Volume 11 Issue 10, October 2011

Two recent papers have shown that EMT can be driven by both alternative splicing and chromatin modification.

A cytokine signalling pathway activating the kinase JAK1 generates actomyosin contractility in both tumour cells and surrounding fibroblasts to permit tumour cell migration.

A new mathematical model of phenotypic equilibrium indicates that stochastic transitions between basal, luminal and stem cell phenotypes in breast cancer influences tumour evolution.

Two new studies suggest that aneuploidy can promote genomic instability and tumorigenesis.

ThisNaturepaper shows that inhibition of haem oxygenase 1 is synthetic lethal in kidney cells lacking the tumour suppressor fumarate hydratase.

Bradner, Mitsiades and colleagues show that inhibition of BET family proteins with the small-molecule inhibitor JQ1 selectively represses the expression ofMYC,and MYC and E2F1 target genes.

Perineural invasion (PNI) is a prominent characteristic of pancreatic cancer that is involved in the generation of pain, and correlates with poor prognosis in most studies. This Review discusses the signalling molecules and pathways that are involved in PNI and whether knowledge of these could be used to alleviate pain and to reduce the incidence of PNI.

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are assumed to be simply 'housekeeping' genes. However, mammalian ARSs interact with diverse regulatory factors both inside and outside the cell. Do these enzymes have a role in tumorigenesis?

This Opinion article outlines nine major recommendations for improving our understanding of ovarian cancer and the outcomes of women with this group of diseases.

Epigenetic alterations are leading candidates for the development of specific markers for cancer detection, diagnosis and prognosis, as well as new targets for cancer therapy. Which of the discoveries in the past 10 years are ready for advancement?

Will genomic and other systems level approaches help to overcome gaps in our understanding of metastasis?

Opinions on where we should progress next with cancer research are diverse. In this article, four top cancer researchers from across the globe discuss their thoughts on the current state of cancer research and what progress might be expected in the next 10 years.