@article{LorenzinBenaryBaluapurietal.2016,
  author    = {Lorenzin, Francesca and Benary, Uwe and Baluapuri, Apoorva and Walz, Susanne and Jung, Lisa Anna and von Eyss, Bj{\"o}rn and Kisker, Caroline and Wolf, Jana and Eilers, Martin and Wolf, Elmar},
  title     = {Different promoter affinities account for specificity in MYC-dependent gene regulation},
  series = {eLife},
  volume    = {5},
  journal   = {eLife},
  doi       = {10.7554/eLife.15161},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-162913},
  pages     = {e15161},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Enhanced expression of the MYC transcription factor is observed in the majority of tumors. Two seemingly conflicting models have been proposed for its function: one proposes that MYC enhances expression of all genes, while the other model suggests gene-specific regulation. Here, we have explored the hypothesis that specific gene expression profiles arise since promoters differ in affinity for MYC and high-affinity promoters are fully occupied by physiological levels of MYC. We determined cellular MYC levels and used RNA- and ChIP-sequencing to correlate promoter occupancy with gene expression at different concentrations of MYC. Mathematical modeling showed that binding affinities for interactions of MYC with DNA and with core promoter-bound factors, such as WDR5, are sufficient to explain promoter occupancies observed in vivo. Importantly, promoter affinity stratifies different biological processes that are regulated by MYC, explaining why tumor-specific MYC levels induce specific gene expression programs and alter defined biological properties of cells.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{OttoKastnerSchmidtetal.2022,
  author    = {Otto, Christoph and Kastner, Carolin and Schmidt, Stefanie and Uttinger, Konstantin and Baluapuri, Apoorva and Denk, Sarah and Rosenfeldt, Mathias T. and Rosenwald, Andreas and Roehrig, Florian and Ade, Carsten P. and Schuelein-Voelk, Christina and Diefenbacher, Markus E. and Germer, Christoph-Thomas and Wolf, Elmar and Eilers, Martin and Wiegering, Armin},
  title     = {RNA polymerase I inhibition induces terminal differentiation, growth arrest, and vulnerability to senolytics in colorectal cancer cells},
  series = {Molecular Oncology},
  volume    = {16},
  journal   = {Molecular Oncology},
  number    = {15},
  doi       = {10.1002/1878-0261.13265},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312806},
  pages     = {2788-2809},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Ribosomal biogenesis and protein synthesis are deregulated in most cancers, suggesting that interfering with translation machinery may hold significant therapeutic potential. Here, we show that loss of the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), which constitutes the initiating event in the adenoma carcinoma sequence for colorectal cancer (CRC), induces the expression of RNA polymerase I (RNAPOL1) transcription machinery, and subsequently upregulates ribosomal DNA (rDNA) transcription. Targeting RNAPOL1 with a specific inhibitor, CX5461, disrupts nucleolar integrity, and induces a disbalance of ribosomal proteins. Surprisingly, CX5461-induced growth arrest is irreversible and exhibits features of senescence and terminal differentiation. Mechanistically, CX5461 promotes differentiation in an MYC-interacting zinc-finger protein 1 (MIZ1)- and retinoblastoma protein (Rb)-dependent manner. In addition, the inhibition of RNAPOL1 renders CRC cells vulnerable towards senolytic agents. We validated this therapeutic effect of CX5461 in murine- and patient-derived organoids, and in a xenograft mouse model. These results show that targeting ribosomal biogenesis together with targeting the consecutive, senescent phenotype using approved drugs is a new therapeutic approach, which can rapidly be transferred from bench to bedside.},
  language  = {en}
}