Person: Karabacak, Nezihi
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Karabacak
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Nezihi
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Karabacak, Nezihi
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Publication Expression of β-globin by cancer cells promotes cell survival during blood-borne dissemination(Nature Publishing Group, 2017) Zheng, Yu; Miyamoto, David; Wittner, Ben; Sullivan, James; Aceto, Nicola; Jordan, Nicole Vincent; Yu, Min; Karabacak, Nezihi; Comaills, Valentine; Morris, Robert; Desai, Rushil; Desai, Niyati; Emmons, Erin; Milner, John D.; Lee, Richard; Wu, Chin-Lee; Sequist, Lecia; Haas, Wilhelm; Ting, David; Toner, Mehmet; Ramaswamy, Sridhar; Maheswaran, Shyamala; Haber, DanielMetastasis-competent circulating tumour cells (CTCs) experience oxidative stress in the bloodstream, but their survival mechanisms are not well defined. Here, comparing single-cell RNA-Seq profiles of CTCs from breast, prostate and lung cancers, we observe consistent induction of β-globin (HBB), but not its partner α-globin (HBA). The tumour-specific origin of HBB is confirmed by sequence polymorphisms within human xenograft-derived CTCs in mouse models. Increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cultured breast CTCs triggers HBB induction, mediated through the transcriptional regulator KLF4. Depletion of HBB in CTC-derived cultures has minimal effects on primary tumour growth, but it greatly increases apoptosis following ROS exposure, and dramatically reduces CTC-derived lung metastases. These effects are reversed by the anti-oxidant N-Acetyl Cysteine. Conversely, overexpression of HBB is sufficient to suppress intracellular ROS within CTCs. Altogether, these observations suggest that β-globin is selectively deregulated in cancer cells, mediating a cytoprotective effect during blood-borne metastasis.