Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
7339
pubmed:dateCreated
2011-3-24
pubmed:databankReference
pubmed:abstractText
Melanoma is a tumour of transformed melanocytes, which are originally derived from the embryonic neural crest. It is unknown to what extent the programs that regulate neural crest development interact with mutations in the BRAF oncogene, which is the most commonly mutated gene in human melanoma. We have used zebrafish embryos to identify the initiating transcriptional events that occur on activation of human BRAF(V600E) (which encodes an amino acid substitution mutant of BRAF) in the neural crest lineage. Zebrafish embryos that are transgenic for mitfa:BRAF(V600E) and lack p53 (also known as tp53) have a gene signature that is enriched for markers of multipotent neural crest cells, and neural crest progenitors from these embryos fail to terminally differentiate. To determine whether these early transcriptional events are important for melanoma pathogenesis, we performed a chemical genetic screen to identify small-molecule suppressors of the neural crest lineage, which were then tested for their effects on melanoma. One class of compound, inhibitors of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), for example leflunomide, led to an almost complete abrogation of neural crest development in zebrafish and to a reduction in the self-renewal of mammalian neural crest stem cells. Leflunomide exerts these effects by inhibiting the transcriptional elongation of genes that are required for neural crest development and melanoma growth. When used alone or in combination with a specific inhibitor of the BRAF(V600E) oncogene, DHODH inhibition led to a marked decrease in melanoma growth both in vitro and in mouse xenograft studies. Taken together, these studies highlight developmental pathways in neural crest cells that have a direct bearing on melanoma formation.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
1476-4687
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:day
24
pubmed:volume
471
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
518-22
pubmed:dateRevised
2011-10-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Amino Acid Substitution, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Animals, Genetically Modified, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Cell Differentiation, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Cell Line, Tumor, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Cell Lineage, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Disease Models, Animal, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Genes, p53, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Isoxazoles, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Melanoma, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Mice, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Neural Crest, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Rats, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Stem Cells, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Transcription, Genetic, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays, pubmed-meshheading:21430780-Zebrafish
pubmed:year
2011
pubmed:articleTitle
DHODH modulates transcriptional elongation in the neural crest and melanoma.
pubmed:affiliation
Stem Cell Program and Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural