Publications by authors named "Simranjit X Singh"

Article Synopsis
  • Glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly brain cancer that has a high resistance to treatments, partly due to the presence of cancer stem cells.
  • Recent studies show that a genetic change known as homozygous deletion, common in GBM, enhances the stem-like properties of the tumor cells.
  • Treatment with L-Alanosine (ALA) reduces these stem-like properties by impairing mitochondrial function and also makes GBM cells more sensitive to the standard chemotherapy drug temozolomide (TMZ), suggesting that targeting purine synthesis could improve treatment outcomes with less toxicity.
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Strengthened DNA repair pathways in tumor cells contribute to the development of resistance to DNA-damaging agents. Consequently, targeting proteins in these pathways is a promising strategy for tumor chemosensitization. Here, we show that the expression of a subset of Fanconi anemia (FA) genes is attenuated in glioblastoma tumor cells deficient in methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (), a common genetic alteration in a variety of cancers.

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H2AX safeguards genomic stability in a dose-dependent manner; however, mechanisms governing its proteostasis are poorly understood. Here, we identify a PRMT5-RNF168-SMURF2 cascade that regulates H2AX proteostasis. We show that PRMT5 sustains the expression of RNF168, an E3 ubiquitin ligase essential for DNA damage response (DDR).

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Article Synopsis
  • Homozygous deletion of the MTAP gene is common in glioblastoma (GBM) and leads to significant epigenetic changes, including hypomethylation of pathways linked to cancer stem cells.
  • Loss of MTAP increases the formation of glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) that express higher levels of CD133 and are associated with a worse prognosis for GBM patients.
  • Targeting purine synthesis may effectively reduce the prevalence of these CD133-positive cells in MTAP-deficient GBM, providing a potential therapeutic approach.
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Treating KRAS-mutant lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains a major challenge in cancer treatment given the difficulties associated with directly inhibiting the KRAS oncoprotein. One approach to addressing this challenge is to define mutations that frequently co-occur with those in KRAS, which themselves may lead to therapeutic vulnerabilities in tumors. Approximately 20% of KRAS-mutant LUAD tumors carry loss-of-function mutations in the KEAP1 gene encoding Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (refs.

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During tumorigenesis, the high metabolic demand of cancer cells results in increased production of reactive oxygen species. To maintain oxidative homeostasis, tumor cells increase their antioxidant production through hyperactivation of the NRF2 pathway, which promotes tumor cell growth. Despite the extensive characterization of NRF2-driven metabolic rewiring, little is known about the metabolic liabilities generated by this reprogramming.

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Thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) lie interspersed with coding genes across the genome, and a small subset has been implicated as downstream effectors in oncogenic pathways. Here we make use of transcriptome and exome sequencing data from thousands of tumours across 19 cancer types, to identify lncRNAs that are induced or repressed in relation to somatic mutations in key oncogenic driver genes. Our screen confirms known coding and non-coding effectors and also associates many new lncRNAs to relevant pathways.

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