Paper Published by BUMC Faculty, Staff and Students Selected as AACR Editors’ Pick
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) selected an article written by members of the Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) community as one of the AACR Journals Editors’ Picks for 2015. The article, “A YAP/TAZ-Regulated Molecular Signature is Associated with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma” was published in Molecular Cancer Research in June, 2015.
The paper is the product of a collaboration between investigators at the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) as part of the Etiology and Pathogenesis of Oral Cancer (EPOC) Affinity Research Collaborative (ARC), co-funded by the Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research and GSDM.
The success of this paper is a testament to the “team science” approach embodied by the EPOC ARC, with contributions from multiple departments on campus. The lead author was Dr. Samantha Hiemer, a former PhD student in the Department of Biochemistry at BUSM. Dr. Hiemer completed her research in the laboratory of Dr. Xaralabos Varelas, Assistant Professor in Biochemisty at BUSM and senior author on the paper. Many of the other authors of the article are based in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at GSDM: Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology; Dr. Manish Bais, Research Associate Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology; Munirah Almershed, GSDM resident; and Trevor Packer, former Research Study Technician. An additional author is Dr. Vicki Noonan, Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Oral Surgery in GSDM’s Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The remaining authors are based in the Section of Computational Biomedicine in BUMC’s Department of Medicine: Dr. Stefano Monti, Associate Professor; Dr. Liye Zhang, postdoctoral fellow; and Vinay Kartha, PhD candidate.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common form of cancer, and it is increasing in prevalence worldwide. There are still limited therapeutic strategies available for effective treatment of OSCC, so more understanding of the molecular cues that contribute to OSCC is vital to better treat this disease in the future.
In this paper, the researchers showed that the transcriptional regulators YAP (YAP1) and TAZ (WWTR1) drive protumorigenic signals in OSCC. They determined that nuclear YAP and TAZ activity drives OSCC cell growth and movement in vitro and is required for OSCC tumor growth and metastatis in vivo. Overall, the study defines the regulation role of YAP/TAZ in OSCC and demonstrates the roles of nuclear YAP/TAZ activity in the onset and progression of OSCC.
AACR is a nonprofit dedicated to preventing and curing cancer through research, education, communication, and collaboration. Among other activities, AACR publishes a portfolio of highly ranked peer-reviewed journals on cancer research. AACR’s Editors’ Picks are selected articles from each journal issue that the AACR editors have identified as a “must read.”
Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Molecular & Cell Biology, said, “I am delighted that this paper has been selected as an AACR Editors’ Pick. It is a tribute to the team science approach of the EPOC ARC. This paper is an important contribution to the field of OSCC research, and I look forward to more discoveries from our ongoing collaborations.”
Dean Hutter remarked, “I would like to extend my congratulation to all the researches at both BUSM and GSDM for the publication of their article in Molecular Cancer Research and for its selection as one of the AACR Journals Editors’ Picks for 2015.”