Cooperativity and Stability in a Langevin Model of Protein Folding

We present two simplified models of protein dynamics based on Langevin's equation of motion in a viscous medium. We explore the effect of the potential energy function's symmetry on the kinetics and thermodynamics of simulated folding. We find that an isotropic potential energy function produces, at best, a modest degree of cooperativity. In contrast, a suitable anisotropic potential energy function delivers strong cooperativity.Comment: 45 pages, 16 figures, 2 tables. LaTeX. Submitted to the Journal of Chemical Physic

Computational Method for Estimating DNA Copy Numbers in Normal Samples, Cancer Cell Lines, and Solid Tumors Using Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization

Genomic copy number variations are a typical feature of cancer. These variations may influence cancer outcomes as well as effectiveness of treatment. There are many computational methods developed to detect regions with deletions and amplifications without estimating actual copy numbers (CN) in these regions. We have developed a computational method capable of detecting regions with deletions and amplifications as well as estimating actual copy numbers in these regions. The method is based on determining how signal intensity from different probes is related to CN, taking into account changes in the total genome size, and incorporating into analysis contamination of the solid tumors with benign tissue. Hidden Markov Model is used to obtain the most likely CN solution. The method has been implemented for Affymetrix 500K GeneChip arrays and Agilent 244K oligonucleotide arrays. The results of CN analysis for normal cell lines, cancer cell lines, and tumor samples are presented. The method is capable of detecting copy number alterations in tumor samples with up to 80% contamination with benign tissue. Analysis of 178 cancer cell lines reveals multiple regions of common homozygous deletions and strong amplifications encompassing known tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes as well as novel cancer related genes

Is Heteropolymer Freezing Well Described by the Random Energy Model?

It is widely held that the Random Energy Model (REM) describes the freezing transition of a variety of types of heteropolymers. We demonstrate that the hallmark property of REM, statistical independence of the energies of states over disorder, is violated in different ways for models commonly employed in heteropolymer freezing studies. The implications for proteins are also discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figures To appear in Physical Review Letters, May 199

Candidate biomarkers of PARP inhibitor sensitivity in ovarian cancer beyond the BRCA genes

BACKGROUND: Olaparib (Lynparza™) is a PARP inhibitor approved for advanced BRCA-mutated (BRCAm) ovarian cancer. PARP inhibitors may benefit patients whose tumours are dysfunctional in DNA repair mechanisms unrelated to BRCA1/2. We report exploratory analyses, including the long-term outcome of candidate biomarkers of sensitivity to olaparib in BRCA wild-type (BRCAwt) tumours. METHODS: Tumour samples from an olaparib maintenance monotherapy trial (Study 19, D0810C00019; NCT00753545) were analysed. Analyses included classification of mutations in genes involved in homologous recombination repair (HRR), BRCA1 promoter methylation status, measurement of BRCA1 protein and Myriad HRD score. RESULTS: Patients with BRCAm tumours gained most benefit from olaparib; a similar treatment benefit was also observed in 21/95 patients whose tumours were BRCAwt but had loss-of-function HRR mutations compared to patients with no detectable HRR mutations (58/95). A higher median Myriad MyChoice® HRD score was observed in BRCAm and BRCAwt tumours with BRCA1 methylation. Patients without BRCAm tumours derived benefit from olaparib treatment vs placebo although to a lesser extent than BRCAm patients.CONCLUSIONS: Ovarian cancer patients with tumours harbouring loss-of-function mutations in HRR genes other than BRCA1/2 may constitute a small, molecularly identifiable and clinically relevant population who derive treatment benefit from olaparib similar to patients with BRCAm

Validation of a molecular and pathological model for five-year mortality risk in patients with early stage lung adenocarcinoma

Introduction: The aim of this study was to validate a molecular expression signature [cell cycle progression (CCP) score] that identifies patients with a higher risk of cancer-related death after surgical resection of early stage (I-II) lung adenocarcinoma in a large patient cohort and evaluate the effectiveness of combining CCP score and pathological stage for predicting lung cancer mortality. Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded surgical tumor samples from 650 patients diagnosed with stage I and II adenocarcinoma who underwent definitive surgical treatment without adjuvant chemotherapy were analyzed for 31 proliferation genes by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The prognostic discrimination of the expression score was assessed by Cox proportional hazards analysis using 5-year lung cancer-specific death as primary outcome. Results: The CCP score was a significant predictor of lung cancer-specific mortality above clinical covariates [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.46 per interquartile range (95% confidence interval = 1.12–1.90; p = 0.0050)]. The prognostic score, a combination of CCP score and pathological stage, was a more significant indicator of lung cancer mortality risk than pathological stage in the full cohort (HR = 2.01; p = 2.8 × 10−11) and in stage I patients (HR = 1.67; p = 0.00027). Using the 85th percentile of the prognostic score as a threshold, there was a significant difference in lung cancer survival between low-risk and high-risk patient groups (p = 3.8 × 10−7). Conclusions: This study validates the CCP score and the prognostic score as independent predictors of lung cancer death in patients with early stage lung adenocarcinoma treated with surgery alone. Patients with resected stage I lung adenocarcinoma and a high prognostic score may be candidates for adjuvant therapy to reduce cancer-related mortality

Carboplatin in BRCA1/2-mutated and triple-negative breast cancer BRCAness subgroups: the TNT Trial

Germline mutations in BRCA1/2 predispose individuals to breast cancer (termed germline-mutated BRCA1/2 breast cancer, gBRCA-BC) by impairing homologous recombination (HR) and causing genomic instability. HR also repairs DNA lesions caused by platinum agents and PARP inhibitors. Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) harbor subpopulations with BRCA1/2 mutations, hypothesized to be especially platinum-sensitive. Cancers in putative ‘BRCAness’ subgroups—tumors with BRCA1 methylation; low levels of BRCA1 mRNA (BRCA1 mRNA-low); or mutational signatures for HR deficiency and those with basal phenotypes—may also be sensitive to platinum. We assessed the efficacy of carboplatin and another mechanistically distinct therapy, docetaxel, in a phase 3 trial in subjects with unselected advanced TNBC. A prespecified protocol enabled biomarker–treatment interaction analyses in gBRCA-BC and BRCAness subgroups. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). In the unselected population (376 subjects; 188 carboplatin, 188 docetaxel), carboplatin was not more active than docetaxel (ORR, 31.4% versus 34.0%, respectively; P = 0.66). In contrast, in subjects with gBRCA-BC, carboplatin had double the ORR of docetaxel (68% versus 33%, respectively; biomarker, treatment interaction P = 0.01). Such benefit was not observed for subjects with BRCA1 methylation, BRCA1 mRNA-low tumors or a high score in a Myriad HRD assay. Significant interaction between treatment and the basal-like subtype was driven by high docetaxel response in the nonbasal subgroup. We conclude that patients with advanced TNBC benefit from characterization of BRCA1/2 mutations, but not BRCA1 methylation or Myriad HRD analyses, to inform choices on platinum-based chemotherapy. Additionally, gene expression analysis of basal-like cancers may also influence treatment selection

Association of IRF5 in UK SLE families identifies a variant involved in polyadenylation

Results from two studies have implicated the interferon regulatory gene IRF5 as a susceptibility gene in sys-temic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we conducted a family-based association analysis in 380 UK SLE nuclear families. Using a higher density of markers than has hitherto been screened, we show that there is association with two SNPs in the first intron, rs2004640 (P 5 3.4 3 1024) and rs3807306 (P 5 4.9 3 1024), and the association extends into the 30-untranslated region (UTR). There is a single haplotype block encom-passing IRF5 and we show for the first time that the gene comprises two over-transmitted haplotypes and a single under-transmitted haplotype. The strongest association is with a TCTAACT haplotype (T:U 5 1.92, P 5 5.8 3 1025), which carries all the over-transmitted alleles from this study. Haplotypes carrying the T alleles of rs2004640 and rs2280714 and the A allele of rs10954213 are over-transmitted in SLE families. The TAT haplotype shows a dose-dependent relationship with mRNA expression. A differential expression pattern was seen between two expression probes located each side of rs10954213 in the 30-UTR. rs10954213 shows the strongest association with RNA expression levels (P 5 1 3 10214). The A allele of rs10954213 creates a functional polyadenylation site and the A genotype correlates with increased expression of a transcript variant containing a shorter 30-UTR. Expression levels of transcript variants with the shorter or longer 30-UTRs are inversely correlated. Our data support a new mechanism by which an IRF5 polymorphism controls the expression of alternate transcript variants which may have different effects on interferon signalling