Grant: Project Grant

Very recent work showed that a subset of almost every cancer is characterized by a peculiar defect in gene expression. In these cancers, several genes are not expressed from the beginning to the end, but rather from somewhere in the middle, a phenomenon called "cryptic transcription". Preliminary work from our collaborator suggests that cancers with cryptic transcription respond differently than others to some treatments. Based on this observation, researchers hope that simple diagnostic tests could be developed that would allow medical doctors to make more informed decisions about treatment. Furthermore, a better understanding of this phenomenon could lead to new treatments, notably for cancer subtypes that respond poorly to currently available therapies. This project is therefore aiming at better understanding what causes cryptic transcription in cancer cells. The Robert laboratory has recently contributed important work establishing that a protein called H2A.Z plays a key role in cryptic transcription in budding yeast, a well-established model organism. Since H2A.Z and other proteins involved in that same cellular function are often mutated or misregulated in cancers, Dr. Robert is proposing that H2A.Z may play a key role in the emergence of cryptic transcription in cancer cells.