High impact publications from the Center.

Mechanism for local attenuation of DNA replication at double-strand breaks.

Mechanism for local attenuation of DNA replication at double-strand breaks.
Sebastian R, Sun EG, Fedkenheuer M, Fu H, Jung S, Thakur BL, Redon CE, Pegoraro G, Tran AD, Gross JM, Mosavarpour S, Kusi NA, Ray A, Dhall A, Pongor LS, Casellas R, Aladjem MI. Nature. 2025;639(8056):1084-92. Epub 2025/02/20. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08557-9. PubMed PMID: 39972127.

ADH5/ALDH2 dehydrogenases and DNA polymerase theta protect normal and malignant hematopoietic cells from formaldehyde challenge: therapeutic implications.

ADH5/ALDH2 dehydrogenases and DNA polymerase theta protect normal and malignant hematopoietic cells from formaldehyde challenge: therapeutic implications.
Atkins J, Kukuyan AM, Toma M, Drzewiecka M, Vekariya U, Karami A, Nieborowska-Skorska M, Nejati R, Hadzijusufovic E, Valent P, Stoklosa T, Sliwinski T, Wasik M, Skorski T. Leukemia. 2025;39(9):2152-62. Epub 2025/07/11. doi: 10.1038/s41375-025-02687-3. PubMed PMID: 40640557; PMCID: PMC12380611

PIM1 targeted degradation prevents the emergence of chemoresistance in prostate cancer.

PIM1 targeted degradation prevents the emergence of chemoresistance in prostate cancer.
Torres-Ayuso P, Katerji M, Mehlich D, Lookingbill SA, Sabbasani VR, Liou H, Casillas AL, Chauhan SS, Serwa R, Rubin MR, Marusiak AA, Swenson RE, Warfel NA, Brognard J. Cell Chem Biol. 2024;31(2):326-37 e11. Epub 2023/11/29. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.10.023. PubMed PMID: 38016478; PMCID: PMC10922308.

PARG is essential for Poltheta-mediated DNA end-joining by removing repressive poly-ADP-ribose marks.

PARG is essential for Poltheta-mediated DNA end-joining by removing repressive poly-ADP-ribose marks.
Vekariya U, Minakhin L, Chandramouly G, Tyagi M, Kent T, Sullivan-Reed K, Atkins J, Ralph D, Nieborowska-Skorska M, Kukuyan AM, Tang HY, Pomerantz RT, Skorski T. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):5822. Epub 2024/07/11. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50158-7. PubMed PMID: 38987289; PMCID: PMC11236980

FAM122A ensures cell cycle interphase progression and checkpoint control by inhibiting B55alpha/PP2A through helical motifs.

FAM122A ensures cell cycle interphase progression and checkpoint control by inhibiting B55alpha/PP2A through helical motifs.
Wasserman JS, Faezov B, Patel KR, Kurimchak AM, Palacio SM, Glass DJ, Fowle H, McEwan BC, Xu Q, Zhao Z, Cressey L, Johnson N, Duncan JS, Kettenbach AN, Dunbrack RL, Jr., Grana X. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):5776. Epub 2024/07/10. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50015-7. PubMed PMID: 38982062; PMCID: PMC11233601.

Derivation of human primary prostate epithelial cell lines by differentially targeting the CDKN2A locus along with expression of hTERT.

Derivation of human primary prostate epithelial cell lines by differentially targeting the CDKN2A locus along with expression of hTERT.
Wasserman JS, Fowle H, Hashmi R, Atar D, Patel KR, Yarmahmoodi A, Macfarlane AW, Tan Y, Cukierman E, Gligorijevic B, Karami A, Whelan KA, Campbell KS, Grana X. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):20409. Epub 2024/09/03. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-71306-5. PubMed PMID: 39223207; PMCID: PMC11369182

DLK-dependent axonal mitochondrial fission drives degeneration after axotomy.

DLK-dependent axonal mitochondrial fission drives degeneration after axotomy.
Gomez-Deza J, Nebiyou M, Alkaslasi MR, Nadal-Nicolas FM, Somasundaram P, Slavutsky AL, Li W, Ward ME, Watkins TA, Le Pichon CE. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):10806. Epub 2024/12/31. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54982-9. PubMed PMID: 39737939; PMCID: PMC11686342.

Autophagy Contributes to Homeostasis in Esophageal Epithelium Where High Autophagic Vesicle Level Marks Basal Cells With Limited Proliferation and Enhanced Self-Renewal Potential.

Autophagy Contributes to Homeostasis in Esophageal Epithelium Where High Autophagic Vesicle Level Marks Basal Cells With Limited Proliferation and Enhanced Self-Renewal Potential.
Klochkova A, Karami AL, Fuller AD, Parham LR, Panchani SR, Natarajan S, Jackson JL, Mu A, Tan Y, Cai KQ, Klein-Szanto AJ, Muir AB, Tetreault MP, Grana X, Hamilton KE, Whelan KA. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024;18(1):15-40. Epub 2024/03/08. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2024.02.018. PubMed PMID: 38452871; PMCID: PMC11126828.

ATR inhibition augments the efficacy of lurbinectedin in small-cell lung cancer.

ATR inhibition augments the efficacy of lurbinectedin in small-cell lung cancer.
Schultz CW, Zhang Y, Elmeskini R, Zimmermann A, Fu H, Murai Y, Wangsa D, Kumar S, Takahashi N, Atkinson D, Saha LK, Lee CF, Elenbaas B, Desai P, Sebastian R, Sharma AK, Abel M, Schroeder B, Krishnamurthy M, Kumar R, Roper N, Aladjem M, Zenke FT, Ohler ZW, Pommier Y, Thomas A. EMBO Mol Med. 2023;15(8):e17313. Epub 2023/07/26. doi: 10.15252/emmm.202217313. PubMed PMID: 37491889; PMCID: PMC10405061.

Interferon-gamma signaling promotes melanoma progression and metastasis.

Interferon-gamma signaling promotes melanoma progression and metastasis.
Zhou B, Basu J, Kazmi HR, Chitrala KN, Mo X, Preston-Alp S, Cai KQ, Kappes D, Zaidi MR. Oncogene. 2023;42(5):351-63. Epub 2022/12/04. doi: 10.1038/s41388-022-02561-x. PubMed PMID: 36463370; PMCID: PMC9991867.

Local production of reactive oxygen species drives vincristine-induced axon degeneration.

Local production of reactive oxygen species drives vincristine-induced axon degeneration.
Gomez-Deza J, Slavutsky AL, Nebiyou M, Le Pichon CE. Cell Death Dis. 2023;14(12):807. Epub 2023/12/09. doi: 10.1038/s41419-023-06227-8. PubMed PMID: 38065950; PMCID: PMC10709426.

Diclofenac exhibits cytotoxic activity associated with metabolic alterations and p53 induction in ESCC cell lines and decreases ESCC tumor burden in vivo.

Diclofenac exhibits cytotoxic activity associated with metabolic alterations and p53 induction in ESCC cell lines and decreases ESCC tumor burden in vivo.
Kabir MF, Jackson JL, Fuller AD, Gathuka L, Karami AL, Conde DG, Klochkova A, Mu A, Cai KQ, Klein-Szanto AJ, Muir AB, Whelan KA. Carcinogenesis. 2023;44(2):182-95. Epub 2023/04/05. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgad019. PubMed PMID: 37014121; PMCID: PMC10215983.

Mass Cytometry as a Tool for Investigating Senescence in Multiple Model Systems.

Mass Cytometry as a Tool for Investigating Senescence in Multiple Model Systems.
Abdul-Aziz A, Devine RD, Lyberger JM, Chang H, Kovacs A, Lerma JR, Rogers AM, Byrd JC, Hertlein E, Behbehani GK. Cells. 2023;12(16). Epub 2023/08/26. doi: 10.3390/cells12162045. PubMed PMID: 37626855; PMCID: PMC1https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37626855/0453346.

HIV-1 gp120 protein promotes HAND through the calcineurin pathway activation.

HIV-1 gp120 protein promotes HAND through the calcineurin pathway activation.
Mitochondrion. Shrestha J, Santerre M, Allen CN, Arjona SP, Hooper R, Mukerjee R, Kaul M, Shcherbik N, Soboloff J, Sawaya BE. 2023;70:31-40. Epub 2023/03/17. doi: 10.1016/j.mito.2023.03.003. PubMed PMID: 36925028; PMCID: PMC10484070.

Simultaneous Targeting of DNA Polymerase Theta and PARP1 or RAD52 Triggers Dual Synthetic Lethality in Homologous Recombination-Deficient Leukemia Cells.

Simultaneous Targeting of DNA Polymerase Theta and PARP1 or RAD52 Triggers Dual Synthetic Lethality in Homologous Recombination-Deficient Leukemia Cells.
Sullivan-Reed K, Toma MM, Drzewiecka M, Nieborowska-Skorska M, Nejati R, Karami A, Wasik MA, Sliwinski T, Skorski T. Mol Cancer Res. 2023;21(10):1017-22. Epub 2023/06/26. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-22-1035. PubMed PMID: 37358557; PMCID: PMC10654933.

Primary tumor associated macrophages activate programs of invasion and dormancy in disseminating tumor cells.

Primary tumor associated macrophages activate programs of invasion and dormancy in disseminating tumor cells.
Borriello L, Coste A, Traub B, Sharma VP, Karagiannis GS, Lin Y, Wang Y, Ye X, Duran CL, Chen X, Friedman M, Sosa MS, Sun D, Dalla E, Singh DK, Oktay MH, Aguirre-Ghiso JA, Condeelis JS, Entenberg D. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):626. Epub 2022/02/04. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28076-3. PubMed PMID: 35110548; PMCID: PMC8811052

Association of TP53 and CDKN2A Mutation Profile with Tumor Mutation Burden in Head and Neck Cancer.

Association of TP53 and CDKN2A Mutation Profile with Tumor Mutation Burden in Head and Neck Cancer.
Deneka AY, Baca Y, Serebriiskii IG, Nicolas E, Parker MI, Nguyen TT, Xiu J, Korn WM, Demeure MJ, Wise-Draper T, Sukari A, Burtness B, Golemis EA. Clin Cancer Res. 2022;28(9):1925-37. Epub 2022/05/03. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-4316. PubMed PMID: 35491653; PMCID: PMC9186806.

Epigenome-Wide Study Identifies Epigenetic Outliers in Normal Mucosa of Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

Epigenome-Wide Study Identifies Epigenetic Outliers in Normal Mucosa of Patients with Colorectal Cancer.
Ghosh J, Schultz BM, Chan J, Wultsch C, Singh R, Shureiqi I, Chow S, Doymaz A, Varriano S, Driscoll M, Muse J, Kleiman FE, Krampis K, Issa JJ, Sapienza C. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2022;15(11):755-66. Epub 2022/10/12. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-22-0258. PubMed PMID: 36219239; PMCID: PMC9623234.

Single cell transcriptomic analysis reveals cellular diversity of murine esophageal epithelium.

Single cell transcriptomic analysis reveals cellular diversity of murine esophageal epithelium.
Kabir MF, Karami AL, Cruz-Acuna R, Klochkova A, Saxena R, Mu A, Murray MG, Cruz J, Fuller AD, Clevenger MH, Chitrala KN, Tan Y, Keith K, Madzo J, Huang H, Jelinek J, Karakasheva T, Hamilton KE, Muir AB, Tetreault MP, Whelan KA. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):2167. Epub 2022/04/22. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29747-x. PubMed PMID: 35443762; PMCID: PMC9021266.

Comprehensive characterization of PTEN mutational profile in a series of 34,129 colorectal cancers.

Comprehensive characterization of PTEN mutational profile in a series of 34,129 colorectal cancers.
Serebriiskii IG, Pavlov V, Tricarico R, Andrianov G, Nicolas E, Parker MI, Newberg J, Frampton G, Meyer JE, Golemis EA. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):1618. Epub 2022/03/27. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29227-2. PubMed PMID: 35338148; PMCID: PMC8956741 declare no competing interests.

TNIK Is a Therapeutic Target in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Regulates FAK Activation through Merlin.

TNIK Is a Therapeutic Target in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Regulates FAK Activation through Merlin.
Torres-Ayuso P, An E, Nyswaner KM, Bensen RC, Ritt DA, Specht SI, Das S, Andresson T, Cachau RE, Liang RJ, Ries AL, Robinson CM, Difilippantonio S, Gouker B, Bassel L, Karim BO, Miller CJ, Turk BE, Morrison DK, Brognard J. Cancer Discov. 2021;11(6):1411-23. Epub 2021/01/27. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-0797. PubMed PMID: 33495197; PMCID: PMC8178189.

EZH2 Inhibition Sensitizes CARM1-High, Homologous Recombination Proficient Ovarian Cancers to PARP Inhibition.

EZH2 Inhibition Sensitizes CARM1-High, Homologous Recombination Proficient Ovarian Cancers to PARP Inhibition.
Karakashev S, Fukumoto T, Zhao B, Lin J, Wu S, Fatkhutdinov N, Park PH, Semenova G, Jean S, Cadungog MG, Borowsky ME, Kossenkov AV, Liu Q, Zhang R. Cancer Cell. 2020;37(2):157-67 e6. Epub 2020/02/01. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2019.12.015. PubMed PMID: 32004442; PMCID: PMC7155421.