Cancer Biology

A single cysteine residue in vimentin regulates long non-coding RNA XIST to suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stemness in breast cancer

1. Saima Usman
2. W Andrew Yeudall
3. Muy-Teck Teh
4. Fatemah Ghloum
5. Hemanth Tummala
6. Ahmad Waseem

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study reveals that the structural protein vimentin promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells. Utilizing robust and validated methodologies, the data collected provide a solid foundation for further investigation into metastasis models. This work will be of significant interest to researchers in the field of breast cancer.

Reviewed by eLife

Targeting SLC7A11-mediated cysteine metabolism for the treatment of trastuzumab-resistant HER2-positive breast cancer

1. Yijia Hua
2. Ningjun Duan
3. Chunxiao Sun
4. Fan Yang
5. Min Tian
6. Yanting Sun
7. Shuhan Zhao
8. Jue Gong
9. Qian Liu
10. Xiang Huang
11. Yan Liang
12. Ziyi Fu
13. Wei Li
14. Yongmei Yin

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides compelling evidence that SLC7A11 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for trastuzumab-resistant HER2-positive breast cancer. While the findings are well-supported by robust data, the study could have been further strengthened by incorporating additional cell line experiments and providing more detailed clarification on patient sample selection. Nevertheless, this valuable work represents a significant contribution and will be of considerable interest to researchers in the field of breast cancer.

Reviewed by eLife

DuoHexaBody-CD37 induces direct cytotoxic signaling in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

1. Simar Pal Singh
2. Michelle D van den Beukel
3. Sjoerd van Deventer
4. Marije B Overdijk
5. M Guy Roukens
6. Kim CM Santegoets
7. Esther CW Breij
8. Martin ter Beest
9. Annemiek B van Spriel

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents a valuable finding on the direct cytotoxic effects of DuoHexaBody-CD37 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, mediated via SHP-1 activation and antibody clustering, independent of complement. The evidence supporting this mechanism is incomplete, with additional work needed to clarify SHP-1's role, the contribution of Fc receptor crosslinking, and the biological relevance across normal and malignant B cells. As the findings are based primarily on in vitro models, further validation would be required to support broader translational conclusions.

Reviewed by eLife

RUNX2 isoform II protects cancer cells from ferroptosis and apoptosis by promoting PRDX2 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma

1. Junjun Huang
2. Rong Jia
3. Jihua Guo

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This paper investigates how isoform II of transcription factor RUNX2 promotes cell survival and proliferation in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. The authors used gain and loss of function techniques to provide convincing evidence showing that RUNX2 isoform silencing led to cell death via several mechanisms including apoptosis and ferroptosis that was partially suppressed through RUNX2 regulation of PRDX2 expression. The study provides valuable insight into the underlying mechanism by which RUNX2 acts in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Reviewed by eLife

Δ133p53α and Δ160p53α isoforms of the tumor suppressor protein p53 exert dominant-negative effect primarily by co-aggregation

1. Liuqun Zhao
2. Tanel Punga
3. Suparna Sanyal

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study investigates the molecular mechanisms by which the p53 isoforms Δ133p53α and Δ160p53α exert dominant-negative effects on full-length p53 (FLp53). Through a combination of chromatin immunoprecipitation, transcriptional reporter assays, subcellular localization analyses, and protein aggregation experiments, the authors provide solid evidence that these N-terminally truncated isoforms promote co-aggregation with FLp53, disrupting its transcriptional activity and cellular distribution. The revised manuscript successfully addresses prior reviewer concerns, and the findings are well supported by the experimental data.

  [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

VGLL2 and TEAD1 fusion proteins identified in human sarcoma drive YAP/TAZ-independent tumorigenesis by engaging EP300

1. Susu Guo
2. Xiaodi Hu
3. Jennifer L Cotton
4. Lifang Ma
5. Qi Li
6. Jiangtao Cui
7. Yongjie Wang
8. Ritesh P Thakare
9. Zhipeng Tao
10. Y Tony Ip
11. Xu Wu
12. Jiayi Wang
13. Junhao Mao

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This is a valuable study describing how rhabdomyosarcoma fusion-oncogenes, VGLL2-NCOA2 and TEAD1-NCOA2, function at the genomic, transcriptional, and proteomic levels in multiple systems. The experimental data is convincing, supporting a model in which these fusion-oncogenes leverage TEAD transcriptional signatures independent of YAP/TAZ. This work offers new mechanistic insights into oncogenic gene fusion events and reveals potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of rhabdomyosarcomas.

Reviewed by eLife

Transcriptional pattern enriched for synaptic signaling is associated with shorter survival of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer

1. Arkajyoti Bhattacharya
2. Thijs S Stutvoet
3. Mirela Perla
4. Stefan Loipfinger
5. Mathilde Jalving
6. Anna KL Reyners
7. Paola D Vermeer
8. Ronny Drapkin
9. Marco de Bruyn
10. Elisabeth GE de Vries
11. Steven de Jong
12. Rudolf SN Fehrmann

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study uses consensus-independent component analysis to highlight transcriptional components (TC) in high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC). The study presents a convincing preliminary finding by identifying a TC linked to synaptic signaling that is associated with shorter overall survival in HGSOC patients, highlighting the potential role of neuronal interactions in the tumour microenvironment. This finding is corroborated by comparing spatially resolved transcriptomics in a small-scale study; a weakness is it being descriptive, non-mechanistic, and requires experimental validation.

Reviewed by eLife

A multi-scale segmentation-free self-supervised AI model to characterize the heterogeneity of the brain tumor microenvironment

1. Sam Sterling
2. Jimin Tan
3. Hortense Le
4. Danielle Share
5. Yi Ban
6. Matija Snuderl
7. Aristotelis Tsirigos

Reviewed by PREreview

Invasion of glioma cells through confined space requires membrane tension regulation and mechano-electrical coupling via Plexin-B2

1. Chrystian Junqueira Alves
2. Theodore Hannah
3. Sita Sadia
4. Christy Kolsteeg
5. Angela Dixon
6. Robert J. Wiener
7. Ha Nguyen
8. Murray J. Tipping
9. Júlia Silva Ladeira
10. Paula Fernandes da Costa Franklin
11. Nathália de Paula Dutra de Nigro
12. Rodrigo Alves Dias
13. Priscila V. Zabala Capriles
14. José P. Rodrigues Furtado de Mendonça
15. Paul A. Slesinger
16. Kevin D. Costa
17. Hongyan Zou
18. Roland H. Friedel

Reviewed by preLights

Oncogenic and teratogenic effects of Trp53Y217C, an inflammation-prone mouse model of the human hotspot mutant TP53Y220C

1. Sara Jaber
2. Eliana Eldawra
3. Jeanne Rakotopare
4. Iva Simeonova
5. Vincent Lejour
6. Marc Gabriel
7. Tatiana Cañeque
8. Vitalina Volochtchouk
9. Monika Licaj
10. Anne Fajac
11. Raphaël Rodriguez
12. Antonin Morillon
13. Boris Bardot
14. Franck Toledo

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This work is of fundamental significance and has an exceptional level of evidence for the role of a mutant p53 in regulation of tumorigenesis using an in vivo mouse model. The study is well-conducted and will be of interest to a broad audience including those interested in p53, transcription factors and cancer biology.

Reviewed by eLife