Reducing MYC's transcriptional footprint unveils a good prognostic gene signature in melanoma.

MYC's key role in oncogenesis and tumor progression has long been established for most human cancers. In melanoma, its deregulated activity by amplification of 8q24 chromosome or by upstream signaling coming from activating mutations in the RAS/RAF/MAPK pathway-the most predominantly mutated pathway in this disease-turns MYC into not only a driver but also a facilitator of melanoma progression, with documented effects leading to an aggressive clinical course and resistance to targeted therapy. Here, by making use of Omomyc, the most characterized MYC inhibitor to date that has just successfully completed a phase I clinical trial, we show for the first time that MYC inhibition in melanoma induces remarkable transcriptional modulation, resulting in severely compromised tumor growth and a clear abrogation of metastatic capacity independently of the driver mutation. By reducing MYC's transcriptional footprint in melanoma, Omomyc elicits gene expression profiles remarkably similar to those of patients with good prognosis, underlining the therapeutic potential that such an approach could eventually have in the clinic in this dismal disease.

Transfection of Vitamin D3-Induced Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells for the Silencing of Potential Tolerogenic Genes. Identification of CSF1R-CSF1 Signaling as a Glycolytic Regulator.

The use of autologous tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDC) has become a promising strategy to re-establish immune tolerance in autoimmune diseases. Among the different strategies available, the use of vitamin D3 for the generation of tolDC (VitD3-tolDC) has been widely tested because of their immune regulatory properties. To identify molecules and pathways involved in the generation of VitD3-tolDC, we established an easy and fast gene silencing method based on the use of Viromer blue to introduce siRNA into monocytes on day 1 of culture differentiation. The analysis of the effect of CD209 (DC-SIGN) and CD115 (CSF1R) down-modulation on the phenotype and functionality of transfected VitD3-tolDC revealed a partial role of CD115 in their tolerogenicity. Further investigations showed that CSF1R-CSF1 signaling is involved in the induction of cell metabolic reprogramming, triggering glycolysis to produce high amounts of lactate, a novel suppressive mechanism of T cell proliferation, recently found in autologous tolerogenic dendritic cells (ATDCs).

The Wnt signaling receptor Fzd9 is essential for Myc-driven tumorigenesis in pancreatic islets.

The huge cadre of genes regulated by Myc has obstructed the identification of critical effectors that are essential for Myc-driven tumorigenesis. Here, we describe how only the lack of the receptor Fzd9, previously identified as a Myc transcriptional target, impairs sustained tumor expansion and ß-cell dedifferentiation in a mouse model of Myc-driven insulinoma, allows pancreatic islets to maintain their physiological structure and affects Myc-related global gene expression. Importantly, Wnt signaling inhibition in Fzd9-competent mice largely recapitulates the suppression of proliferation caused by Fzd9 deficiency upon Myc activation. Together, our results indicate that the Wnt signaling receptor Fzd9 is essential for Myc-induced tumorigenesis in pancreatic islets.