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Violanti SS, Bononi I, Gallenga CE, Martini F, Tognon M, Perri P. New Insights into Molecular Oncogenesis and Therapy of Uveal Melanoma. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:E694. [PMID: 31109147 PMCID: PMC6562554 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11050694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM), which is the most common cancer of the eye, was investigated in recent years by many teams in the field of biomedical sciences and eye clinicians. New knowledge was acquired on molecular pathways found to be dysregulated during the multistep process of oncogenesis, whereas novel therapeutic approaches gave significant results in the clinical applications. Uveal melanoma-affected patients greatly benefited from recent advances of the research in this eye cancer. Tumour biology, genetics, epigenetics and immunology contributed significantly in elucidating the role of different genes and related pathways during uveal melanoma onset/progression and UM treatments. Indeed, these investigations allowed identification of new target genes and to develop new therapeutic strategies/compounds to cure this aggressive melanoma of the eye. Unfortunately, the advances reported in the treatment of cutaneous melanoma have not produced analogous benefits in metastatic uveal melanoma. Nowadays, no systemic adjuvant therapy has been shown to improve overall survival or reduce the risk of metastasis. However, the increasing knowledge of this disease, and the encouraging results seen in clinical trials, offer promise for future effective therapies. Herein, different pathways/genes involved in uveal melanoma onset/progression were taken into consideration, together with novel therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Silvia Violanti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Specialized Surgeries, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara and Eye Unit of University Hospital of Ferrara, 44124 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Bononi
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Carla Enrica Gallenga
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Specialized Surgeries, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara and Eye Unit of University Hospital of Ferrara, 44124 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Fernanda Martini
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Mauro Tognon
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Paolo Perri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Specialized Surgeries, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara and Eye Unit of University Hospital of Ferrara, 44124 Ferrara, Italy.
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Bononi I, Mazzoni E, Pietrobon S, Torreggiani E, Rossini M, Violanti S, Perri P, Tognon M, Martini F. High prevalence of serum IgG antibodies reacting to specific mimotopes of BK polyomavirus, a human oncogenic polyomavirus, in patients affected by uveal melanoma. J Cell Physiol 2018; 233:9052-9059. [PMID: 29968911 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.26771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common human intraocular tumor. The BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) is a small DNA tumor virus whose footprints have been detected in different human cancers. BKPyV has oncogenic potential. Indeed, BKPyV, when inoculated into experimental animals, induces tumors of different histotypes, whereas in vitro, it transforms mammalian cells, including human cells from distinct tissues. In this investigation, the association between UM and BKPyV was studied employing indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) using synthetic peptides that mimic BKPyV viral capsid 1 (VP1) antigens. Indirect ELISAs were used to detect serum IgG antibodies against this polyomavirus with oncogenic potential in samples from patients with UM and controls, represented by healthy subjects (HS). It was found that serum samples from patients with UM had a higher prevalence of BKPyV antibodies, 85% (51/60), compared with that detected in HS1, 62% (54/87), and HS2, 57% (68/120). The different prevalence of BKPyV antibodies detected in UM versus the two control groups, HS1 and HS2, is statistically significant (p < 0.005). Our immunologic data suggest a significantly higher prevalence of antibodies against BKPyV VP1 epitopes in serum samples from patients with UM compared with HS. These results indicate an association between UM and BKPyV, suggesting that this small DNA tumor virus may be a cofactor in the UM onset or progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Bononi
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Elisa Mazzoni
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Silvia Pietrobon
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Elena Torreggiani
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Marika Rossini
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Sara Violanti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Specialized Surgeries, School of Medicine, University Hospital of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Paolo Perri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Specialized Surgeries, School of Medicine, University Hospital of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Mauro Tognon
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Fernanda Martini
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
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Baez CF, Barel VA, de Souza AMT, Rodrigues CR, Varella RB, Cirauqui N. Analysis of worldwide sequence mutations in Zika virus proteins E, NS1, NS3 and NS5 from a structural point of view. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2017; 13:122-131. [PMID: 27805221 DOI: 10.1039/c6mb00645k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emergent arbovirus that has attracted attention in the last year as a possible causative agent of congenital malformation; it shows a remarkably increased microcephaly risk during otherwise healthy pregnancies. We present here an analysis of all ZIKV sequences available in Genbank up to April 2016, studying the mutations in the whole polyprotein and their possible structural implications for the proteins E, NS1, NS3 and NS5. This study suggests that microcephaly is not a consequence of any particular amino acid substitution but, conceivably, is a feature of ZIKV itself. Moreover, the structural analysis of ZIKV proteins, together with the mutational landscape of ZIKV and a structure-sequence comparison with other flaviviruses, allows the suggestion of regions that could be exploited as anti-ZIKV targets, including some allosteric sites found in the NS3 and NS5 proteins of DENV.
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Affiliation(s)
- C F Baez
- Preventive Medicine Department, Rio de Janeiro Federal University Hospital, Brazil
| | - V A Barel
- ModMolQSAR Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil.
| | - A M T de Souza
- ModMolQSAR Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil.
| | - C R Rodrigues
- ModMolQSAR Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil.
| | - R B Varella
- Microbiology and Parasitology Department, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Brazil
| | - N Cirauqui
- ModMolQSAR Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil.
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