T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological neoplasm with poor outcome for patients with primary resistant or relapsed disease. We have identified T-ALL patients with elevated levels of SOX11 (SOX11 high), a factor that is normally not expressed in normal T-cells, suggesting that SOX11 might have oncogenic potential in T-ALL. Interestingly, SOX11high T-ALL is mostly restricted to theTAL/LMO genetic subgroup and ...
We recently identified SOX11 as an important adrenergic lineage-specific transcription factor in neuroblastoma (NB). Through the induction of factors involved in chromatin landscaping, SOX11 has an epigenetic mediator role in controlling the sympathoblast enhancer landscape.To gain insights into SOX11 dependency, we aim to understand how the normal role of SOX11 during sympathoblast differentiation is co-opted during the process of malignant ...
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological neoplasm with poor outcome for patients with primary resistant or relapsed disease. We have identified a subset of T-ALL patients with elevated levels of SOX11, a protein that is normally not expressed in T-cells, and we also observed that SOX11 overexpression often co-occurs with stabilizing MYCN P44L mutations. Given this, we hypothesize that SOX11 might be ...
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a pediatric tumor arising from the peripheral nervous system with still poor survival for high-risk patients despite intensive therapy. Recent studies discovered two different phenotypic subpopulations in NB tumors, i.e. so-called adrenergic (ADRN) and neural-crest cell/mesenchymal like (NCC/MES) cells. The latter cell type is more chemo-tolerant and enriched in post-therapy and relapse tumors. We recently identified ...
The prognosis of patients with primary resistant or relapsed T-ALL remains poor, and development of
targeted drugs are still necessary. Therefore, new targets must be identified. SOX11 is a transcription
factor. Under physiological conditions, SOX11 is absent in the T-cell lineage, however, SOX11 is
upregulated in a subset of T-ALL cases. We aim to unravel the role of ...
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the third most common tumor arising during early childhood which arises from nerve tissue outside the brain. High risk NBs with poor prognosis show very few mutations but a typical recurrent pattern of gains or losses of chromosomal segments. The latter are assumed to result in dosage effects for proteins contributing to tumor formation and/or progression. In my project, I propose to investigate in further detail an ...
The SOX11 transcription factor controls essential steps in embryonal development and recently there is an evidence for a crucial role of SOX11 in neuroblastoma pathogenesis. The role of this gene in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis will be further investigated. Furthermore, there will be generated a zebrafish model for the study of the mode of action of this gene, and possible compounds interfering with it.
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extra cranial solid tumor during early childhood and arises from progenitors of the sympathetic nervous system. High risk NBs with poor prognosis show few recurrent mutations but typical patterns of gains or losses of chromosomal segments. Those chromosomal aberrations are assumed to result in dosage effects for proteins contributing to tumor formation and/or progression. My project will focus on the role ...