Browsing by Author "Fullwood, Melissa J"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Next-generation sequencing of apoptotic DNA breakpoints reveals association with actively transcribed genes and gene translocations.
    (PLoS One, 2011) Fullwood, Melissa J; Lee, Joanne; Lin, Lifang; Li, Guoliang; Huss, Mikael; Ng, Patrick; Sung, Wing-Kin; Shenolikar, Shirish
    DNA fragmentation is a well-recognized hallmark of apoptosis. However, the precise DNA sequences cleaved during apoptosis triggered by distinct mechanisms remain unclear. We used next-generation sequencing of DNA fragments generated in Actinomycin D-treated human HL-60 leukemic cells to generate a high-throughput, global map of apoptotic DNA breakpoints. These data highlighted that DNA breaks are non-random and show a significant association with active genes and open chromatin regions. We noted that transcription factor binding sites were also enriched within a fraction of the apoptotic breakpoints. Interestingly, extensive apoptotic cleavage was noted within genes that are frequently translocated in human cancers. We speculate that the non-random fragmentation of DNA during apoptosis may contribute to gene translocations and the development of human cancers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Targeting phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor-2α to treat human disease.
    (Progress in molecular biology and translational science, 2012-01) Fullwood, Melissa J; Zhou, Wei; Shenolikar, Shirish
    The unfolded protein response, also known as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, has been implicated in numerous human diseases, including atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. Protein misfolding activates one or more of the three ER transmembrane sensors to initiate a complex network of signaling that transiently suppresses protein translation while also enhancing protein folding and proteasomal degradation of misfolded proteins to ensure full recovery from ER stress. Gene disruption studies in mice have provided critical insights into the role of specific signaling components and pathways in the differing responses of animal tissues to ER stress. These studies have emphasized an important contribution of translational repression to sustained insulin synthesis and β-cell viability in experimental models of type-2 diabetes. This has focused attention on the recently discovered small-molecule inhibitors of eIF2α phosphatases that prolong eIF2α phosphorylation to reduce cell death in several animal models of human disease. These compounds show significant cytoprotection in cellular and animal models of neurodegenerative disorders, highlighting a potential strategy for future development of drugs to treat human protein misfolding disorders.