Miller, Karl-Heinz Altmann
Summary: In this study, five analogs of (-)-zampanolide (ZMP) were synthesized and their biochemical and cellular properties were evaluated. These analogs were derived from 13-desmethylene-(-)-zampanolide (DM-ZMP), which is as potent as ZMP in inhibiting cancer cell growth. Key steps in the synthesis of all compounds included the formation of a dioxabicyclo[15.3.1]heneicosane core and the establishment of the C(20) stereocenter. All modifications resulted in reduced cellular activity and microtubule-binding affinity compared to DM-ZMP, with varying degrees. The most potent analog, 2,3-dihydro-13-desmethylene zampanolide, showed cellular potency within a ninefold range of DM-ZMP.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Kohei Shitara, Florian Lordick, Yung-Jue Bang, Peter Enzinger, David Ilson, Manish A. Shah, Eric Van Cutsem, Rui-Hua Xu, Giuseppe Aprile, Jianming Xu, Joseph Chao, Roberto Pazo-Cid, Yoon-Koo Kang, Jianning Yang, Diarmuid Moran, Pranob Bhattacharya, Ahsan Arozullah, Jung Wook Park, Mok Oh, Jaffer A. Ajani
Summary: Zolbetuximab in combination with mFOLFOX6 significantly prolongs progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, with good safety profile.
Review
Oncology
Manish A. Shah, Nasser Altorki, Pretish Patel, Sebron Harrison, Adam Bass, Julian A. Abrams
Summary: Oesophageal cancer is a common malignancy with significant morbidity and mortality. Advances in disease understanding, screening, monitoring technologies, surgical techniques, radiotherapy, and systemic therapy have improved patient outcomes. The development of minimally invasive diagnostic technologies based on cancer-specific genomic or epigenetic alterations has the potential to enhance screening. Less invasive surgical techniques and immune-checkpoint inhibitors also hold promise in improving treatment. This review discusses these advances and highlights the ongoing transformation in oesophageal cancer management.
NATURE REVIEWS CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Lakshmi Rajdev, Erin B. Kennedy, Manish A. Shah
JCO ONCOLOGY PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manish A. Shah, Kohei Shitara, Jaffer A. Ajani, Yung-Jue Bang, Peter Enzinger, David Ilson, Florian Lordick, Eric Van Cutsem, Javier Gallego Plazas, Jing Huang, Lin Shen, Sang Cheul Oh, Patrapim Sunpaweravong, Hwoei Fen Soo Hoo, Haci Mehmet Turk, Mok Oh, Jung Wook Park, Diarmuid Moran, Pranob Bhattacharya, Ahsan Arozullah, Rui-Hua Xu
Summary: The GLOW trial demonstrated that zolbetuximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting CLDN18.2, combined with CAPOX, significantly improved progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.