Research Notes — Lymphoma gene has surprise for UNMC scientists

UNMC cancer researchers are closer to understanding how certain genes in lymphoma work, which may lead to new approaches for treating the disease.

In the June 14 online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Timothy McKeithan, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor, oncology/hematology, and six colleagues published an article detailing the BCL6 gene and how it regulates B-cell differentiation, which is required in the development of most forms of lymphoma. Little is known about how the BCL6 gene is activated.

Alyssa Bouska, Ph.D., Timothy McKeithan, M.D., Ph.D., and Himabindu Ramachandrareddy recently had their lymphoma research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“This is just a step in understanding how the gene is regulated, but the hope is that eventually this will suggest new approaches for treating lymphoma,” said Dr. McKeithan, whose laboratory was one of the first to identify this gene 17 years ago.

Other authors on the article are:

• Himabindu Ramachandrareddy, graduate research assistant, pathology/microbiology;
• Alyssa Bouska, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, pathology/microbiology;
  
• Yulei Shen, M.D., instructor, pathology/microbiology;
  
• Ming Ji, Eppley Institute, a visiting research associate from Nanjing University, China;
• Angie Rizzino, Ph.D., professor and program director, Eppley Institute; and
  
• Wing (John) Chan, M.D., professor and A and A Vickery Jr. M.D. Professorship, pathology/microbiology.