Oncogenesis

Our medical research library holds 8 studies published in Oncogenesis (2013–2026). Each entry links to the study's record on PubMed and, where there is one, to the publisher's page and a free full text. 7 have an abstract, the authors' own summary as PubMed records it: open "Abstract" to read it.

About the journal

• Publisher: Nature Pub. Group
• Published: 2012 to the present, United States
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2157-9024 (electronic)
• Its record in the NLM Catalog

2020s

• Editorial Expression of Concern: Estrogen receptor β activation impairs mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and affects malignant mesothelioma cell growth in vitro and in vivo. A.G. Manente, D. Valenti, G. Pinton, et al. 2026;15(1). PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

• Metabolic vulnerabilities in pleural mesothelioma. S. Plans-Marin, C. Muñoz-Pinedo, E. Nadal. 2026;15(1). Review PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Mesothelioma is a rare tumour of mesothelial origin that is often diagnosed at advanced stages. Despite recent approval of immunotherapy, the prognosis of mesothelioma remains dismal. Growing evidence links tumour metabolism to the molecular mechanisms driving mesothelioma's aggressiveness, therapeutic resistance and poor outcomes. Mesothelioma-specific metabolic alterations may be derived from asbestos-induced chronic inflammation, the mesothelial origin, the pleural microenvironment and tumour-stroma interactions, as well as recurrent genomic alterations that distinguish mesothelioma from malignancies of the lung parenchyma. Elucidating these metabolic alterations is therefore crucial for identifying exploitable vulnerabilities and improving therapeutic strategies. Key metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, nucleotide biosynthesis and amino acid and lipid metabolism, are tightly interconnected within a dynamic network that regulates cell survival and proliferation. Metabolism also shapes tumour microenvironment by regulating redox homoeostasis, signalling and nutrient exchange. Considering these pathways in isolation provides an incomplete picture, and instead, studying them as a whole, and building a coherent metabolic map is essential for revealing context-specific dependencies. In this review, we summarise current knowledge of mesothelioma metabolism, highlighting how recurrent genetic alterations including CDKN2A, MTAP, BAP1, NF2 and TP53 influence metabolic phenotypes. We discuss experimental and therapeutic efforts that target individual metabolic branches and evaluate how these insights can inform a unified strategy to exploit metabolic weaknesses and guide the rational development of combination therapies.

  © 2026. The Author(s).

• Inhibition of LDHB triggers DNA damage and increases cisplatin sensitivity in pleural mesothelioma. Y. Lin, C. Dubey, T. Losmanova, et al. 2025;14(1):28. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is an aggressive, asbestos-linked cancer with limited treatment options and a poor prognosis. Lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB) converts lactate to pyruvate, and its silencing reduces mitochondrial metabolism, particularly nucleotide synthesis. However, whether and a role of LDHB in PM is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of silencing LDHB in PM cells and their response to chemotherapy. LDHB was silenced using siRNA transfection and inducible shRNA constructs. Proliferation, colony formation, and cell viability were assessed, while DNA damage was analyzed through ɣH2AX levels. Compared to normal mesothelial cells, LDHB was highly expressed in PM cell lines. LDHB inhibition significantly reduced proliferation, cell viability, and colony formation, indicating its crucial role in PM cells. Additionally, LDHB silencing significantly increased nuclear DNA damage accumulation as indicated by elevated ɣH2AX levels, which was reversed by nucleotide supplementation. In vivo, LDHB inhibition reduced tumor growth and enhanced cisplatin's therapeutic efficacy. LDHB silencing increased ɣH2AX levels, which were further elevated with cisplatin treatment. Our results highlight LDHB as a novel therapeutic target in PM, where its inhibition induces DNA damage and improves the efficacy of cisplatin therapy.

  © 2025. The Author(s).

• ACTL6A suppresses p21Cip1 tumor suppressor expression to maintain an aggressive mesothelioma cancer cell phenotype. S. Shrestha, G. Adhikary, W. Naselsky, et al. 2021;10(10):70. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Mesothelioma is a poor prognosis cancer of the mesothelial lining that develops in response to exposure to various agents including asbestos. Actin-Like Protein 6A (ACTL6A, BAF53a) is a SWI/SNF regulatory complex protein that is elevated in cancer cells and has been implicated as a driver of cancer cell survival and tumor formation. In the present study, we show that ACTL6A drives mesothelioma cancer cell proliferation, spheroid formation, invasion, and migration, and that these activities are markedly attenuated by ACTL6A knockdown. ACTL6A expression reduces the levels of the p21Cip1 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor and tumor suppressor protein. DNA binding studies show that ACTL6A interacts with Sp1 and p53 binding DNA response elements in the p21Cip1 gene promoter and that this is associated with reduced p21Cip1 promoter activity and p21Cip1 mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, ACTL6A suppression of p21Cip1 expression is required for maintenance of the aggressive mesothelioma cancer cell phenotype suggesting that p21Cip1 is a mediator of ACTL6A action. p53, a known inducer of p21Cip1 expression, is involved ACTL6A in regulation of p21Cip1 in some but not all mesothelioma cells. In addition, ACTL6A knockout markedly reduces tumor formation and this is associated with elevated tumor levels of p21Cip1. These findings suggest that ACTL6A suppresses p21Cip1 promoter activity to reduce p21Cip1 protein as a mechanism to maintain the aggressive mesothelioma cell phenotype.

  © 2021. The Author(s).

2010s

• EPHA2 mutations with oncogenic characteristics in squamous cell lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma. Y.C. Tan, S. Srivastava, B.M. Won, et al. 2019;8(9):49. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) are thoracic malignancies with very poor prognosis and limited treatment options. It is an established fact that most of the solid tumors have overexpression of EPHA2 receptor tyrosine kinase. EPHA2 is known to exhibit opposing roles towards cancer progression. It functions in inhibiting cancer survival and migration via a ligand and tyrosine kinase dependent signaling (Y772). Whereas it is known to promote tumor progression and cell migration through a ligand-independent signaling (S897). We analyzed the expression profile and mutational status of the ephrin receptor A2 (EPHA2) in SCC and MPM cell lines and primary patient specimens. The EPHA2 receptor was found to be either overexpressed, mutated or amplified in SCC and MPM. In particular, the EPHA2 mutants A859D and T647M were interesting to explore, A859D Y772 dead mutant exhibited lower levels of phosphorylation at Y772 compared to T647M mutant. Molecular Dynamics simulations studies suggested that differential changes in conformation might form the structural basis for differences in the level of EPHA2 activation. Consequently, A859D mutant cells exhibited increased proliferation as well as cell migration compared to controls and T647M mutant. Kinomics analysis demonstrated that the STAT3 and PDGF pathways were upregulated whereas signaling through CBL was suppressed. Considered together, the present work has uncovered the oncogenic characteristics of EPHA2 mutations in SSC and MPM reinstating the dynamics of different roles of EPHA2 in cancer. This study also suggests that a combination of doxazosin and other EPHA2 inhibitors directed to inhibit the pertinent signaling components may be a novel therapeutic strategy for MPM and Non-small cell lung cancer patients who have either EPHA2 or CBL alterations.

• Therapeutic potential of targeting S100A11 in malignant pleural mesothelioma. H. Sato, M. Sakaguchi, H. Yamamoto, et al. 2018;7(1):11. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumor with an unfavorable prognosis. The standard therapeutic approaches are limited to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Because the consequent clinical outcome is often unsatisfactory, a different approach in MPM treatment is required. S100A11, a Ca2+-binding small protein with two EF-hands, is frequently upregulated in various human cancers. Interestingly, it has been found that intracellular and extracellular S100A11 have different functions in cell viability. In this study, we focused on the impact of extracellular S100A11 in MPM and explored the therapeutic potential of an S100A11-targeting strategy. We examined the secretion level of S100A11 in various kinds of cell lines by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Among them, six out of seven MPM cell lines actively secreted S100A11, whereas normal mesothelial cell lines did not secrete it. To investigate the role of secreted S100A11 in MPM, we inhibited its function by neutralizing S100A11 with an anti-S100A11 antibody. Interestingly, the antibody significantly inhibited the proliferation of S100A11-secreting MPM cells in vitro and in vivo. Microarray analysis revealed that several pathways including genes involved in cell proliferation were negatively enriched in the antibody-treated cell lines. In addition, we examined the secretion level of S100A11 in various types of pleural effusions. We found that the secretion of S100A11 was significantly higher in MPM pleural effusions, compared to others, suggesting the possibility for the use of S100A11 as a biomarker. In conclusion, our results indicate that extracellular S100A11 plays important roles in MPM and may be a therapeutic target in S100A11-secreting MPM.

• Estrogen receptor β activation impairs mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and affects malignant mesothelioma cell growth in vitro and in vivo. A.G. Manente, D. Valenti, G. Pinton, et al. 2013;2(9):e72. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Estrogen receptor (ER)-β has been shown to possess a tumor suppressive effect, and is a potential target for cancer therapy. Using gene-expression meta-analysis of human malignant pleural mesothelioma, we identified an ESR2 (ERβ coding gene) signature. High ESR2 expression was strongly associated with low succinate dehydrogenase B (SDHB) (which encodes a mitochondrial respiratory chain complex II subunit) expression. We demonstrate that SDHB loss induced ESR2 expression, and that activated ERβ, by over-expression or by selective agonist stimulation, negatively affected oxidative phosphorylation compromising mitochondrial complex II and IV activity. This resulted in reduced mitochondrial ATP production, increased glycolysis dependence and impaired cell proliferation. The observed in vitro effects were phenocopied in vivo using a selective ERβ agonist in a mesothelioma mouse model. On the whole, our data highlight an unforeseen interaction between ERβ-mediated tumor suppression and energy metabolism that may be exploited to improve on the therapy for clinical management of malignant mesothelioma.

• Gremlin-1 associates with fibrillin microfibrils in vivo and regulates mesothelioma cell survival through transcription factor slug. J.A. Tamminen, V. Parviainen, M. Rönty, et al. 2013;2(8):e66. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Malignant mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is highly resistant to conventional cancer therapy for which no major therapeutic advances have been introduced. Here, we identify gremlin-1, a known bone morphogenetic protein inhibitor crucial for embryonic development, as a potential therapeutic target for mesothelioma. We found high expression levels of gremlin-1 in the mesothelioma tumor tissue, as well as in primary mesothelioma cells cultured from pleural effusion samples. Downregulation of gremlin-1 expression by siRNA-mediated silencing in a mesothelioma cell line inhibited cell proliferation. This was associated with downregulation of the transcription factor slug as well as mesenchymal proteins linked to cancer epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Further, resistance to paclitaxel-induced cell death was associated with high gremlin-1 and slug expression. Treatment of gremlin-1-silenced mesothelioma cells with paclitaxel or pemetrexed resulted in efficient loss of cell survival. Finally, our data suggest that concomitant upregulation of fibrillin-2 in mesothelioma provides a mechanism for extracellular localization of gremlin-1 to the tumor microenvironment. This was supported by the demonstration of interactions between gremlin-1, and fibrillin-1 and -2 peptides as well as by colocalization of gremlin-1 to fibrillin microfibrils in cells and tumor tissue samples. Our data suggest that gremlin-1 is also a potential target for overcoming drug resistance in mesothelioma.

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