Dermal Cell News Volume 3.06 | Feb 27 2017

TOP STORY

Watching How ‘Young’ Cells Move Gives Clues on Skin Cancer Spread

Professor Laura Machesky, a cell biologist from the Beatson Institute in Glasgow, takes lessons from cells and applies them to cancer. Working with cells from mouse embryos, her team studies how ‘young’ cells move in search of links to how cancers spread. [Press release from Cancer Research UK discussing online prepublication in Current Biology] Press Release | Full Article | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

DERMAL STEM CELLS & TISSUE REGENERATION

Rictor/mTORC2 Deficiency Enhances Keratinocyte Stress Tolerance via Mitohormesis

To explore the roles of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) in the epidermis, the authors conditionally deleted rictor in mice via K14-Cre-mediated homologous recombination and found that its deficiency caused moderate tissue hypoplasia, reduced keratinocyte proliferation and attenuated hyperplastic response to TPA. [Cell Death Differ] Abstract

Exendin-4 in Combination with Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Promotes Angiogenesis and Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

Researchers investigated the effects of exendin-4 (Ex-4) in combination with human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on diabetic wound healing in a diabetic animal model. Topical administration of Ex-4 or injection of ADSCs resulted in a rapid reduction of wound size in both diabetic and normoglycemic animals compared with vehicle treatment. [J Transl Med] Full Article

SKIN CANCERS & DISORDERS

Targeted Knockdown of Polo-Like Kinase 1 Alters Metabolic Regulation in Melanoma

Employing an inducible RNA interference approach in A375 melanoma cells coupled with a PCR array and multiple validation approaches, investigators demonstrated that polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) alters a number of genes associated with cellular metabolism. PLK1 knockdown resulted in a significant downregulation of IDH1, PDP2 and PCK1 and upregulation of FBP1. [Cancer Lett] Abstract

Mechanistic Added Value of a trans-Sulfonamide-Platinum-Complex in Human Melanoma Cell Lines and Synergism with cis-Platin

Scientists aimed to compare the cytotoxic effects of cis-platin and a trans-sulfonamide-platinum-complex (TSPC), in two human melanoma cell lines that differ in their TP53 status. TSPC had similar antiproliferative activity than cis-platin against SK-MEL-5 and higher against SK-MEL-28 cells. [Mol Cancer] Full Article

Calcium-Dependent Enhancement by Extracellular Acidity of the Cytotoxicity of Mitochondrial Inhibitors against Melanoma

The authors report that drugs which abrogate mitochondrial respiration showed enhanced cytotoxicity against melanoma cells in a normoxic but acidic extracellular pH, independent from P53 mutations, BRAF mutations and/or resistance against BRAF inhibitors. [Mol Cancer Ther] Abstract

CARMA2sh and ULK2 Control Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns Recognition in Human Keratinocytes: Psoriasis-Linked CARMA2sh Mutants Escape ULK2 Censorship

Recently, missense mutations in CARMA2sh have been shown to cause psoriasis in a dominant manner and with high penetrancy. Researchers demonstrated that in human keratinocytes CARMA2sh plays an essential role in the signal transduction pathway that connects pathogen-associated molecular patterns recognition to NF-κB activation. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Itraconazole Exerts Its Anti-Melanoma Effect by Suppressing Hedgehog, Wnt, and PI3K/mTOR Signaling Pathways

The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of itraconazole on melanoma and to reveal some details of its underlying mechanism. In the in vivo xenograft mouse model, investigators found that itraconazole inhibited melanoma growth and extended the survival of melanoma xenograft mice, compared to non-itraconazole-treated mice. [Oncotarget] Full Article

Adipogenic Niches for Melanoma Cell Colonization and Growth in Bone Marrow

Intracardiac transplantation of B16-F10 melanoma cells into immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice was performed. The results showed that the number of bone marrow (BM) adipocytes rapidly increased in melanoma metastatic BM niches, which were in direct contact with metastasizing melanoma cells and acted as a tumor stromal population in the BM-melanoma niche. [Lab Invest] Abstract

PIK3CA-Mutated Melanoma Cells Rely on Cooperative Signaling through mTORC1/2 for Sustained Proliferation

Using human NRAS– or BRAF-mutated melanoma cells that co-express mutationally activated PIK3CA, scientists explored the contribution of PI3′-lipid signaling to cell proliferation. Despite mutational activation of PIK3CA, melanoma cells were more sensitive to the biochemical and anti-proliferative effects of broader spectrum PI3K inhibitors than to an α-selective PI3K inhibitor. [Pigment Cell Melanoma Res] Abstract

Crosstalk Signaling in Targeted Melanoma Therapy

The author sheds light on the biology of BRAF/MEK inhibitor-sensitive melanoma cells, which survive targeted therapy and addresses the crosstalk signaling events occurring in BRAF mutant melanomas when the BRAF/MAPK pathway is fully blocked. [Cancer Metastasis Rev] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the dermal cell research field.

Regeneron and Sanofi to Present New Data on Dupixent^® (Dupilumab) for Moderate-To-Severe Atopic Dermatitis at Upcoming Medical Congresses

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi announced that detailed results from the Phase III CHRONOS study will be presented as a late-breaking abstract. The CHRONOS study evaluated the use of investigational DUPIXENT for one year with topical corticosteroids versus topical corticosteroids alone for adults living with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. [Press release from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. discussing research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), Orlando] Press Release

Idera Pharmaceuticals Presents Update from Ongoing Phase I Dose Escalation Clinical Trial of Intratumoral IMO-2125 in Combination with Ipilimumab in Metastatic Melanoma Patients Refractory to Anti-PD-1 Treatment

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reported additional data from the dose-escalation phase of its ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial of intratumoral IMO-2125, an agonist of TLR9 in combination with ipilimumab or pembrolizumab for treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma with disease that is refractory to PD-1 inhibitors. [Press release from Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. discussing research presented at the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)-Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium, Orlando] Press Release | Poster

OncoSec Granted FDA Fast Track Designation for ImmunoPulse^® IL-12 for the Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma Following Progression on Pembrolizumab or Nivolumab

OncoSec Medical Incorporated received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its ImmunoPulse^® IL-12, a potentially first-in-class, intratumoral anti-cancer gene therapy that expresses interleukin-12 (IL-12) for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, following progression on pembrolizumab or nivolumab. [OncoSec Medical Incorporated] Press Release

Incyte Announces Oncology Research Alliance with the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania

Incyte Corporation announced a multi-year research collaboration with the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Through this collaboration, Incyte and Abramson have agreed to bring together the knowledge and expertise of their leading drug discovery and development scientists to conduct collaborative research aimed at advancing the understanding of cancer biology and fostering innovative science in immunotherapy. [Incyte Corporation] Press Release

U.S. Researchers Guilty of Misconduct Later Won More than $100 Million in NIH Grants, Study Finds

Many believe that once a scientist is found guilty of research misconduct, his or her scientific career is over. But a new study suggests that, for many U.S. researchers judged to have misbehaved, there is such a thing as a second chance. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Two Top Chinese-American Scientists Have Dropped Their U.S. Citizenship

Two top Chinese scientists, one a Nobel laureate and the other a winner of a top computer science prize, have renounced their U.S. citizenship to become citizens of China. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Biologists Propose to Sequence the DNA of All Life on Earth

At a meeting organized by the Smithsonian Initiative on Biodiversity Genomics and the Shenzhen, China–based sequencing powerhouse BGI, a small group of researchers upped the ante even more, announcing their intent to, eventually, sequence “all life on Earth.” [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW 2^nd Global Cancer Summit 2017
March 22-24, 2017
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

NEW AACR International Conference on Translational Cancer Medicine
May 4-6, 2017
Sao Paulo, Brazil

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Postdoctoral – Tumor Biology (Helmholtz Association)

Doctoral Student Position – Skin Biology (Karolinska Institutet)

Postdoctoral Position – Translational Melanoma (University of Gothenburg)

Postdoctoral Associate – Cancer Biology (University of Florida)

Faculty Member – Melanoma (Oregon Health and Science University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cutaneous Lymphoma (City of Hope)

Bioinformatics Scientist – Cancer Biology (Genentech, Inc.)

Principal Scientist – Oncology (Janssen)

Tenure-Track Faculty Positions – Department of Biomedical Sciences (University of Pennsylvania)

Assistant Professor – Molecular Therapeutics of Cancer (Dartmouth College)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.

Have we missed an important article or publication in Dermal Cell News? Click here to submit!

Comments or suggestions? Submit your feedback here.