Post-transcriptional regulation of cancer vasculature by Nova2 (DSB.AD001.132)
Area tematica
Area progettuale
Oncologia e Immunologia (DSB.AD001)Struttura responsabile del progetto di ricerca
Istituto di genetica molecolare "Luigi Luca Cavalli Sforza" (IGM)
Responsabile di progetto
CLAUDIA GHIGNA
Telefono: 0382546324
E-mail: claudia.ghigna@igm.cnr.it
Abstract
Comparing to normal tissues, tumor vessels are aberrant at the phenotypic and functional levels, compromising the efficacy and the safety of current anti-angiogenic strategies. Thus, a better understanding of tumor vasculature molecular features is essential to develop effective cancer vessel-specific anti-angiogenic approaches.
Alternative Splicing (AS) has a major role to expand the coding potential of the human genome. Notably, aberrant AS regulation contributes to cancer progression by generating cancer-specific AS isoforms involved in tumor establishment, progression and resistance to therapeutic treatments. Paradoxically, despite the importance of AS in cancer progression, our knowledge regarding its role in tumor angiogenesis is still lacking limiting the possibility to identify more specific targets for anticancer treatments.
For the first time, we found that the AS factor Nova2 is an important post-transcriptional regulator of angiogenesis and is required for correct vascular development. Our recent results show that Nova2 is overexpressed in ovarian cancer vasculature and we characterized the vascular role of a number of novel Nova2 AS targets. Finally, we identified a
Obiettivi
1) Studiare il ruolo funzionale di Nova2 durante lo sviluppo del sistema vascolare e l'angiogenesi tumorale;
2) Identificare nuovi marcatori generati attraverso AS mediato da Nova2 nelle cellule endoteliali della vascolatura tumorale;
3) Caratterizzare la gerarchia di fattori di AS che sono importanti per regolare la biologia delle cellule endoteliali.
Data inizio attività
02/01/2019
Parole chiave
Angiogenesis and/or vasculogenesis, RNA splicing, Anti-angiogenic therapy
Ultimo aggiornamento: 02/12/2024