ORCID Profile
0000-0003-3643-0080
Current Organisations
Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute
,
University of Cambridge
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Publisher: EMBO
Date: 18-02-2011
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-06-2011
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-12-2014
DOI: 10.1038/ONC.2013.508
Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Date: 08-08-2023
DOI: 10.7554/ELIFE.90408
Publisher: The Endocrine Society
Date: 08-2012
DOI: 10.1210/ME.2012-1107
Abstract: Androgen receptor (AR) signaling exerts an antiestrogenic, growth-inhibitory influence in normal breast tissue, and this role may be sustained in estrogen receptor α (ERα)-positive luminal breast cancers. Conversely, AR signaling may promote growth of a subset of ERα-negative, AR-positive breast cancers with a molecular apocrine phenotype. Understanding the molecular mechanisms whereby androgens can elicit distinct gene expression programs and opposing proliferative responses in these two breast cancer phenotypes is critical to the development of new therapeutic strategies to target the AR in breast cancer.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-01-2016
Abstract: Rapid immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry of endogenous protein (RIME) is a method that allows the study of protein complexes, in particular chromatin and transcription factor complexes, in a rapid and robust manner by mass spectrometry (MS). The method can be used in parallel with chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) experiments to provide information on both the cistrome and interactome for a given protein. The method uses formaldehyde fixation to stabilize protein complexes. By using antibodies against the endogenous target, the cross-linked complex is immunoprecipitated, rigorously washed, and then digested into peptides while avoiding antibody contamination (on-bead digestion). By using this method, MS identification of the target protein and several dozen interacting proteins is possible using a 100-min LC-MS/MS run. The protocol does not require substantial proteomics expertise, and it typically takes 2-3 d from the collection of material to results.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1039/D0CS00310G
Abstract: Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) harness the highly specific targeting capabilities of an antibody to deliver a cytotoxic payload to specific cell types. This review summarises the advances made in the construction of homogenous ADCs.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 06-04-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.06.026963
Abstract: Differentiation of stem cells embedded within the mammary epithelium is orchestrated by lineage-specifying transcription factors. Unlike the well-defined luminal hierarchy, dissection of the basal lineage has been hindered by a lack of specific markers. Inhibitor of Differentiation 4 (ID4) is a basally-restricted helix-loop-helix (HLH) transcription factor essential for mammary development. Here we show that ID4 is highly expressed in basal stem cells and decreases during myoepithelial differentiation. By integrating transcriptomic, proteomic, and ChIP-sequencing data, we reveal that ID4 is required to suppress myoepithelial gene expression and cell fate. We identify the bHLH protein HEB as a direct binding partner of ID4, and describe a previously-unknown role for this regulator in mammary development. HEB binds to E-boxes in regulatory elements of developmental genes, negatively regulated by ID4, involved in extracellular matrix synthesis and cytoskeletal contraction. Together our findings support a model whereby ID4 binds to HEB and blocks it from promoting myoepithelial specialisation. These new insights expand our current understanding into control of myoepithelial differentiation and mammary gland morphogenesis.
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 09-2020
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-62718/V1
Abstract: Antagonistic sex hormone activity occurs in mammary gland development, whereby estrogen stimulates and androgen inhibits post-pubertal growth, but the mechanistic basis of this is largely unknown. Whether sex hormone antagonism occurs in the context of breast cancer is also unclear. The estrogen receptor alpha (ER) unequivocally drives the majority of breast malignancies, but the role of the androgen receptor (AR) is controversial, particularly in the context of ER-positive (ER+) tumours resistant to standard-of-care ER targeting therapies. The controversy has constrained clinical implementation of new drugs that influence AR activity for treatment of this disease. Using a erse panel of cell line and patient-derived models of ER+ breast cancer, we demonstrate that activation, not suppression, of AR activity exerts potent anti-tumour activity in multiple clinically relevant contexts, including tumours resistant to ER targeting therapy. We also show that AR agonists can be combined with old and new (i.e. Palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor) standard-of-care agents to enhance therapeutic efficacy. Mechanistically, agonist activation of AR altered the distribution of ER and its coactivators (p300, SRC-3) on chromatin, resulting in repression of ER-regulated cell cycle genes and up-regulation of AR target genes, including known tumour suppressors. Consistent with the mechanistic findings, a gene signature of AR activity derived from in vivo models positively predicted disease survival in multiple large, well-annotated clinical cohorts of ER+ breast cancer, outperforming existing pan-cancer or breast cancer specific signatures. These findings provide compelling evidence that AR has a tumour suppressor role in ER+ breast cancer and resolves an important clinical controversy concerning the optimal AR-directed treatment strategy, revealing a rational therapeutic opportunity.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 27-12-2012
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-06-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-018-04619-5
Abstract: Understanding the dynamics of endogenous protein–protein interactions in complex networks is pivotal in deciphering disease mechanisms. To enable the in-depth analysis of protein interactions in chromatin-associated protein complexes, we have previously developed a method termed RIME (Rapid Immunoprecipitation Mass spectrometry of Endogenous proteins). Here, we present a quantitative multiplexed method (qPLEX-RIME), which integrates RIME with isobaric labelling and tribrid mass spectrometry for the study of protein interactome dynamics in a quantitative fashion with increased sensitivity. Using the qPLEX-RIME method, we delineate the temporal changes of the Estrogen Receptor alpha (ERα) interactome in breast cancer cells treated with 4-hydroxytamoxifen. Furthermore, we identify endogenous ERα-associated proteins in human Patient-Derived Xenograft tumours and in primary human breast cancer clinical tissue. Our results demonstrate that the combination of RIME with isobaric labelling offers a powerful tool for the in-depth and quantitative characterisation of protein interactome dynamics, which is applicable to clinical s les.
Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Date: 31-01-2017
DOI: 10.7554/ELIFE.21221
Abstract: Pharmacological targeting of transcription factors holds great promise for the development of new therapeutics, but strategies based on blockade of DNA binding, nuclear shuttling, or in idual protein partner recruitment have yielded limited success to date. Transcription factors typically engage in complex interaction networks, likely masking the effects of specifically inhibiting single protein-protein interactions. Here, we used a combination of genomic, proteomic and biophysical methods to discover a suite of protein-protein interactions involving the SOX18 transcription factor, a known regulator of vascular development and disease. We describe a small-molecule that is able to disrupt a discrete subset of SOX18-dependent interactions. This compound selectively suppressed SOX18 transcriptional outputs in vitro and interfered with vascular development in zebrafish larvae. In a mouse pre-clinical model of breast cancer, treatment with this inhibitor significantly improved survival by reducing tumour vascular density and metastatic spread. Our studies validate an interactome-based molecular strategy to interfere with transcription factor activity, for the development of novel disease therapeutics.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-12-2015
DOI: 10.1093/JNCI/DJV371
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-06-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-022-04809-8
Abstract: Large-scale human genetic data 1–3 have shown that cancer mutations display strong tissue-selectivity, but how this selectivity arises remains unclear. Here, using experimental models, functional genomics and analyses of patient s les, we demonstrate that the lineage transcription factor paired box 8 (PAX8) is required for oncogenic signalling by two common genetic alterations that cause clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) in humans: the germline variant rs7948643 at 11q13.3 and somatic inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor ( VHL ) 4–6 . VHL loss, which is observed in about 90% of ccRCCs, can lead to hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF2A) stabilization 6,7 . We show that HIF2A is preferentially recruited to PAX8-bound transcriptional enhancers, including a pro-tumorigenic cyclin D1 ( CCND1 ) enhancer that is controlled by PAX8 and HIF2A. The ccRCC-protective allele C at rs7948643 inhibits PAX8 binding at this enhancer and downstream activation of CCND1 expression. Co-option of a PAX8-dependent physiological programme that supports the proliferation of normal renal epithelial cells is also required for MYC expression from the ccRCC metastasis-associated licons at 8q21.3-q24.3 (ref. 8 ). These results demonstrate that transcriptional lineage factors are essential for oncogenic signalling and that they mediate tissue-specific cancer risk associated with somatic and inherited genetic variants.
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Date: 24-01-2022
DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-1846
Abstract: DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs, herein referred as DNA-PK) is a multifunctional kinase of high cancer relevance. DNA-PK is deregulated in multiple tumor types, including prostate cancer, and is associated with poor outcomes. DNA-PK was previously nominated as a therapeutic target and DNA-PK inhibitors are currently undergoing clinical investigation. Although DNA-PK is well studied in DNA repair and transcriptional regulation, much remains to be understood about the way by which DNA-PK drives aggressive disease phenotypes. Here, unbiased proteomic and metabolomic approaches in clinically relevant tumor models uncovered a novel role of DNA-PK in metabolic regulation of cancer progression. DNA-PK regulation of metabolism was interrogated using pharmacologic and genetic perturbation using in vitro cell models, in vivo xenografts, and ex vivo in patient-derived explants (PDE). Key findings reveal: (i) the first-in-field DNA-PK protein interactome (ii) numerous DNA-PK novel partners involved in glycolysis (iii) DNA-PK interacts with, phosphorylates (in vitro), and increases the enzymatic activity of glycolytic enzymes ALDOA and PKM2 (iv) DNA-PK drives synthesis of glucose-derived pyruvate and lactate (v) DNA-PK regulates glycolysis in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo and (vi) combination of DNA-PK inhibitor with glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose leads to additive anti-proliferative effects in aggressive disease. Findings herein unveil novel DNA-PK partners, substrates, and function in prostate cancer. DNA-PK impacts glycolysis through direct interaction with glycolytic enzymes and modulation of enzymatic activity. These events support energy production that may contribute to generation and/or maintenance of DNA-PK–mediated aggressive disease phenotypes.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1039/D2CC02515A
Abstract: A modular and metal-free chemical methodology for the synthesis of dual-functionalised antibody-drug conjugates.
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Date: 15-08-2019
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-18-3264
Abstract: These findings show that the EN1 transcription factor regulates neurogenesis-related genes and is associated with brain metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer.
Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Date: 05-12-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-01-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41591-020-01168-7
Abstract: The role of the androgen receptor (AR) in estrogen receptor (ER)-α-positive breast cancer is controversial, constraining implementation of AR-directed therapies. Using a erse, clinically relevant panel of cell-line and patient-derived models, we demonstrate that AR activation, not suppression, exerts potent antitumor activity in multiple disease contexts, including resistance to standard-of-care ER and CDK4/6 inhibitors. Notably, AR agonists combined with standard-of-care agents enhanced therapeutic responses. Mechanistically, agonist activation of AR altered the genomic distribution of ER and essential co-activators (p300, SRC-3), resulting in repression of ER-regulated cell cycle genes and upregulation of AR target genes, including known tumor suppressors. A gene signature of AR activity positively predicted disease survival in multiple clinical ER-positive breast cancer cohorts. These findings provide unambiguous evidence that AR has a tumor suppressor role in ER-positive breast cancer and support AR agonism as the optimal AR-directed treatment strategy, revealing a rational therapeutic opportunity.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-06-2020
DOI: 10.1186/S13058-020-01306-6
Abstract: Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is a poorly characterised, heterogeneous disease. Patients are diagnosed with aggressive, high-grade tumours and often relapse with chemotherapy resistance. Detailed understanding of the molecular underpinnings of this disease is essential to the development of personalised therapeutic strategies. Inhibitor of differentiation 4 (ID4) is a helix-loop-helix transcriptional regulator required for mammary gland development. ID4 is overexpressed in a subset of BLBC patients, associating with a stem-like poor prognosis phenotype, and is necessary for the growth of cell line models of BLBC through unknown mechanisms. Here, we have defined unique molecular insights into the function of ID4 in BLBC and the related disease high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), by combining RIME proteomic analysis, ChIP-seq mapping of genomic binding sites and RNA-seq. These studies reveal novel interactions with DNA damage response proteins, in particular, mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1 (MDC1). Through MDC1, ID4 interacts with other DNA repair proteins (γH2AX and BRCA1) at fragile chromatin sites. ID4 does not affect transcription at these sites, instead binding to chromatin following DNA damage. Analysis of clinical s les demonstrates that ID4 is lified and overexpressed at a higher frequency in BRCA1 -mutant BLBC compared with sporadic BLBC, providing genetic evidence for an interaction between ID4 and DNA damage repair deficiency. These data link the interactions of ID4 with MDC1 to DNA damage repair in the aetiology of BLBC and HGSOC.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-07-2015
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE14583
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2017
Publisher: Bioscientifica
Date: 08-01-2014
DOI: 10.1530/ERC-13-0508
Abstract: Prostate cancer is the commonest, non-cutaneous cancer in men. At present, there is no cure for the advanced, castration-resistant form of the disease. Estrogen has been shown to be important in prostate carcinogenesis, with evidence resulting from epidemiological, cancer cell line, human tissue and animal studies. The prostate expresses both estrogen receptor alpha (ERA) and estrogen receptor beta (ERB). Most evidence suggests that ERA mediates the harmful effects of estrogen in the prostate, whereas ERB is tumour suppressive, but trials of ERB-selective agents have not translated into improved clinical outcomes. The role of ERB in the prostate remains unclear and there is increasing evidence that isoforms of ERB may be oncogenic. Detailed study of ERB and ERB isoforms in the prostate is required to establish their cell-specific roles, in order to determine if therapies can be directed towards ERB-dependent pathways. In this review, we summarise evidence on the role of ERB in prostate cancer and highlight areas for future research.
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Date: 14-09-2014
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-0053
Abstract: Regulators of differentiated cell fate can offer targets for managing cancer development and progression. Here, we identify Runx2 as a new regulator of epithelial cell fate in mammary gland development and breast cancer. Runx2 is expressed in the epithelium of pregnant mice in a strict temporally and hormonally regulated manner. During pregnancy, Runx2 genetic deletion impaired alveolar differentiation in a manner that disrupted alveolar progenitor cell populations. Conversely, exogenous transgenic expression of Runx2 in mammary epithelial cells blocked milk production, suggesting that the decrease in endogenous Runx2 observed late in pregnancy is necessary for full differentiation. In addition, overexpression of Runx2 drove epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition–like changes in normal mammary epithelial cells, whereas Runx2 deletion in basal breast cancer cells inhibited cellular phenotypes associated with tumorigenesis. Notably, loss of Runx2 expression increased tumor latency and enhanced overall survival in a mouse model of breast cancer, with Runx2-deficient tumors exhibiting reduced cell proliferation. Together, our results establish a previously unreported function for Runx2 in breast cancer that may offer a novel generalized route for therapeutic interventions. Cancer Res 74(18) 5277–86. ©2014 AACR.
Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Date: 05-12-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-10-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE24284
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1039/C9CC09050A
Abstract: Analysis of bound structures and SAR studies led to the function-oriented simplification of the aplyronines a convergent and modular synthetic platform then enabled the total synthesis and biological evaluation of four novel analogues.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2020
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 02-01-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-09-2018
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Date: 10-2016
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-15-3372
Abstract: Glucuronidation is an enzymatic process that terminally inactivates steroid hormones, including estrogens and androgens, thereby influencing carcinogenesis in hormone-dependent cancers. While estrogens drive breast carcinogenesis via the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), androgens play a critical role as prohormones for estrogen biosynthesis and ligands for the androgen receptor (AR). In this study, the expression and regulation of two androgen-inactivating enzymes, the UDP-glucuronosyltransferases UGT2B15 and UGT2B17, was assessed in breast cancer. In large clinical cohorts, high UGT2B15 and UGT2B17 levels positively influenced disease-specific survival in distinct molecular subgroups. Expression of these genes was highest in cases positive for ERα. In cell line models, ERα, AR, and the transcription factor FOXA1 cooperated to increase transcription via tandem binding events at their proximal promoters. ERα activity was dependent on FOXA1, facilitated by AR activation, and potently stimulated by estradiol as well as estrogenic metabolites of 5α-dihydrotestosterone. AR activity was mediated via binding to an estrogen receptor half-site 3′ to the FOXA1 and ERα-binding sites. Although AR and FOXA1 bound the UGT promoters in AR-positive/ERα-negative breast cancer cell lines, androgen treatment did not influence basal transcription levels. Ex vivo culture of human breast tissue and ERα+ tumors provided evidence for upregulation of UGT2B15 and UGT2B17 by estrogen or androgen treatment. ERα binding was evident at the promoters of these genes in a small cohort of primary tumors and distant metastases. Collectively, these data provide insight into sex steroid receptor-mediated regulation of androgen-inactivating enzymes in ERα+ breast cancer, which may have subtype-specific consequences for disease progression and outcomes. Cancer Res 76(19) 5881–93. ©2016 AACR.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-11-2016
DOI: 10.1038/NRC.2016.116
Abstract: Most breast cancers are driven by oestrogen receptor-α. Anti-oestrogenic drugs are the standard treatment for these breast cancers however, treatment resistance is common, necessitating new therapeutic strategies. Recent preclinical and historical clinical studies support the use of progestogens to activate the progesterone receptor (PR) in breast cancers. However, widespread controversy exists regarding the role of progestogens in this disease, hindering the clinical implementation of PR-targeted therapies. Herein, we present and discuss data at the root of this controversy and clarify the confusion and misinterpretations that have consequently arisen. We then present our view on how progestogens may be safely and effectively used in treating breast cancer.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-08-2018
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 15-01-2019
DOI: 10.1101/521054
Abstract: Genome-wide association studies have identified breast cancer risk variants in over 150 genomic regions, but the mechanisms underlying risk remain largely unknown. These regions were explored by combining association analysis with in silico genomic feature annotations. We defined 205 independent risk-associated signals with the set of credible causal variants (CCVs) in each one. In parallel, we used a Bayesian approach (PAINTOR) that combines genetic association, linkage disequilibrium, and enriched genomic features to determine variants with high posterior probabilities (HPPs) of being causal. Potentially causal variants were significantly over-represented in active gene regulatory regions and transcription factor binding sites. We applied our INQUSIT pipeline for prioritizing genes as targets of potentially causal variants, using gene expression (eQTL), chromatin interaction and functional annotations. Known cancer drivers, transcription factors and genes in the developmental, apoptosis, immune system and DNA integrity checkpoint gene ontology pathways, were over-represented among the 178 highest confidence target genes.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-11-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-021-26612-1
Abstract: Endocrine therapies for prostate cancer inhibit the androgen receptor (AR) transcription factor. In most cases, AR activity resumes during therapy and drives progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, therapy can also promote lineage plasticity and select for AR-independent phenotypes that are uniformly lethal. Here, we demonstrate the stem cell transcription factor Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) is low or absent in prostate cancers prior to endocrine therapy, but induced in a subset of CRPC, including CRPC displaying lineage plasticity. KLF5 and AR physically interact on chromatin and drive opposing transcriptional programs, with KLF5 promoting cellular migration, anchorage-independent growth, and basal epithelial cell phenotypes. We identify ERBB2 as a point of transcriptional convergence displaying activation by KLF5 and repression by AR. ERBB2 inhibitors preferentially block KLF5-driven oncogenic phenotypes. These findings implicate KLF5 as an oncogene that can be upregulated in CRPC to oppose AR activities and promote lineage plasticity.
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 13-05-2020
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-16182/V2
Abstract: Background Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is a poorly characterised, heterogeneous disease. Patients are diagnosed with aggressive, high-grade tumours and often relapse with chemotherapy resistance. Detailed understanding of the molecular underpinnings of this disease is essential to the development of personalised therapeutic strategies. Inhibitor of Differentiation 4 (ID4) is a helix-loop-helix transcriptional regulator required for mammary gland development. ID4 is overexpressed in a subset of BLBC patients, associating with a stem-like poor prognosis phenotype, and is necessary for the growth of cell line models of BLBC, through unknown mechanisms. Methods Here, we have defined unique molecular insights into the function of ID4 in BLBC and the related disease high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), by combining RIME proteomic analysis, ChIP-seq mapping of genomic binding sites and RNA-seq. Results These studies reveal novel interactions with DNA damage response proteins, in particular, mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1 (MDC1). Through MDC1, ID4 interacts with other DNA repair proteins (γH2AX and BRCA1) at fragile chromatin sites. ID4 does not affect transcription at these sites, instead binding to chromatin following DNA damage. Analysis of clinical s les demonstrates that ID4 is lified and overexpressed at a higher frequency in BRCA1 -mutant BLBC compared with sporadic BLBC, providing genetic evidence for an interaction between ID4 and DNA damage repair deficiency. Conclusions These data link the interactions of ID4 with MDC1 to DNA damage repair in the aetiology of BLBC and HGSOC.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Jason Carroll.