Advance online publication

Perspective

γH2AX and cancer

William M. Bonner, Christophe E. Redon, Jennifer S. Dickey, Asako J. Nakamura, Olga A. Sedelnikova, Stéphanie Solier & Yves Pommier

DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) may lead to cancer but, paradoxically, are also used to kill cancer cells. How might γH2AX — a surrogate marker of DSBs — be used to detect precancerous cells, to stage cancers, to monitor the effectiveness of cancer therapies and to develop novel anticancer drugs?

Advance online publication

Review

The ADAMs: signalling scissors in the tumour microenvironment

Gillian Murphy

The disintegrin metalloproteinases of the Adam (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) family mediate proteolytic 'shedding' of membrane–associated proteins and hence rapidly modulate key cell signalling pathways in the tumour microenvironment. What is the biological and clinical relevance of the ADAMs?

Advance online publication

Research Highlights

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  Immunotherapy:

  It pays to be persistent

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  Genomic instability:

  Another string to the bow

Current Issue

Review

Derailed endocytosis: an emerging feature of cancer

Yaron Mosesson, Gordon B. Mills & Yosef Yarden

Oncogenic alteration of the endocytic machinery is a hallmark of cancer. As reviewed here, these alterations can lead to changes in morphology, polarity, motility, adhesion and growth factor–activated signalling pathways.

Current Issue

Review

Article series: Hypoxia and metabolism

Hypoxia signalling through mTOR and the unfolded protein response in cancer

Bradly G. Wouters & Marianne Koritzinsky

Responses to hypoxia are orchestrated not only through activation of the hypoxia–inducible factor family of transcription factors (HIFs), but also through HIF–independent signalling pathways. How are these pathways integrated?

Current Issue

Perspective

Ageing, oxidative stress and cancer: paradigms in parallax

Christopher C. Benz & Christina Yau

Ageing is thought to be associated with increased oxidative stress and increased cancer risk. However, recent evidence that breast cancers arising in older women are not associated with oxidative stress questions the link between age and increasing oxidative stress. Does ageing cause or simply permit cancer development?