The BRAF V600E mutation causes impaired expression of sodium iodide symporter (NIS) and radioiodine refractoriness of thyroid cancer, but the underlying mechanism remains undefined. In this study, we hypothesized that histone deacetylation at the NIS (SLC5A5) promoter was the mechanism. Using the chromatin immunoprecipitation approach, we examined histone acetylation status on the lysine residu...

Since the demonstrated clinical success of BRAF/MEK inhibitors in patients with metastatic melanoma harboring BRAF mutations, attention has been focused on liquid biopsy to detect mutations cell-free DNA (cfDNA) using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) or next-generation sequencing methods. In this study, we investigated gene tumor and cfDNA collected from 43 evaluate their potential as biomarkers. dd...

Cutaneous melanoma is a common and aggressive human skin cancers. Much is actually known about the molecular mechanisms underlying melanoma pathogenesis. The aim of the study was to evaluate any possible correlation between mutations in main growth-controlling genes (BRAF, NRAS, CDKN2A) and copy number variations in frequently amplified candidate genes (MITF, EGFR, CCND1, cMET, and cKIT) during...

Recent analyses by our group and others showed that the majority of melanoma patients who fail BRAF inhibitor therapy do so at new disease sites. Using phosphoproteomics we showed that BRAF inhibition mediates a switch to an aggressive/metastatic melanoma phenotype that is driven by ligand-independent erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular receptor A2 (EphA2) signaling.

The activating mutation BRAF(T1796A) is the most prevalent genetic alteration in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC). It is associated with advanced PTCs, suggesting that this oncoprotein confers thyroid cancers with more aggressive properties. BRAF(T1796A) is also observed in thyroid micropapillary carcinomas and may thus be an early event in tumor development. To explore its biological consequ...

Human BRAF-driven tumors are aggressive malignancies with poor clinical outcome and lack of sensitivity to therapies. TRAP1 is a HSP90 molecular chaperone deregulated in human tumors and responsible for specific features of cancer cells, i.e., protection from apoptosis, drug resistance, metabolic regulation, and protein quality control/ubiquitination. The hypothesis that TRAP1 plays a regulator...

INTRODUCTION While fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is the mainstay of diagnosis in thyroid nodules, molecular markers of thyroid cancer have recently been shown to be of value in improving the diagnosis and reducing the rates of unnecessary surgery. METHOD A technical method is presented for the assessment of the BRAF V600 gene mutation in thyroid cancer using a simple adaptation of a ...

AIMS To detect cells bearing BRAF mutations in colorectal tumour samples and peritoneal washings, using a mismatch ligation assay (MLA). METHODS DNA from 46 colorectal tumours was studied. Part of exon 15 of the BRAF gene was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction, and T-->A mutations at codon 600 were detected using MLA. When a mutation was detected, the same mutation was sought in pe...

Introduction: Malignant salivary gland tumors are rare entities. Despite advances in surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, the rate of the mortality and five-year survival has not been improved markedly over the last few decades. The activation of EGFR- RAS-RAF signaling pathway contributes to the initiation and progression of many human cancers, promising a key pathway for therapeutic m...