NIH R01 · 2024
Cell fate decisions in Merkel cell carcinoma initiation and maintenance
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer that frequently carries an integrated copy of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) and expresses viral transforming antigens (TAgs) that likely play a key role in tumorigenesis. MCC tumor cells also express transcripts detected in normal, post- mitotic Merkel cells residing in skin, including a set of mRNAs encoding lineage-specific transcription factors implicated in neuroendocrine cell fate. Work from our lab and others established that MCPyV small T antigen (sTAg), +/- truncated large T antigen (tLTAg), is sufficient to drive transformation in vivo, but MCC-like tumors were not detected in any of these models…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.