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Volume 10 Issue 10, October 2010

From The Editors

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Research Highlight

  • PARK2, which causes autosomal recessive juvenile Parkinson's disease, is shown to be a haploinsufficient suppressor of colorectal cancer, and the loss of this gene synergises with the loss ofAPC.

    • Gemma K. Alderton
    Research Highlight
  • A new study identifies several pathways by which a compound derived from a Chinese medicine reduces gastrointestinal toxicity that is induced by chemotherapy.

    • Teresa Villanueva
    Research Highlight
  • The adenoviral protein E4-ORF3 silences p53 target genes by inducing heterochromatin formation at their promoters.

    • Meera Swami
    Research Highlight
  • miR-21 and miR-181b-1 are shown to be induced by STAT3 in an inflammatory feedback loop that mediates SRC-induced transformation.

    • Darren J. Burgess
    Research Highlight
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In Brief

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Research Highlight

  • Merlin regulates the proliferation of liver progenitor cells from which hepatocarcinoma could arise.

    • Teresa Villanueva
    Research Highlight
  • Infection withSalmonella typhimuriumcan promote tumour antigen cross-presentation by dendritic cells. This effect is mediated by upregulation of connexin Cx43 expression, which induces the formation of gap junctions between tumour cells and dendritic cells, through which tumour-specific antigens can be transferred.

    • Meera Swami
    Research Highlight
  • BMI1, a gene expressed in stem cells, is involved in EMT and is a target of the transcription factor TWIST1.

    • Nicola McCarthy
    Research Highlight
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Review Article

  • Polycomb and trithorax group proteins have opposing effects on chromatin, and either repress or activate gene expression, respectively. Therefore, the dynamic interplay between these protein families has complex effects on epigenetic regulation and consequently tumour biology.

    • Alea A. Mills
    Review Article
  • Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by near-universal mutations in KRAS and frequent deregulation of the Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnt–β-catenin pathways. This Review examines the central part that KRAS plays in the biology of PDAC, and how the timing and location of Hh and Wnt–β-catenin signalling dictate the specification and oncogenic properties of PDAC.

    • John P. Morris IV
    • Sam C. Wang
    • Matthias Hebrok
    Review Article
  • Transposon-based insertional mutagenesis (TIM) provides an alternative method for cancer gene discovery. This Review discusses how the mobilization of the transposon Tc1/mariner, Sleeping Beauty (SB), in mouse cells at frequencies high enough to induce cancer has facilitated the identification of the genes and signalling pathways that drive tumour formation.

    • Neal G. Copeland
    • Nancy A. Jenkins
    Review Article
  • Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is the most common cancer in HIV-infected untreated individuals. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the infectious cause of KS. This Review discusses the insights into the remarkable mechanisms through which KSHV can induce KS that have been gained in the past 15 years.

    • Enrique A. Mesri
    • Ethel Cesarman
    • Chris Boshoff
    Review Article
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Perspectives

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Science and Society

  • This article examines the ancient history of cancer. The striking absence of malignancies in ancient physical remains might indicate the rarity of cancer in antiquity, which poses questions about the role of carcinogenic environmental factors in modern societies.

    • A. Rosalie David
    • Michael R. Zimmerman
    Science and Society
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