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Pellman, David

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Pellman

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Pellman, David
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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Absolute quantification of somatic DNA alterations in human cancer
    (2015) Carter, Scott L.; Cibulskis, Kristian; Helman, Elena; McKenna, Aaron; Shen, Hui; Zack, Travis Ian; Laird, Peter W.; Onofrio, Robert C.; Winckler, Wendy; Weir, Barbara Ann; Beroukhim, Rameen; Pellman, David; Levine, Douglas A.; Lander, Eric; Meyerson, Matthew; Getz, Gad
    We developed a computational method (ABSOLUTE) that infers tumor purity and malignant cell ploidy directly from analysis of somatic DNA alterations. ABSOLUTE can detect subclonal heterogeneity, somatic homozygosity, and calculate statistical sensitivity to detect specific aberrations. We used ABSOLUTE to analyze ovarian cancer data and identified pervasive subclonal somatic point mutations. In contrast, mutations occurring in key tumor suppressor genes, TP53 and NF1 were predominantly clonal and homozygous, as were mutations in a candidate tumor suppressor gene, CDK12. Analysis of absolute allelic copy-number profiles from 3,155 cancer specimens revealed that genome-doubling events are common in human cancer, and likely occur in already aneuploid cells. By correlating genome-doubling status with mutation data, we found that homozygous mutations in NF1 occurred predominantly in non-doubled samples. This finding suggests that genome doubling influences the pathways of tumor progression, with recessive inactivation being less common after genome doubling.
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    Inhibition of Cdc42 during mitotic exit is required for cytokinesis
    (The Rockefeller University Press, 2013) Atkins, Benjamin D.; Yoshida, Satoshi; Saito, Koji; Wu, Chi-Fang; Lew, Daniel J.; Pellman, David
    The role of Cdc42 and its regulation during cytokinesis is not well understood. Using biochemical and imaging approaches in budding yeast, we demonstrate that Cdc42 activation peaks during the G1/S transition and during anaphase but drops during mitotic exit and cytokinesis. Cdc5/Polo kinase is an important upstream cell cycle regulator that suppresses Cdc42 activity. Failure to down-regulate Cdc42 during mitotic exit impairs the normal localization of key cytokinesis regulators—Iqg1 and Inn1—at the division site, and results in an abnormal septum. The effects of Cdc42 hyperactivation are largely mediated by the Cdc42 effector p21-activated kinase Ste20. Inhibition of Cdc42 and related Rho guanosine triphosphatases may be a general feature of cytokinesis in eukaryotes.
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    Microtubule sliding activity of a kinesin-8 promotes spindle assembly and spindle length control
    (2013) Su, Xiaolei; Arellano-Santoyo, Hugo; Portran, Didier; Gaillard, Jeremie; Vantard, Marylin; Thery, Manuel; Pellman, David
    Molecular motors play critical roles in the formation of mitotic spindles, either through controlling the stability of individual microtubules, or by cross-linking and sliding microtubule arrays. Kinesin-8 motors are best known for their regulatory roles in controlling microtubule dynamics. They contain microtubule-destabilizing activities, and restrict spindle length in a wide variety of cell types and organisms. Here, we report for the first time on an anti-parallel microtubule-sliding activity of the budding yeast kinesin-8, Kip3. The in vivo importance of this sliding activity was established through the identification of complementary Kip3 mutants that separate the sliding activity and microtubule destabilizing activity. In conjunction with kinesin-5/Cin8, the sliding activity of Kip3 promotes bipolar spindle assembly and the maintenance of genome stability. We propose a “slide-disassemble” model where Kip3’s sliding and destabilizing activity balance during pre-anaphase. This facilitates normal spindle assembly. However, Kip3’s destabilizing activity dominates in late anaphase, inhibiting spindle elongation and ultimately promoting spindle disassembly.
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    Linking abnormal mitosis to the acquisition of DNA damage
    (The Rockefeller University Press, 2012) Ganem, Neil J.; Pellman, David
    Cellular defects that impair the fidelity of mitosis promote chromosome missegregation and aneuploidy. Increasing evidence reveals that errors in mitosis can also promote the direct and indirect acquisition of DNA damage and chromosome breaks. Consequently, deregulated cell division can devastate the integrity of the normal genome and unleash a variety of oncogenic stimuli that may promote transformation. Recent work has shed light on the mechanisms that link abnormal mitosis with the development of DNA damage, how cells respond to such affronts, and the potential impact on tumorigenesis.
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    Triplication of a 21q22 region contributes to B cell transformation through HMGN1 overexpression and loss of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation
    (2014) Lane, Andrew; Chapuy, Bjoern; Lin, Charles Y.; Tivey, Trevor; Li, Hubo; Townsend, Elizabeth C.; van Bodegom, Diederik; Day, Tovah; Wu, Shuo-Chieh; Liu, Huiyun; Yoda, Akinori; Alexe, Gabriela; Schinzel, Anna; Sullivan, Timothy J.; Malinge, Sébastien; Taylor, Jordan E.; Stegmaier, Kimberly; Jaffe, Jacob D.; Bustin, Michael; te Kronnie, Geertruy; Izraeli, Shai; Harris, Marian; Stevenson, Kristen E.; Neuberg, Donna; Silverman, Lewis; Sallan, Stephen; Bradner, James E; Hahn, William; Crispino, John D.; Pellman, David; Weinstock, David
    Down syndrome confers a 20-fold increased risk of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL)1 and polysomy 21 is the most frequent somatic aneuploidy amongst all B-ALLs2. Yet, the mechanistic links between chr.21 triplication and B-ALL remain undefined. Here we show that germline triplication of only 31 genes orthologous to human chr.21q22 confers murine progenitor B cell self-renewal in vitro, maturation defects in vivo, and B-ALL with either BCR-ABL or CRLF2 with activated JAK2. Chr.21q22 triplication suppresses H3K27me3 in progenitor B cells and B-ALLs, and “bivalent” genes with both H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 at their promoters in wild-type progenitor B cells are preferentially overexpressed in triplicated cells. Strikingly, human B-ALLs with polysomy 21 are distinguished by their overexpression of genes marked with H3K27me3 in multiple cell types. Finally, overexpression of HMGN1, a nucleosome remodeling protein encoded on chr.21q223–5, suppresses H3K27me3 and promotes both B cell proliferation in vitro and B-ALL in vivo.
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    CHROMOTHRIPSIS FROM DNA DAMAGE IN MICRONUCLEI
    (2015) Zhang, Cheng-Zhong; Spektor, Alexander; Cornils, Hauke; Francis, Joshua M.; Jackson, Emily K.; Liu, Shiwei; Meyerson, Matthew; Pellman, David
    Genome sequencing has uncovered a new mutational phenomenon in cancer and congenital disorders called chromothripsis. Chromothripsis is characterized by extensive genomic rearrangements and an oscillating pattern of DNA copy number levels, all curiously restricted to one or a few chromosomes. The mechanism for chromothripsis is unknown, but we previously proposed that it could occur through the physical isolation of chromosomes in aberrant nuclear structures called micronuclei. Here, using a combination of live-cell imaging and single-cell genome sequencing, we demonstrate that micronucleus formation can indeed generate a spectrum of genomic rearrangements, some of which recapitulate all known features of chromothripsis. These events are restricted to the missegregated chromosome and occur within one cell division. We demonstrate that the mechanism for chromothripsis can involve the fragmentation and subsequent reassembly of a single chromatid from a micronucleus. Collectively, these experiments establish a new mutational process of which chromothripsis is one extreme outcome.
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    Modeling the Initiation of Ewing Sarcoma Tumorigenesis in Differentiating Human Embryonic Stem Cells
    (2015) Gordon, David J.; Motwani, Mona; Pellman, David
    Oncogenic transformation in Ewing sarcoma tumors is driven by the fusion oncogene EWS-FLI1. However, despite the well-established role of EWS-FLI1 in tumor initiation, the development of models of Ewing sarcoma in human cells with defined genetic elements has been challenging. Here, we report a novel approach to model the initiation of Ewing sarcoma tumorigenesis that exploits the developmental and pluripotent potential of human embryonic stem cells. The inducible expression of EWS-FLI1 in embryoid bodies, or collections of differentiating stem cells, generates cells with properties of Ewing sarcoma tumors, including characteristics of transformation. These cell lines exhibit anchorage-independent growth, a lack of contact inhibition and a strong Ewing sarcoma gene expression signature. Furthermore, these cells also demonstrate a requirement for the persistent expression of EWS-FLI1 for cell survival and growth, which is a hallmark Ewing sarcoma tumors.
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    Polyploidy can drive rapid adaptation in yeast
    (2015) Selmecki, Anna; Maruvka, Yosef E.; Richmond, Phillip A.; Guillet, Marie; Shoresh, Noam; Sorenson, Amber; De, Subhajyoti; Kishony, Roy; Michor, Franziska; Dowell, Robin; Pellman, David
    Polyploidy is observed across the tree of life, yet its influence on evolution remains incompletely understood1–4. Polyploidy, usually whole genome duplication (WGD), is proposed to alter the rate of evolutionary adaptation. This could occur through complex effects on the frequency or fitness of beneficial mutations 2,5–7. For example, in diverse cell types and organisms, immediately after a WGD, newly formed polyploids missegregate chromosomes and undergo genetic instability8–13. The instability following WGDs is thought to provide adaptive mutations in microorganisms13,14 and can promote tumorigenesis in mammalian cells11,15. Polyploidy may also affect adaptation independent of beneficial mutations through ploidy-specific changes in cell physiology16. Here, we performed in vitro evolution experiments to directly test whether polyploidy can accelerate evolutionary adaptation. Compared to haploids and diploids, tetraploids underwent significantly faster adaptation. Mathematical modeling suggested that rapid adaptation of tetraploids was driven by higher rates of beneficial mutations with stronger fitness effects, which was supported by whole-genome sequencing and phenotypic analyses of evolved clones. Chromosome aneuploidy, concerted chromosome loss, and point mutations all provided large fitness gains. We identified several mutations whose beneficial effects were manifest specifically in the tetraploid strains. Together, these results provide direct quantitative evidence that in some environments polyploidy can accelerate evolutionary adaptation.
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    HURP Permits MTOC Sorting for Robust Meiotic Spindle Bipolarity, Similar to Extra Centrosome Clustering in Cancer Cells
    (Rockefeller University Press, 2010) Breuer, Manuel; Kolano, Agnieszka; Kwon, Mijung; Li, Chao-Chin; Tsai, Ting-Fen; Pellman, David; Brunet, Stephane; Verlhac, Marie-Helene
    In contrast to somatic cells, formation of acentriolar meiotic spindles relies on the organization of microtubules (MTs) and MT-organizing centers (MTOCs) into a stable bipolar structure. The underlying mechanisms are still unknown. We show that this process is impaired in hepatoma up-regulated protein (Hurp) knockout mice, which are viable but female sterile, showing defective oocyte divisions. HURP accumulates on interpolar MTs in the vicinity of chromosomes via Kinesin-5 activity. By promoting MT stability in the spindle central domain, HURP allows efficient MTOC sorting into distinct poles, providing bipolarity establishment and maintenance. Our results support a new model for meiotic spindle assembly in which HURP ensures assembly of a central MT array, which serves as a scaffold for the genesis of a robust bipolar structure supporting efficient chromosome congression. Furthermore, HURP is also required for the clustering of extra centrosomes before division, arguing for a shared molecular requirement of MTOC sorting in mammalian meiosis and cancer cell division.