Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors as treatment versus maintenance in ovarian carcinoma

A hereditary ovarian cancer family with rare pathogenic splicing mutation: Implications for variant interpretation

The BRCA1/2 gene is important for assessing the risk of familial/hereditary ovarian cancer (OC). This case is a patient with OC, and two of her immediate family members are cancer patients. We sequenced the coding and splicing regions of 42 OC susceptibility genes, and found a rare pathogenic splicing mutation BRCA1:c.132C > T (p.cys44 =) in 2 patients. Although the mutation is synonymous, software prediction and functional verification have shown that it affects alternative splicing and leads to frameshift mutations (c.131_134del). Chromosome microarray analysis of the tissue samples revealed the presence of a BRCA1 gene deletion with a fragment size of 1.42 Mb and an HRD score of 71. In addition, the proband showed a sensitive response to platinum treatment. This case suggests the clinical significance of OC susceptibility genes sequencing and HRD scoring in screening hereditary OC families.

Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerases in Host-Pathogen Interactions, Inflammation, and Immunity

The literature review presented here details recent research involving members of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family of proteins. Among the 17 recognized members of the family, the human enzyme PARP1 is the most extensively studied, resulting in a number of known biological and metabolic roles. This review is focused on the roles played by PARP enzymes in host-pathogen interactions and in diseases with an associated inflammatory response. In mammalian cells, several PARPs have specific roles in the antiviral response; this is perhaps best illustrated by PARP13, also termed the zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP). Plant stress responses and immunity are also regulated by poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. PARPs promote inflammatory responses by stimulating proinflammatory signal transduction pathways that lead to the expression of cytokines and cell adhesion molecules. Hence, PARP inhibitors show promise in the treatment of inflammatory disorders and conditions with an inflammatory component, such as diabetes, arthritis, and stroke. These functions are correlated with the biophysical characteristics of PARP family enzymes. This work is important in providing a comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of pathogenesis and host responses, as well as in the identification of inhibitors. This is important because the identification of inhibitors has been shown to be effective in arresting the progression of disease.