Biology subjects

Jamalzadeh, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Jamalzadeh, S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Multi-Omics Analysis Reveals the Attenuation of the Interferon Pathway as a Driver of Chemo-Refractory Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) represents the deadliest gynecological malignancy, with 10-15% of patients exhibiting primary resistance to first-line chemotherapy. These primarily chemo-refractory patients have particularly poor survival outcomes, emphasizing the urgent need for developing predictive biomarkers and novel therapeutic approaches. Here, we show that interferon type I (IFN-I) pathway activity in cancer cells is a crucial determinant of chemotherapy response in HGSC. Through a comprehensive multi-omics analysis within the DECIDER observational trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04846933) cohort, we identified that chemo-refractory HGSC is characterized by diminished IFN-I and enhanced hypoxia pathway activities. Importantly, IFN-I pathway activity was independently prognostic for patient survival, highlighting its potential as a biomarker. Our results elucidate the heterogeneity of treatment response at the molecular level and suggest that augmentation of IFN-I response could enhance chemosensitivity in refractory cases. This study underscores the potential of the IFN-I pathway as a therapeutic target and advocates for the initiation of clinical trials testing external modulators of the IFN-I response, promising a significant stride forward in the treatment of refractory HGSC.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Evolutionary states and trajectories characterized by distinct pathways stratify ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma patients

Ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage, with multiple genetically heterogeneous clones existing in the tumors long before therapeutic intervention. Herein we characterized HGSC evolutionary states using whole-genome sequencing data from 214 samples of 55 HGSC patients in the prospective, longitudinal, multiregion DECIDER study. Comparison of the tissues revealed that site-of-origin samples have 70% more unique clones than the metastatic tumors or ascites. By integrating clonal composition and topology of HGSC tumors we discovered three evolutionary states that represent a continuum from genomically highly variable to stable tumors with significant association to treatment response. The states and their evolutionary trajectories were characterized by unique, targetable pathways, which were validated with RNA-seq data. Our study reveals that genomic heterogeneity is unaffected by the current standard-of-care and pinpoints effective treatment targets for each group. All genomics data are available via an interactive visualization platform for rapid exploration.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2020

A Rab Escort Protein Regulates the MAPK Pathway That Controls Filamentous Growth in Yeast

MAPK pathways regulate different responses yet can share a subset of common components. In this study, a genome-wide screen was performed to identify genes that, when overexpressed, induce a growth reporter (FUS1-HIS3) that responds to ERK-type MAPK pathways (Mating/filamentous growth or fMAPK) but not p38-type MAPK pathways (HOG) in yeast. Approximately 4,500 plasmids overexpressing individual yeast genes were introduced into strains containing the FUS1-HIS3 reporter by high-throughput transformation. Candidate genes were identified by measuring the degree of growth, which was a reflection of reporter activity. Of fourteen genes identified and validated by re-testing, two were metabolic controls (HIS3 and ATR1), five had established roles in regulating ERK-type pathways (STE4, STE7, BMH1, BMH2, MIG2) and seven represent potentially new regulators of MAPK signaling (RRN6, CIN5, MRS6, KAR2, TFA1, RSC3, RGT2). MRS6 encodes a Rab escort protein and effector of the TOR pathway that plays an established role in nutrient signaling. MRS6 overexpression stimulated filamentous/invasive growth and phosphorylation of the ERK-type fMAPK, Kss1. Overexpression of MRS6 reduced the osmotolerance of cells and phosphorylation of the p38/HOG pathway MAPK, Hog1. Mrs6 interacted with the PAK kinase Ste20 and MAPKK Ste7 by two-hybrid analysis. Collectively, the data indicate that Mrs6 may function to selectively propagate an ERK-dependent signal. Generally speaking, the identification of new MAPK pathway regulators by genetic screening in yeast may be a useful resource for understanding signaling pathway regulation.

genomics↗