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Taylor, Alison

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Taylor

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Alison

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Taylor, Alison

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2012 - 20132

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Author's Publications: search.filters.isAuthorOfPublication.4977f1a2-6ffb-4f7e-a5b7-49e305d1657a

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    Hematopoietic Defects in rps29 Mutant Zebrafish Depend Upon p53 Activation
    (Elsevier BV, 2012) Taylor, Alison; Humphries, Jessica M.; White, Richard; Murphey, Ryan D.; Burns, Caroline; Zon, Leonard
    Disruption of ribosomal proteins is associated with hematopoietic phenotypes in cell culture and animal models. Mutations in ribosomal proteins are seen in patients with Diamond Black- fan anemia, a rare congenital disease characterized by red cell aplasia and distinctive cranio- facial anomalies. A zebrafish screen uncovered decreased hematopoietic stem cells in embryos with mutations in ribosomal protein rps29. Here, we determined that rps29L/L embryos also have red blood cell defects and increased apoptosis in the head. As the p53 pathway has been shown to play a role in other ribosomal protein mutants, we studied the genetic relationship of rps29 and p53. Transcriptional profiling revealed that genes upregulated in the rps29 mutant are enriched for genes upregulated by p53 after irradiation. p53 mutation near completely rescues the rps29 morphological and hematopoietic phenotypes, demonstrating that p53 medi- ates the effects of rps29 knockdown. We also identified neuronal gene orthopedia protein a (otpa) as one whose expression correlates with rps29 expression, suggesting that levels of expression of some genes are dependent on rps29 levels. Together, our studies demonstrate a role of p53 in mediating the cellular defects associated with rps29 and establish a role for rps29 and p53 in hematopoietic stem cells and red blood cell development.
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    The genetic heterogeneity and mutational burden of engineered melanomas in zebrafish models
    (BioMed Central, 2013) Yen, Jennifer; White, Richard M; Wedge, David C; Van Loo, Peter; de Ridder, Jeroen; Capper, Amy; Richardson, Jennifer; Jones, David; Raine, Keiran; Watson, Ian R; Wu, Chang-Jiun; Cheng, Jiqiu; Martincorena, Iñigo; Nik-Zainal, Serena; Mudie, Laura; Moreau, Yves; Marshall, John; Ramakrishna, Manasa; Tarpey, Patrick; Shlien, Adam; Whitmore, Ian; Gamble, Steve; Latimer, Calli; Langdon, Erin; Kaufman, Charles; Dovey, Mike; Taylor, Alison; Menzies, Andy; McLaren, Stuart; O’Meara, Sarah; Butler, Adam; Teague, Jon; Lister, James; Chin, Lynda; Campbell, Peter; Adams, David J; Zon, Leonard; Patton, E Elizabeth; Stemple, Derek L; Futreal, P Andy
    Background: Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer. Expression of oncogenic BRAF or NRAS, which are frequently mutated in human melanomas, promote the formation of nevi but are not sufficient for tumorigenesis. Even with germline mutated p53, these engineered melanomas present with variable onset and pathology, implicating additional somatic mutations in a multi-hit tumorigenic process. Results: To decipher the genetics of these melanomas, we sequence the protein coding exons of 53 primary melanomas generated from several BRAFV600E or NRASQ61K driven transgenic zebrafish lines. We find that engineered zebrafish melanomas show an overall low mutation burden, which has a strong, inverse association with the number of initiating germline drivers. Although tumors reveal distinct mutation spectrums, they show mostly C > T transitions without UV light exposure, and enrichment of mutations in melanogenesis, p53 and MAPK signaling. Importantly, a recurrent amplification occurring with pre-configured drivers BRAFV600E and p53-/- suggests a novel path of BRAF cooperativity through the protein kinase A pathway. Conclusion: This is the first analysis of a melanoma mutational landscape in the absence of UV light, where tumors manifest with remarkably low mutation burden and high heterogeneity. Genotype specific amplification of protein kinase A in cooperation with BRAF and p53 mutation suggests the involvement of melanogenesis in these tumors. This work is important for defining the spectrum of events in BRAF or NRAS driven melanoma in the absence of UV light, and for informed exploitation of models such as transgenic zebrafish to better understand mechanisms leading to human melanoma formation.