Nature view

Research highlights from the NPG family of journals.

Enhanced light therapy for cancer

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a cancer treatment in which a photosensitive agent is activated by light to destroy tumour cells. The relatively poor penetration of light into tissue means its use is generally limited to small, thin tumours. However, a recent study in the British Journal of Cancer uses an enhanced form of photodynamic destruction — photochemical internalisation (PCI) -to increase the depth of the effect. PCI facilitates the release of biologically active macromolecules within target cells by light activation of a photosensitive agent. Dietze and colleagues observed a greater depth of necrosis in fibrosarcoma tumours following PCI of the toxin gelonin compared with PDT, and conclude that PCI could provide a safe and effective adjuvant treatment for patients with solid localised tumours.

translational therapeutics
Enhanced photodynamic destruction of a transplantable fibrosarcoma using photochemical internalisation of gelonin
A. DIETZE et al.
British Journal of Cancer 92, 2004-2009; 2005
doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6602600
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Focus on the EGFR/ErbB signalling network

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signalling pathway is involved in biological processes as diverse as growth, survival, proliferation, and differentiation. In order to understand how EGFR/ErbB-receptors integrate signals from various stimuli, Schultze and colleagues present in Molecular Systems Biology a high-throughput approach to identify binding partners to all cytosolic tyrosine residues of the four members of the EGFR/ErbB-receptor family. Accompanying this, Kitano and colleagues present, in a modelling tour de force, a comprehensive map of the EGFR signalling network. With this massive modelling effort, global features of the system's architecture emerge.

research article
Phosphotyrosine interactome of the ErbB-receptor kinase family
W. X. SCHULZE, L. DENG & M. MANN
Molecular Systems Biology
Published online: 25 May 2005 doi: 10.1038/msb4100012
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review
A comprehensive pathway map of epidermal growth factor receptor signaling
K. ODA, Y. MATSUOKA, A. FUNAHASHI & H. KITANO
Molecular Systems Biology
Published online: 25 May 2005 doi: 10.1038/msb4100014
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Wnt-AR of prostatic discontent

The Wnt pathway has a prolific range of functions - from directing embryonic growth to maintaining stem cell populations, its signalling molecules are involved in a variety of cell processes. The Wnt signal leads to activation of the nuclear functions of β-catenin — its central molecule — which, in turn, activates gene expression leading to cell survival, proliferation, or differentiation. β-catenin has also been shown to interact with the androgen receptor (AR) in studies using prostate cancer cells. In this elegant review for Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Disease, George Yardy and Simon Brewster detail the interactions, disruptions, and oncogenic transformations in which Wnt pathway plays a role.

review
Wnt signalling and prostate cancer
G. W. YARDY & S. F. BREWSTER
Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases, advance online publication 5 April 2005
doi:10.1038/sj.pcan.4500794
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ED: the heart of the matter

Patients who complain of erectile dysfunction (ED) are often prime candidates for cardiovascular disease. In fact, coronary artery disease (CAD) and ED share many of the same risk factors, such as hypertension, smoking, diabetes, and sedentary lifestyle. Endothelial dysfunction may be at the root of both conditions, as their shared risk factors contribute to impeding the proper dilation of arteries. Writing for the International Journal of Impotence Research, Robert Kloner and Harin Padma-Nathan review the relationship between erectile and vascular conditions, paying particular attention to the use of PDE5 inhibitors in the treatment of ED in men with CAD.

review
Erectile dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease
R. KLONER & H. PADMA-NATHAN
International Journal of Impotence Research 17, 209-215; 2005
doi: 10.1038/sj.ijir.3901309
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Transplants attacking the tumor?

While bone marrow grafts have a proven immune reaction to leukemia cells, there is little data to support a similarly positive effect on cancer of the immune system: lymphoma. In Bone Marrow Transplantation's current online publication, Butcher and Collins review recent clinical data on the graft-versus-lymphoma effect, comparing transplants from the same individual, related and unrelated individuals. Concluding that there is a significant therapeutic effect, the authors also discuss clinical management and suggest further clinical studies to provide better data for the graft-versus-lymphoma effect.

review
The graft-versus-lymphoma effect: clinical review and future opportunities
B. W. BUTCHER & R. H. COLLINS JNR
International Journal of Impotence Research, advance online publication 16 May 2005
doi: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1705008
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